When you think of your board of directors, you should immediately think of leadership. After all, what is leadership for a nonprofit organization? The answer is - leadership is the board of directors.
There are three aspects of board leadership that are important to fulfilling their fundraising responsibilities:
1. Composition
2. Organization
3. Motivation
Board composition consists of the recruitment of members. There are many do's and don't's to compiling a board of directors. First and foremost, you will want to help your board enlist the talents of prospects with many skill sets, reach a wide spectrum of the community, encourage personal involvement, and, most importantly, create a board that is successful in fundraising.
You don't want to limit your board. By this I mean limit the board to specific responsibilities like "achieving efficiency" or "maintaining a special program character." You don't want to limit the size of your board, nor do you want to limit board members to one or two areas of expertise. Most importantly, do not overlook your board's fundraising responsibilities.
There is so much more we could cover here about the organization of your board and their motivations - both to serve and to act. Your responsibility as a nonprofit manager is to guide your board to help ensure their effectiveness.
To learn more about how you can assist your organization's board to be effective stewards of your organization's mission, and to raise more money, contact Alden Charles Associates today.
