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What We Tell Executive Directors: ‘You Need An Active and Engaged Board!’

Audrey Levitin

By Audrey Levitin 

Every non profit organization in the U.S. has a Board of Directors. Great organizations turn that obligation into one of their greatest assets. 

The executive directors we work with often ask us: “Why isn’t my Board doing more?” To put it more bluntly than the EDs usually do, why isn’t a great board the norm rather than the exception? 

I know this may come as a surprise but – despite protestations – there exists a built-in ambivalence among EDs and CEOs to build a strong and effective board. When inviting someone onto a board, an ED is essentially choosing his or her boss – the person they are accountable to. It’s natural to appoint people that satisfy a personal comfort level, those that “want to help,” but are not necessarily able or willing to give support,  or take their accountability role as seriously as they might.

There is a price to be paid for keeping expectations low. While there are short term benefits to lessening the work that comes with board engagement, you, the senior nonprofit executive, won’t be able to build a great organization alone. Without an engaged board you will not only lack resources but the accountability structure to propel a mission forward.

According to BoardSource, “The most successful fundraising organizations have a powerful fundraising partnership between the board, the executive, and the fundraising staff.” 

The sweet spot in confronting the oversight power of the board, and the accompanying work in energizing a board, is building a relationship based on mutual commitment to the vision of an organization and the people served. The goal is to stay focused on creating something brilliant together. Toward that end, here are several goals: 

  • Create a culture of philanthropy.

    The Board of Directors has primary responsibility for meeting fundraising goals. In partnership with the Chair, ask each board member to commit to personal and measurable development goals.

    The benefit is multiplying the numbers of people with outreach who can speak effectively about the important work of the organization, people who will develop the capacity and confidence needed to ask for support.
  • Develop a strong governance structure to create shared accountability and collaboration.

    It is the Board’s responsibility to ensure adequate resources needed to meet budget projections. Create a powerful partnership with the finance committee, to help the board understand how development goals are unfolding. This practice of mutual accountability is important during periods including end of year fundraising and major events. In this way the Board can help get ahead of short-falls or build on surpluses and successes.
  • Build a partnership with the Board by sharing responsibility as ambassadors for the organization. 

    Create a communications toolkit as a practical step to ensure your board and staff are speaking in one voice. A toolkit should include a mission statement, accomplishments, and draft emails and content for social media posts. 
  • Hold an annual training for your board in fundraising and communications.  

    An annual training is a good investment in keeping the accountability in board fundraising and encourages personal commitments. (We often facilitate this work at CauseWired).

Board members can also provide immense support in some of the most challenging of areas: keeping up with technological advancements, helping address difficult human resource issues and developing investment strategies.

As we so often tell our clients, by following these best practices, you are not in the untenable position of reporting out to an unengaged or uninformed board of directors – but rather working with true partners who can help you to achieve great things for the people you serve.

Audrey Levitin
Senior Counsel
audrey@causewired.com

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Asking For Help During Turbulent Times

By Audrey Levitin and Tom Watson

For so many of us working in the social sector, these are very difficult days. The news is uniformly grim, intolerance and outright bigotry are daily drumbeats, the trendlines seem bad, and the threat of authoritarian politics here in our own country hangs over the next year like a storm cloud on the public horizon. The trauma is real, and our brains are wired to seek shelter, to get away from the danger, to withdraw from the confrontation. Yet, our work remains – and so do the people we are all trying to help.

As consultants working with nonprofit organizations and the professionals leading them, we see the kind of numbness and paralysis that this can lead to. It is easy to feel dispirited and you may be concerned that your mission is not pressing or timely enough. It’s not one of the “breaking news” big headlines in this current and depressing cycle.

Yet, in our view, your mission matters more now than ever. Indeed, difficult times demand that you stand for your mission, your results and especially the people who count on your advocacy, services, or programs. And while it might sound trite, your daily achievements –  whether in international relief, human rights, or the direct services work of people helping people – are needed now more than ever.

And that’s why you need to feel empowered to ask for money. Because building stronger organizations through professional development and communications is both an empathetic and logical response to the current era of trauma and stress.

For us, pursuing a fairer justice system, helping young people in the South Bronx, strengthening the potential for peace in areas of conflict, and supporting refugees are just a few of the causes that can still make us spring out of bed in the morning, eager to collaborate with nonprofit leaders who are committed to making a difference. While we also worry about the gathering storm clouds, we have noticed that simple action – working hard each day, building organizations, writing grant proposals, advising executive directors and board members, building strategic plans, writing case documents – has a noticeable effect on our outlook. As does volunteer work and staying engaged in our own communities.

There’s a basis for this in science. Last January, Ohio State University released a major study that revealed that “people suffering from symptoms of depression or anxiety may help heal themselves by doing good deeds for others.”

Co-author Jennifer Cheavens, professor of psychology at Ohio State, wrote in The Journal of Positive Psychology:

“We often think that people with depression have enough to deal with, so we don’t want to burden them by asking them to help others. But these results run counter to that. Doing nice things for people and focusing on the needs of others may actually help people with depression and anxiety feel better about themselves.”

Which brings us to this time of year. We’re in the middle of the annual campaign season. The annual appeal is a time of community, a time to remind people that they are involved in something important, something that matters. So here’s our CauseWired remedy: despite what is happening in the world, feeding people, freeing people, housing and educating people, remains essential life saving work and your supporters want to hear from you!    

It is a time for storytelling and inspiration. One of our clients provides educational programming to women who as a first step need to earn their high school diplomas. Many of the participants succeed and go on to an associates degree, a four year diploma and finally a good job and upward mobility. The sense of accomplishment and the actual benefits for the women, their families and their communities, are truly transformative and bring joy and hope to donors whose generosity makes those outcomes possible. 

The end of the year giving season is also the culmination of the year-long work of the executive, development and communications teams – demonstrating that the phone calls, reporting, meetings, webinars and the events lead to the end of year gift. 

It is our experience that those who give at the end of the year are the most dedicated supporters and will not let you down. There is an unspoken commitment, particularly major donors, to provide the sustaining support that they know is needed, especially when other issues compete for attention. 

Trust the donor community you have created. Difficult times are also a time when people remember how important it is to do good. It is comforting to know that during tragedy and trauma, the ritual of the end of year giving remains a source of stability and an expression of community.

And trust us, you will feel better.