Are fundraising professionals “ashamed”? Too busy? Too lazy?

question1Welcome to O.D. Fridays at DonorDreams blog. Every Friday for the foreseeable future we will be looking at posts from John Greco’s blog called “johnponders ~ about life at work, mostly” and applying his organizational development messages to the non-profit community.

In a post titled “I’m Ashamed?,” John talks about an old Danish proverb that goes something like this: “He who is afraid to ask is ashamed of learning.” This post and the proverb made me think of so many of my friends who are fundraising professionals, and it got me wondering if “shame” has something to do with how they shy away from engaging board members, donors and fundraising volunteers.

Some of you are probably wondering what the heck I’m talking about because every time you show up at a fundraising event you see volunteers running in every direction. So, let me provide a few examples:

  • questions5 Too many resource development plans (aka fundraising plans) are written behind close doors without any input from those who we depend upon to help with implementation. And then we wonder why no one is jumping in to help and why board members are acting as if to say: “That’s not what I agreed to do … go implement YOUR plan.”
  • Too many donors make one charitable contribution and then are never heard from again. I don’t see many fundraising professionals picking up the phone, organizing lapsed donor focus groups, meeting individually with, or surveying these donors and asking a few simple questions.
  • I certainly hear many of my fundraising friends complain about how their executive director is disengaged from the fundraising program. However, I don’t see many of those folks exhibiting tenacity by asking-asking-asking. There are so many different questions to ask an executive director, and I witness lots of surrendering before they get to the second question.

I could go on and on with examples, but I’ll stop here because I think the better question, which is posed by the Danish proverb, is WHY don’t we ask more questions and WHY don’t we ask for more help?

So, I thought about the WHY and here are some of the possibilities I came up with:

  1. questions11The Danish are right . . . some people feel a sense of shame in asking for help. It gives people the impression that you’re not capable of doing the task at hand, even though you might be perfectly capable and trying to cultivate, engage, steward, etc.
  2. It is easier to just do it yourself. Asking and involving others usually means investing more time in doing something. Even though a case can be made for it being time well spent, it is easy to rationalize and justify not doing so because your calendar and task list is slammed.
  3. There is a sense of having “job security” in being the only person making the agency’s fundraising program work.
  4. Perhaps, it is simply a matter of not caring???

I’m sure there are a number of other possible explanationz, but it is Friday and thought I should ask you for some help.   😉

Please take a moment to ponder WHY and then scroll down and share one additional explanation in the comment box below.

Have you ever sat in a meeting or training, had a question and not asked it? Have you ever been in a board meeting marveling at why a board was making a particular decision and not jumped in with your questions? Have you ever been in front of a donor and not asked a ton of questions about what makes them tick, who they really are, and why they’re giving to you?

After you think through some of these questions, you’ve earned the opportunity to peek at some of the following websites that speak to the issue of asking good questions:

You should also go back to a series of posts I wrote a year ago on this subject:

Here’s to your health!

Erik Anderson
Founder & President, The Healthy Non-Profit LLC
www.thehealthynonprofit.com
erik@thehealthynonprofit.com
http://twitter.com/#!/eanderson847
http://www.facebook.com/eanderson847
http://www.linkedin.com/in/erikanderson847

What are you doing with your non-profit data?

286709039If you are collecting data on your non-profit organization’s performance and doing nothing with it, then you should be tarred and feathered. You are too busy to be doing things that don’t get you a return on investment on your time. Unfortunately, data collection can be time-consuming if you haven’t built good systems to make collection easy, and there are too many small non-profit organizations who are under-resourced and haven’t built those systems.

So, why do so many agencies still invest the time to collect data when it is difficult to do and so incredibly time-consuming? In almost every instance that I’ve seen, it is simply because a donor is requiring it or they are affiliated with a national organization that makes it mandatory.

Here is a thought . . . if you are going through the effort, then why not benefit from it?

What should you measure?

The “WHAT” is hard to answer unless you know the “WHY”. In other words, you should measure things relating to board engagement and performance if you want to improve those things. You should measure things relating to money and donor behavior if you want to improve your resource development.

One national organization with whom I am very familiar (wink, wink), developed an entire organizational scorecard full of key performance indicators (KPIs) that breakdown into the following five ares:

  • strategic growth
  • increased impact
  • financial health
  • resource development
  • board of directors

2964298027I know that a number of subscribers to this blog aren’t members of this “unnamed national organization,” and you are probably wondering what are some of the KPIs listed under these categories. While I don’t think I’d be violating any major trade secrets in sharing those KPIs with you, I want to be respectful of their work. So, I’ll only share a few of those KPIs to give you an idea and a start:

  • net change in number of clients service
  • average days cash on hand
  • net change in total income
  • percent of board volunteers that attended 75% of meetings
  • percent of board volunteers who make a personal unrestricted financial gift
  • percent of board volunteers who make a face-to-face solicitation on behalf of the agency

If you are interested in developing KPIs and a scorecard for your non-profit organization, here are a few resources I’ve found online that may help you:

What next?

