I was recently asked to contribute to "The Major Gifts Report" published by Stevenson, Inc. First, the important disclaimer - I am NOT a fundraising consultant. This short article appeared in the "Professional Opinion" section and was provided from my perspective as a board development consultant. It is in question and answer format.
Q: Knowing your board’s collective giving should amount to one-third or more of your campaign goal, what key steps should you take to ready them for that major undertaking?
A(Marion): “Update your strategic plan and make sure it clearly inspires passion for your mission and goals. Your Board should be committed to your goals, experienced in fundraising initiatives and able to communicate both anecdotal and factual information about your organization. The implementation stage of the strategic plan is paramount. It should have specific action steps that board members can follow. Ask them to share experiences in attempting to reach these goals. This will differ for each board member. One may be involved in program development, and another in assessing real estate possibilities.
It is of the utmost importance to communicate your progress as the plan progresses. This can be done through your website, e-newsletters, mailed newsletters, press releases, and verbal communications. Post your goals on your website. Keeping the goals and progress – front and center requires continual effort on multiple fronts.”
You can find out more about Stevenson's monthly newsletters for nonprofits and their other publications at their website:
Stevenson Inc
Marion Conway Consulting
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