https://bloomerang.co/resources/webinars/ Today more than ever nonprofits boards are expected to raise significant amounts of money. Join Keith Curtis and Jay Love for a discussion on nonprofit boards. Keith’s extensive work with nonprofits over the past 30 years has provided the opportunity to interact with a wide variety of nonprofit boards of different sizes and levels of experience.

1. Recruiting and Building
a Strong & Effective Board
OCTOBER 2013

2. The Curtis Group
OUR MISSION
Committed to promoting philanthropy,
we help nonprofits plan their future, build
awareness, and raise substantial amounts of
money.

3. The Curtis Group
 Raised hundreds of millions of dollars for nearly
150 nonprofits
 Celebrating 24 years of fundraising success
 One of 41 national members of the
Giving Institute which publishes
Giving USA: The Annual Report on
Philanthropy in the U.S.

4. The Curtis Group
 Our services include:
 Planning Studies
 Campaign Management
 Development Assessments
 Board Trainings
 Present at a variety of national conferences and
forums annually

5. What We Will Cover
 Importance of Individual Giving &
Board Leadership in Fundraising
 Creating Effective Boards
 Engaging Your Board in Fundraising

6. Is This Your Board?
will do
anything
BUT ask for
$$
consider
giving their
time their
donation
miss meetings
or don’t
participate
when they do
attend
recruited
without clear
expectations
think it’s
the staff’s
job to
raise $$
micromanage

7. Your Board Has Two Roles
Governance
Support
Participant
Policy Maker
Donor
Steward of Finances
Connector/Fundraiser

8. Think About It…
How are you engaging
your board in fundraising?
Do you have defined roles &
responsibilities for your board?
Do you use it to recruit new board
members?
Do you conduct a review with board
members annually?

9. 2012 Giving: $316.23 billion

10. High-Net-Worth Individuals
(HNWI)
 9 out of 10 dollars come from individuals
 About 50% of giving comes from HNWI
 98% give to secular causes versus 56% of
population as a whole
 66% give to same organizations every year
 43% have a will with a charitable provision
* Source: Giving USA 2012; “Patterns of Household Charitable Giving” by Income Group, The Center on Philanthropy at
Indiana University, 2007

11. In Fundraising, It’s All About
Leadership
People give to people.
Not exactly: People give to the right people.
Actually, people give to great
causes, but give appointments
to the right people.

12. Board Leadership
 Your board is your link to the community
 Fundraising succeeds only if board leads it
 Boards must give and get
 Some may never ask for gifts, but can
participate by making connections and
advocating

13. Traits of Effective Boards
 Understand the Case for Support
 Give time and resources (including $)
 Educated on development and trained in
making the ask
 Involved in planning, execution, and evaluation
of development efforts
 Identify, cultivate, and recruit donor prospects
and new board members
 Know fundraising isn’t just a staff function

14. Board: Askers, Ambassadors,
Advocates
Askers
• Comfortable asking
others to make gifts
• Get new gifts and
renew past gifts from
donors
• Focus on fundraising
• Take new board
members on calls as
training
Ambassadors
• Assist with donor
cultivation and
stewardship
• Engage potential
and current donors
• Focus on outreach
and relationship
development
Source: AFP “Advancing Philanthropy” January 2013 Edition
Advocates
• Share the case
for support and tells
others why
organization
is important to
community
• Help identify
potential donors
• Attend donor
cultivation and
stewardship events

15. Creating Effective Boards
RECRUIT
ORIENT
EDUCATE
ENGAGE
• Have year-round Recruitment Committee
• Use board roles and responsibilities document when
recruiting
• Make expectations clear: govern, give, get
• Have formal orientation process (tours, staff introductions)
• Consider board member mentors for new recruits
• Train on how to make the ask
• Send on calls with experienced board members
• Share case for support and practice telling story
• Discuss personal contacts; develop prospect list; make
calls
• Include in cultivation and stewardship events
• Meet annually with ED/DoD to ID 2-3 things they
want to work on that year

16. Engaging Your Board in
Fundraising
Start with who they know…
 Target top 10%-20% of current donors first
 Identify personal contacts
 Distinguish between willingness and
capability
Big gift donors are rarely strangers.