4775722590I point you back to my inflammatory opening sentence:

If you are collecting data on your non-profit organization’s performance and doing nothing with it, then you should be tarred and feathered.”

Collecting this data isn’t rocket science, but it is time-consuming and you’re too busy to invest that time and get nothing back in return. Right?

If you are measuring program-related KPIs (e.g. outcomes data, impact data, etc), then you should share that info with the staff responsible for those programs. If you are measuring fundraising-related KPIs, then you should share that info with your fundraising staff and fundraising volunteers. If you are measuring board engagement related KPIs, then you should share that info with board volunteers.

I believe all KPIs should be shared with all board members in all instances (but at the appropriate time and setting) so they understand whether or not the organization is healthy or unhealthy. I also believe that where possibly, KPIs should be directly tied to performance management systems and evaluation tools.

The big idea here is that collecting this type of data, sharing this type of data, and integrating this type of data into systems like employee performance appraisal and board evaluation will drive change because it creates urgency, accountability and the assessment information necessary upon which organizational plans can be built.

Has your agency developed KPIs? If so, how do you use them? With whom do you share your data? What has been the result? Please use the comment box below to share your experiences.

Here’s to your health!

Erik Anderson
Founder & President, The Healthy Non-Profit LLC
www.thehealthynonprofit.com 
erik@thehealthynonprofit.com
http://twitter.com/#!/eanderson847
http://www.facebook.com/eanderson847
http://www.linkedin.com/in/erikanderson847

Nonprofit board development is a process when done right

Dani Robbins is the Founder & Principal Strategist at Non Profit Evolution located in Columbus, Ohio. I’ve invited my good friend and fellow non-profit consultant to the first Wednesday of each month about board development related topics. Dani also recently co-authored a book titled “Innovative Leadership Workbook for Nonprofit Executives” that you can find on Amazon.com. 

board of directors3The single most important thing an organization can do to ensure its sustainability is develop its board. You may be thinking — “No Dani, it’s staff, leadership, programming, impact or fundraising” — and all of those things are important, but none of them can happen the way they should without a strong board. Everything flows from a strong board of directors.

Strong boards set the mission, vision and values for an organization; they hire the talented and effective CEO and hold that CEO accountable for ensuring and implementing the strategic plan; they raise money, act as the fiduciary responsible agent over the finance and the programming; and they set policy. When it’s done right — like all good leadership — it looks like nothing.

Don’t be fooled, it’s not nothing and it’s not easy.

Board development is the intentional process by which the board is perpetuated, evaluated, and educated. It is usually stewarded by a committee that may be called Governance, Nominating, Administrative or Board Development, and it helps develop an effective board through its two main functions:

  • board building cycleBoard Building: A diverse board of directors (thought, skill, race, faith, ability, orientation, age, and gender) that is passionate about the mission of the organization is created through a board building process. That process includes an assessment of the current board and needed skill sets, identification of prospective members, and recruitment and nomination of new board members.
  • Board Education: Board members will fully understand and can effectively fulfill their commitments to the board of directors when a comprehensive orientation, continuing education, and annual evaluation process is in place.

The Board Development Committee outlines what the organization is looking for in a board member by analyzing current board make-up and identifying future needs, and finding the very best person(s) to meet those needs. In this identification process, the Board Development Committee informs the entire board of what the expectations are for board service.

The Committee reviews the prospects and sets a target number and priority listing of those they wish to bring on at the annual meeting. This list is presented to the board of directors for their comments. Any concerns are directed to the Board Development Committee.

In the absence of concerns, or after such concerns have been addressed, the prospective board member is contacted, preferably by a board member, a committee volunteer, or the person with whom the prospect is most closely affiliated, who requests a time to introduce the prospect to the mission of the organization.

I do not recommend you start the conversation inviting someone to join your board, or even share that you are calling to discuss potential board seats. I recommend you say that you are aware of their interest in the population your organization serves and you’d like to share some of your successes in positively impacting that population. (It may be necessary to assure them you are not setting up the meeting to ask for a gift.) You can decide once you are at the meeting if they are good fit for your board and if you should open the door to discussing a board seat; if not, you can find another way to engage them.

board recruitment

If you decide that you would like to invite them to be considered for a board seat, I recommend you communicate the time, financial obligation and effort expected of all board members before they agree to join.

Time is the principal commitment. Board members should be available at the time the board meets and be prepared to meet as often as is necessary to complete the business of the board during their term of service. They should also be prepared to attend fundraising events and to participate as fully as possible in developing and implementing the resource development plan.

I recommend you do not add someone to your board who cannot attend the meetings; either move the meetings or have them serve in another capacity. Organizations can only carry so many members who cannot attend meetings and most organizations already have a few people who fulfill that role.

Another primary responsibility of the Board of Directors is to ensure financial stability. Therefore, board members are expected to assist with fundraising efforts, as well as personally contribute. The financial health of the organization depends upon people-to-people contact, and prospective board members should understand that identifying and cultivating potential donors is part of their job.

Prospective board members are voted onto the board of directors in accordance with procedures laid out in the organization’s by-laws, which in Ohio are called Codes of Regulation.

Once voted upon, new board members should be oriented. I like to orient board member after they’ve been voted upon but before they’ve been seated. The orientation, either individually or as a group, should be conducted by the Board President, CEO, or Committee Chair. By the conclusion of the orientation, new board members should have a sense of the mission and programs, finances, fundraising initiatives, strategic goals, structure of the board of directors and staff, and their own roles and responsibilities as a member of the Board of Directors. They should also be invited to consider their own goals for service.

Once the Board has been appointed, the Board Development committee moves into its other two roles evaluation and education.

board evaluation

Evaluation is the process of assessing the progress of the board and identifying changes that will bring greater achievement of the organization’s mission. Evaluation is a developmental process, not a report card.

The Board Development Committee will ask individual board members to complete an annual self-assessment, including a section evaluating board process, which the committee will use to complete the board assessment. When a board assessment takes place, the Board Development Committee will compare the board’s individual assessments, identify areas of consensus, and develop a plan of action for strengthening the board.

This process can also include an opportunity for Board members to request trainings. Annual board education is integral to a successful board. There are a variety of training options, an example of some include:

  • The Art of the Ask
  • Board Process – agendas setting, committee, topics, strategy, structure, engagement
  • Basic Board responsibilities (fiduciary and legal)
  • Board vs Staff roles
  • Best Practices of Effective Boards
  • Governance as Leadership: Fiduciary, Strategic and Generative Modes of Governance

I encourage every organization to create a formal plan to annually assess, develop and grow their board. Strength begets strength and strong boards ensure strong, sustainable organizations.

As always, I welcome your experience and insight.
dani sig

“V” is for victory

winston churchillOne of my favorite training curricula that I’ve ever had the privilege of teaching is titled “Inspiring & Managing Your Board for Fundraising Success.” In that curriculum, there are nine keys to accomplishing what the title promises its participants. One of those nine keys is celebration & recognition, and it is the inspiration for today’s DonorDreams blog post.

As most of you know, I’ve spent the last 30 days working hard at hosting the Nonprofit Blog Carnival (which officially went live yesterday). Click here to see the carnival and all of its participants . . . you don’t want to miss this month’s carnival.

During the month of May, a few major milestones were achieved at DonorDreams.

  1. We surpassed 34,000 all-time page views.
  2. We achieved more than 1,000 all-time comments.
  3. We eclipsed the 500 post mark (Phew, that’s a lot of content).
  4. We hit an time high in daily visitors and page views during the last month.

I ask for your forgiveness as I take a moment to celebrate.

I know that for some of the big time bloggers out there, these might seem like small things to celebrate. However, DonorDreams blog has only been around for two years, and I am a staunch believer in celebrating the small victories along with the big ones.

Ahhhhhh, that victory lap certainly was sweet. Thanks for indulging me.

mirrorNow, let me take a moment to recognize those people who made it possible to celebrate.

YOU

That’s right. None of this would’ve been possible if not for you and all of the other DonorDreams blog subscribers, social media followers, readers and guest bloggers.

From the bottom of my heart, thank you very much for tuning in and reading this blog. Thank you for your comments. Thank you for your subscriptions. Thank you for your LIKES and RETWEETS.

This victory lap isn’t mine. It is OURS.

OK . . . I’m done (until the next milestone is eclipsed).    😉

With all of that being said, I would be remiss if I didn’t end this post with a thought provoking question:

What do you do at your agency to celebrate and recognize achievement of milestones, goals, and successes with your board volunteers? Do you have any good examples that you are willing to share with your fellow non-profit professionals?”

Please mull this over for a moment and take a second out of your busy day to share your response in the comment box below.

Here’s to your health!

Erik Anderson
Founder & President, The Healthy Non-Profit LLC
www.thehealthynonprofit.com 
erik@thehealthynonprofit.com
http://twitter.com/#!/eanderson847
http://www.facebook.com/eanderson847
http://www.linkedin.com/in/erikanderson847

May 2013 Nonprofit Blog Carnival

carnival masksStep right up . . . step right up! It is time for the May 2013 Nonprofit Blog Carnival.