17. Engaging Your Board in
Fundraising
Cultivation is key; develop plan for each
prospect
 Bring prospects to an event
 Make personal visits
 Host tours
 Conduct follow-up calls
 Make thank-you calls
Small gifts can grow to big gifts with more
information.

18. Engaging Your Board in
Fundraising
Make “the ask”
 Meet with the prospect in person; have a plan
going into the meeting
 Tell the story – why they’re involved and
why they gave
 Listen and be positive
 Explain what a donor’s gift can accomplish
 Thank the prospect
 Report back to organization’s development staff

19. Summary
Develop strategic board recruitment process
Make expectations clear
Create orientation program
Train your board
Involve your board in fundraising (not just “the ask” but
cultivation and stewardship)

20. The Board’s Crucial Role
Remember, people give to people.
There is money out there and donors will give to
someone if they’re asked. If no one asks, they
won’t give.
It’s the board’s job to invite them to support
your organization.

21. Missing Piece of the Puzzle?
Effective use of a Donor Database allows
“Board Fundraising” to be a natural
progression of the relationship . . .

22. “Engagement” is the Linchpin
The word "linchpin" is also used figuratively to mean
"something [or someone] that holds the various elements
of a structure together."

23. CUE THE EXPERTS:
Mr. Tom Ahern
Bloomerang Donor
Communications Head Coach
One of the world’s top authorities on donor
communications
Author of 4 books on Donor Communications
Winner of 3 prestigious international IABC Gold
Quill awards
Dr. Adrian Sargeant
Bloomerang Chief Scientist
Professor of Fundraising at the Center on
Philanthropy at Indiana University holding
what is presently the world’s only endowed
chair in that discipline.
Top 10 Most Influential People in Fundraising
Renowned expert on Donor Retention and
Donor Loyalty

25. Engagement Level Graph
•
•
•
•
•
•
The Donor “thermometer” of your database
Updated automatically daily
Adrian’s expert formulas/algorithms
No user set-up required!
Easy to filter and report on
Springboard for major/legacy giving

28. Automatic Engagement Factors
• Recency and pattern of
giving
• Cash donors vs.
sustaining donors
• # of years giving +
• Upgrade /
Downgrade + • Lapsed • Event attendance +
• Opens email +
• Click links in emails +
• Unsubscribes
from email • Has stated
communication
preferences +
• Has inbound
interactions +
• Has soft credits +
• Volunteers +
• Social Media
(coming soon)
• …and a whole lot more!

29. What is the
donor’s
engagement
over time!
Highlight vital “retention” information
---

30. Timeline Highlights
•
•
•
•
•
•
If you use Facebook you know it
Everyone can use
Adrian’s expert formulas/algorithms
No user set-up required!
Perfect for a smart phone or tablet
Access ever donor “touch point” in seconds

31. Engagement Begins With The Thank You!
Above average gift amount
At or below average gift amount

32. DONOR COMMUNICATION BEST PRACTICES
Mr. Tom Ahern
Bloomerang Donor Communications
Head Coach
"Successful direct mail appeals are quite simple. At
heart, they are love letters to donors & prospects,
woven through with clear cries for help."

36. 5 Acknowledgment Principles
(Drastically Improve First Year Donor Retention)
•
•
•
•
•
48 Hour Rule
Be Different Than the Rest
Handwritten Rule Written Communications
State Exactly What the Monies will Fund
Call or See in Person as Often as Possible

37. 5 Communication Strategy Practices
(Involve Your Entire Fundraising Team)
•
•
•
•
•
Fully Map a Track for Each Key Segment
Survey in 1st 90 Days, Then “Honor”
Involve Human Connectors
Nurture Means Personal
Never Forget the “You” Test for EVERY “Touch”

38. Questions?
Presenters:
Keith Curtis | Jay B. Love

39. 757.496.2224
curtisgroupconsultants.com
#thecurtisgroup

40. Leading a “Revolution of Change”
Next Gen Database/CRM
Enables Fundraising Best Practices
Donor Retention/Donor Communications
Extreme Ease of Use
Relentless Focus on Results, not Features

41. Next Webinar:
10/31 – 1pm
Nathan Hand
Scary Good Social Fundraising
https:bloomerang.co/resources/webinars