You will be amazed by what many non-profit experts had to say in an open letter they composed to non-profit board volunteers.

What is even more unbelievable is how some of this month’s carnival participants were able to skillfully weave Dr. Seuss inspired ideas into their posts.

“Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It’s not.” ~Dr. Seuss

Jeff Brooks at Future Fundraising Now wrote his letter to board members who don’t like your fundraising program. Did I mention how much he seems to like eating green eggs and ham?

The always positive and upbeat Marc Pitman (aka The Fundraising Coach) addressed the issue of board volunteers who are reluctant to fundraise. He included a neat link to a free asking styles profile tool at the end of his post. You gotta check it out!

On mBlog, Jenifer Snyder wrote her post to board volunteers on the value of getting more involved in mobile. I was especially impressed with this post because it is composed 100% in Dr. Seuss rhyme format. Big gold star for Jennifer!

Susan Chavez also earned a big gold star for writing her post in rhyme and offering social media advice to non-profit board volunteers.

Over at Wild Apricot blog, Lori Halley’s letter was written from the perspective of a new volunteer who openly wonders why veteran board volunteers sometimes resist new ideas and cloak themselves in the old fashion “that’s not how we do it here” defense.

Two Plus Two Can Be Five blog wrote their letter to board volunteers from the perspective of an ex-board volunteer who is one of those silent volunteers who has much to offer but never gets properly engaged. They ask the always powerful question: “Have you ever wondered why people resign from the board and move on like I’m going to?”

Sandy Rees at Get Fully Funded blog also took inspiration from a variety of different Dr. Seuss quotations. Her letter was written to new board volunteers and offered a treasure trove of advice on how to be a great non-profit board volunteer. She ends her post with an awesome training link that speaks to the topic of basic board roles and responsibilities.

Terri Holland wrote her letter from her own perspective as a fundraising professional. She ticks off four very common things that get in between boards and resource development staff, and she asks for their understanding and cooperation. This post is very honest and refreshing.

While not in the form of a letter, our friends at Big Duck blog offered “Three tips to help reinvigorate your board meetings“. This post reads like a letter to board volunteers. I included it in the Nonprofit Blog Carnival because I thought some of you might want to share it with your board governance committee and board president.

love stampLove letters to board volunteers

One of my favorite bloggers of all time, Joanne Fritz at about.com, wrote “A Love Letter to My First Board of Directors“.  Joanne undoubtedly speaks for all of us who’ve had the luxury of hindsight to look back at our past experiences.

Over at Non Profit Evolution, Dani Robbins also penned a love letter to her former board and exclaimed from the mountaintops: “I am the leader I am today because of the tools you gave me.  I promise to pay it forward.”

At the Laramie Board Learning Project blog, Dr. Debra Beck penned an Open letter to an exemplar board expressing her appreciation to a board for allowing her to study their work, their learning processes and their motivations to serve (and serve well) for her doctoral dissertation research.

But wait . . . there’s more!

As many of you know, DonorDreams blog dedicated the entire month of May to non-profit professionals and volunteers who wanted to write anonymous letters to their boards.

There were a ton of great entries, and I encourage you to click over and start reading. However, for those of you with limited time for reading blogs, the following were the top six most popular posts:

Again, these submissions were not from bloggers. These letters were from real, live non-profit professionals and board volunteers. Their honesty is a window upon which you can see the things with which the non-profit sector struggles every day.

dr suessSo what should you do next?

Dr. Seuss reminds us:

“You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself in any direction you choose. You’re on your own, and you know what you know. And you are the guy who’ll decide where to go.”

In yesterday’s DonorDreams post titled “I meant what I said and I said what I meant! ~Dr. Seuss,” I encouraged everyone who wrote letters (and those of you who have unwritten letters in your heads) to take it a step further and TAKE ACTION. Take a moment to click over to this post and give some consideration to what you’re next steps should be. Architects for change (as was Dr. Seuss) would consider this moment of reflection necessary if you plan on growing the organizational capacity of your agency.

Our fellow blogger Febe Galvez-Voth at www.thecaseforsupport.com might have summed it up best when she submitted the following Dr. Seuss inspired entry about developing your organization’s case for support (which I encourage you to read in a broader context of developing a case for addressing any of these board issues):

Wherever you are

State your case
On a bus in a fuss
Tell the world that you care
Tell the world why you share

State your case
In a chute in a suit
Make your smarts lead the way
Make your smarts sway the nay

State your case
In a home with a gnome
Speak with love and respect
Speak with love and connect

State your case
In a room with a broom
Lead away from the fray
You’ll go up, up and away

State your case!

carnival2“Today was good. Today was fun. Tomorrow is another one.” ~Dr. Seuss

OK . . . I am stretching this quotation from Dr. Seuss a little far. There is not another Nonprofit Blog Carnival tomorrow, but there will be another one in June (as there is every month).

Lori Halley at Wild Apricot blog will be next months host the next Nonprofit Blog Carnival. The theme will be “Data for Good“. Click here for more details and how to submit your blog entry for consideration.

As I say at the end of all my blog posts . . .

Here’s to your health!

Erik Anderson
Founder & President, The Healthy Non-Profit LLC
www.thehealthynonprofit.com 
erik@thehealthynonprofit.com
http://twitter.com/#!/eanderson847
http://www.facebook.com/eanderson847
http://www.linkedin.com/in/erikanderson847

“I meant what I said and I said what I meant!” ~Dr. Seuss

letterFor those of you who regularly follow DonorDreams blog, you know that for the last month I’ve been publishing real letters from real non-profit people. These letters have been anonymous and all center on the theme of things that non-profit boards do that drive the letter writer a little nuts. Rather than just making this a good old fashion “rant,” each author was asked to incorporate a suggested solution into their letter.

I hope you enjoyed this month’s series. If the data analytics for this site are any indication, it looks like many of you enjoyed it A LOT!

As you can see from all of this month’s posts, I incorporated a “mask” theme for a few reasons.

  • This theme was inspired by the fact that I am the Nonprofit Blog Carnival host this month, and I thought incorporating masks as a visual would tie the ideas of “carnival” and “anonymous letters” together perfectly.
  • Additionally, humans have used masks for an assortment of things for millennia including ceremonies, protection, medical protection from plagues, disguise, and performance.

Interestingly, I’ve been on an Alaskan cruise for the last two weeks (I just got home last night), and everywhere I turned in all of the gift shops I encountered native Alaskan masks. So, for your enjoyment, I snapped a whole bunch of pictures and included them at the bottom of this post for your enjoyment. (Keep scrolling down below my signature block to enjoy those pictures)

Tomorrow is Wednesday, May 29th, and it is the day we’ve all been waiting for. Tomorrow is the day we celebrate the Nonprofit Blog Carnival. As you know, I asked the nonprofit blogosphere to consider writing an open letter to non-profit boards about something concerning to them along with a suggested solution. I also challenged them to incorporate something from Dr. Seuss into their post because this iconic children’s author is considered by many people to be an “architect of social change“.

If you couldn’t tell, I am hoping this month’s series of posts culminating with tomorrow’s Nonprofit Blog Carnival will become a blueprint for “change” regarding how you engage your non-profit board on a variety of issues.

I titled this blog post with an inspirational quotation from Dr. Seuss that I believe sums up this entire exercise.

I meant what I said and I said what I meant!

Now that we’ve got whatever it was off of our chest, I encourage you to shift your thinking to the following questions:

  • What will you do about it?
  • How will you tactfully engage your board in addressing the issue you’ve identified as critical?
  • Can some of these issues become generative questions and conversations that get incorporated into your board meetings?
  • Do you have a board governance committee that does more than just recruit new board volunteers? If so, what is their role in addressing some of these issues?
  • How can you use this exercise to develop a system focused on continual organizational improvement?
  • Have you given any thought to asking your board volunteers to write anonymous letters to you with suggestions on how to improve aspects of your job?

I hope you’re looking forward to tomorrow’s Nonprofit Blog Carnival hosted here at DonorDreams blog. I’ve seen the submissions, and I’m hopeful that you will enjoy them as much as I have. In the meantime, please start thinking about the questions I just posed and use the comment box below to weigh-in with your thoughts keeping the following quotation from Dr. Seuss in mind:

“Step with care and great tact. And remember that life’s a great balancing act.”

Here’s to your health . . . See you tomorrow at the carnival!

Erik Anderson
Founder & President, The Healthy Non-Profit LLC
www.thehealthynonprofit.com 
erik@thehealthynonprofit.com
http://twitter.com/#!/eanderson847
http://www.facebook.com/eanderson847
http://www.linkedin.com/in/erikanderson847

IMG_20130526_113414_524   IMG_20130526_113400_907   IMG_20130526_113353_369   IMG_20130526_113308_058

IMG_20130526_113237_725   IMG_20130526_113225_115   IMG_20130526_113216_824   IMG_20130526_113208_011

IMG_20130526_113123_958   IMG_20130526_113105_161   IMG_20130526_113055_311   IMG_20130526_113035_676

IMG_20130526_112821_046   IMG_20130526_112808_357   IMG_20130526_112758_701   IMG_20130526_112912_539

IMG_20130526_113133_075   IMG_20130526_113255_040

If you are a lover of this kind of art from the Northwest coast, then I suggest you visit Hill’s Native Art online to check out their large selection.

Dear board volunteers . . . let’s get on the same page, please?

mardi gras mask10DonorDreams blog is honored to be hosting the May 2013 Nonprofit Blog Carnival. The theme this month is “Dear board volunteer . . .” and the idea is “If you could write an anonymous letter to a nonprofit board about something they do that drives you crazy, what would that letter look like and what suggested solutions would you include?” If you are a blogger and would like more information on how to participate and submit a post for consideration, please click here to learn more.

I wanted to expand the Nonprofit Blog Carnival concept in May. So, I reached out to real non-profit professionals and asked them to also write an anonymous letter to their board volunteers. These people are executive directors, fundraising professionals, board members, donors, community volunteers, consultants and front line staff. I promised everyone anonymity in exchange for their submissions.

We will celebrate May’s Nonprofit Blog Carnival on Wednesday, May 29, 2013. Up to that fun-filled day, I will publish real anonymous letters every day from real non-profit professionals right here at DonorDreams blog.

I hope you enjoy this real look at real issues that our community deals with on a daily basis.

Here is today’s letter:

Dear Board Volunteer:

Together, we share a partnership. We are in this together.

I realize that you can only devote a portion of your life to our mutual cause and that it is my full-time responsibility, and then some. I am mindful and respectful of your time, and I hope that likewise you are respectful of mine. However, if and when (probably more like when) we are in “crisis mode” when we need each other, then we are available for one another regardless.

Our relationship needs to be one that is open, honest, and brutally frank. We both want the best for our organization and we both work hard to achieve excellence. I will always tell you the absolute truth, never hiding any information or embellishing it on all topics. I expect the same from you.

I can’t do the job by myself. I rely on our staff and I also rely on you as well as our other volunteers to make it work. Working together collaboratively gets a lot more done and in faster time.

If you’ve had issues as an organization before I got here, don’t expect that just by hiring me that the problem will all quickly go away. I know how to fix them, but I will need your support and the staff’s support to really get the job done — and it will take time because we are dealing with a cultural change of doing things differently to improve the results. Some “sacred cows” will have to be slaughtered along the way and not everybody will be happy, but the organization will be stronger in the end as a net result.

You are paying for my leadership, experience, advice, and expert counsel. Please pay attention and follow my recommendations to help improve the organization. These recommendations are based on years of experience, sound business principles, and best practices.

Our board should be composed of people of influence and affluence. We can have other groups that are “working groups”, but our board needs to be the absolute top of the community power structure for our organization to thrive. If we have a board composed of less than that, then we will not be maximizing our organization’s full potential.

My view is that the board establishes a vision for the organization, oversees its governance, approves an annual budget, raises funds for the organization, and employs the Executive Director. The staff is hired by and reports to the Executive Director to execute the plan for the organization. The staff runs the day-to-day operation of the organization within the confines of the established budget and resources. The staff does NOT report to the board, but to the Executive Director.

There will come a time when we disagree with one another on something important. To the best of our abilities, we will do so privately, iron out those differences behind closed doors, and then come out publicly with one agreed upon course of action.

Thank you for being a board member of our great organization!

Best regards,
Your Executive Director

If you have some advice for the author of our anonymous letter, please share it in the comment box at the bottom of this post in a respectful manner.  If you want to submit an anonymous letter for consideration this month, please email it to me at the address in your signature block below. If you are a blogger looking to participate in this month’s Nonprofit Blog Carnival and want to learn more, then please click here.

Here’s to your health!

Erik Anderson
Founder & President, The Healthy Non-Profit LLC
www.thehealthynonprofit.com 
erik@thehealthynonprofit.com
http://twitter.com/#!/eanderson847
http://www.facebook.com/eanderson847
http://www.linkedin.com/in/erikanderson847

Dear board volunteers . . . tips from the outgoing CEO

mardi gras mask16DonorDreams blog is honored to be hosting the May 2013 Nonprofit Blog Carnival. The theme this month is “Dear board volunteer . . .” and the idea is “If you could write an anonymous letter to a nonprofit board about something they do that drives you crazy, what would that letter look like and what suggested solutions would you include?” If you are a blogger and would like more information on how to participate and submit a post for consideration, please click here to learn more.

I wanted to expand the Nonprofit Blog Carnival concept in May. So, I reached out to real non-profit people and asked them to also write an anonymous letter to their board volunteers. These folks are executive directors, fundraising professionals, board members, donors, community volunteers, consultants and front line staff. I promised everyone anonymity in exchange for their submissions.

We will celebrate May’s Nonprofit Blog Carnival on Wednesday, May 29, 2013. In the meantime, I hope you enjoy this real look at real issues that our community deals with on a daily basis.

Here is today’s letter:

Dear Board of Directors,

I want to thank you for my time and opportunity with your organization and community. I have learned a great many things during my time here. My hope is that you share these things with your new Executive Director, so that he/she may succeed and serve the clients who need us the most.

First, they’ll need your attention. You need to give them your attention inside and outside the board room, paying attention to key metrics – are we meeting the mission? Are we raising enough financial support – money – to allow the staff to meet that mission? Are you responding to hard and soft metrics with a cause of action – simply put, are you doing things daily/weekly/monthly that help our clients?

Second, they’ll need your advocacy. Are we visible in the community – staff & board together – as advocates of our cause? Are you proud to tell your friends, co-workers and associates that you’re part of our organization? Do you bring people to see our mission in action, either during events or during our day-to-day operations?

Third, they’ll need your aspirations for the organization. Do you think about where we should be in five years? Can you share that with them? Can you share that with your associates? Can you put that into action?

The successful organizations in your community are doing these things, and are thriving. In fact, your lack of attention, advocacy and aspirations are noticeably absent to many others in the community. I’ve been told many, many times during my time here that my passion was appreciated by many, but wasn’t visible in any noticeable quantity from the board leadership. That sent a clear message to them that if our clients weren’t worthy of your passion & talents, as the true leaders of the organization, theirs wasn’t either.

My hope is that you find the staff leader that you’re looking for, as well as that they find the leadership in you that they’re looking for and need as well.

Respectfully,
Your Former Executive Director

If you have some advice for the author of our anonymous letter, please share it in the comment box at the bottom of this post in a respectful manner.  If you want to submit an anonymous letter for consideration this month, please email it to me at the address in your signature block below.If you are a blogger looking to participate in this month’s Nonprofit Blog Carnival and want to learn more, then please click here.

Here’s to your health!

Erik Anderson
Founder & President, The Healthy Non-Profit LLC
www.thehealthynonprofit.com 
erik@thehealthynonprofit.com
http://twitter.com/#!/eanderson847
http://www.facebook.com/eanderson847
http://www.linkedin.com/in/erikanderson847

Dear board volunteers . . . Your community isn’t as UNIQUE as you think.

mardi gras mask13DonorDreams blog is honored to be hosting the May 2013 Nonprofit Blog Carnival. The theme this month is “Dear board volunteer . . .” and the idea is “If you could write an anonymous letter to a nonprofit board about something they do that drives you crazy, what would that letter look like and what suggested solutions would you include?” If you are a blogger and would like more information on how to participate and submit a post for consideration, please click here to learn more.

I wanted to expand the Nonprofit Blog Carnival concept in May. So, I reached out to real non-profit people and asked them to also write an anonymous letter to their board volunteers. These folks are executive directors, fundraising professionals, board members, donors, community volunteers, consultants and front line staff. I promised everyone anonymity in exchange for their submissions.

We will celebrate May’s Nonprofit Blog Carnival on Wednesday, May 29, 2013. In the meantime, I hope you enjoy this real look at real issues that our community deals with on a daily basis.

Here is today’s letter:

Dear board volunteer:

If I hear you say one more time, “This process may work everywhere else in the country, but it won’t work here because we are different. Our community is unique.” I think I am going to explode. Guess what…you’re community isn’t different because in the end it is made of people and people are more or less the same wherever you go.

You have the home grown people that have been in the community for 50+ years and know everyone. You have the implants that have been in the community longer than they have been out, and the newbies; both groups who will say that unless you are from here, you are treated as an outsider.

You have people who are political, people who are generous, people who are mean, people who need your services, people who are religious, people who don’t care, people who are leaders, people who are followers, people who say they will do something and don’t, people who will take action, people who say they will take action and don’t, people who work and people that don’t work.

I go crazy when a board volunteer says, “that is great that you can raise that kind of money in that community, but you can’t do that here because we are different.” You’re right; you can’t do it HERE with that attitude.

If you would only realize that because something DOES work somewhere else, with the right leadership and strategies, IT WILL more than likely work here.

So, please  quit being the one putting on the brakes and get off the bus.

I know that change is not easy, but we need to push forward towards a solution. Here are just a few simple suggestions that I have: 1) let’s move a few of our more resistant board volunteers off of the board and onto another task force or advisory council; 2) let’s shake up our board leadership; 3) let’s add a few fresh faces by recruiting two or three new board volunteers; and 4) let’s find a donor who is willing to make a challenge gift that is tied to implementation of our original plan.

Sincerely,
Your friendly neighborhood Spiderman

If you have some advice for the author of our anonymous letter, please share it in the comment box at the bottom of this post in a respectful manner.  If you want to submit an anonymous letter for consideration this month, please email it to me at the address in your signature block below.If you are a blogger looking to participate in this month’s Nonprofit Blog Carnival and want to learn more, then please click here.

Here’s to your health!

Erik Anderson
Founder & President, The Healthy Non-Profit LLC
www.thehealthynonprofit.com 
erik@thehealthynonprofit.com
http://twitter.com/#!/eanderson847
http://www.facebook.com/eanderson847
http://www.linkedin.com/in/erikanderson847

Dear board volunteers . . . Please stop selling us short to your friends.

mardi gras mask14DonorDreams blog is honored to be hosting the May 2013 Nonprofit Blog Carnival. The theme this month is “Dear board volunteer . . .” and the idea is “If you could write an anonymous letter to a nonprofit board about something they do that drives you crazy, what would that letter look like and what suggested solutions would you include?” If you are a blogger and would like more information on how to participate and submit a post for consideration, please click here to learn more.

I wanted to expand the Nonprofit Blog Carnival concept in May. So, I reached out to real non-profit people and asked them to also write an anonymous letter to their board volunteers. These people are executive directors, fundraising professionals, board members, donors, community volunteers, consultants and front line staff. I promised everyone anonymity in exchange for their submissions.

We will celebrate May’s Nonprofit Blog Carnival on Wednesday, May 29, 2013. Up to that fun-filled day, I will publish real anonymous letters every day from real non-profit people right here at DonorDreams blog.

I hope you enjoy this real look at real issues that our community deals with on a daily basis.

Today’s anonymous letter is a little different from Wednesday and Thursday’s submissions. This contributor decided to take on the persona of the iconic advice columnist Dear Abby.

Here is today’s letter:

Dear Board Member,

First, from the bottom of my heart, thank you for your good intentions. I know that your good will toward our organization and your personal investment is sparked by a desire to make a difference. I appreciate that you have invested energy, time, and resources generously.

But why on earth, after making that kind of investment in us, do you constantly sell us short to your friends and colleagues?

If you truly value our mission, why do you assume others won’t? If you really believe in our work, why do you approach those in your sphere apologetically, with a hat-in-hand posture that telegraphs an attitude of begging? Don’t you realize that the message you are sending is that you, as a board member, don’t believe the organization is worthy of their investment? That you expect to receive only whatever crumbs may be leftover after all their “important” investments have been made? If you as a friend, colleague, and person they respect and as a member of the governing body of our organization, communicate that expectation, how could they reach any other conclusion?

If you truly believe in the value of our work, why do I constantly have to fight to keep you from lowering our standards?

You recruit new board members, telling them, don’t worry, we’ll take whatever you have to give. Any amount of time, any amount of dollars. If you are too busy to attend meetings, that’s OK. We’ll send you the minutes. You tell them, if you’re uncomfortable asking your colleagues to support us, we understand, but just let us put your name on our letterhead. How can you imagine this leads anyone to believe there is value in what we do?

When the budget is tight, instead of calling on community leaders to invest in this life-changing work, you suggest we shift to fewer full-time and more part-time staff, who will work for minimum wage. Really? Do you really believe the work they do is no more significant than flipping burgers or dishing up soft-serve ice cream? When we were hiring a new Executive Director, you wanted to advertise for the lowest possible salary to be “fiscally responsible”. Really?? Is our product (keeping in mind that our services saves lives) truly worth less than a car or a computer or a landscaping job or anything else that is produced for a profit? Why would we not want to hire the best possible leader for this critical work? 

If you believe our work has value, please, adopt a posture of worthiness in everything you do on behalf of this organization. If you are struggling with that, let me suggest you do two things:

  1. Visit our sites during service hours. If you get to know some of the kids whose lives we are changing, you’ll start to understand that they are worthy of this chance.
  2. Get familiar with our outcomes. They are in the board reports we review each month and they are proof of the results this work is yielding

This should convince you that we are worthy! If it does, please stop apologizing for asking your friends to support us.

If you do these things and still don’t believe we are worthy, please do the right thing and invest your effort somewhere else.

Stop demeaning the work of the rest of us on the board and of our professional staff.

Sincerely,
Your Board Chair

If you have some advice for the author of our anonymous letter, please share it in the comment box at the bottom of this post in a respectful manner.

If you want to submit an anonymous letter for consideration this month, please email it to me at the address in your signature block below.

If you are a blogger looking for more information on how to participate in this month’s Nonprofit Blog Carnival, please click here.

Here’s to your health!

Erik Anderson
Founder & President, The Healthy Non-Profit LLC
www.thehealthynonprofit.com 
erik@thehealthynonprofit.com
http://twitter.com/#!/eanderson847
http://www.facebook.com/eanderson847
http://www.linkedin.com/in/erikanderson847