Guest post by Amy Eisenstein, ACFRE, CEO & Co-Founder of the Capital Campaign Toolkit
Board giving practices for annual fundraising vary widely.
Some organizations have a “give-get” policy and ask every board member to be responsible for a specific amount of money whether they give it themselves or get it from other sources. Some organizations ask board members to give a gift of an amount that is personally significant to them. Still others ask board members to make a personal gift but don’t offer a practice to determine the amount.
A few organizations have a practice of discussing board giving in person with each board member. But many more highlight their approach and simply tuck a pledge form in the board packet at the appropriate time of year and encourage board members to return them by a specific date.
With so many varied practices, you might believe that the approach doesn’t make much difference. But in fact, through our work on many capital campaigns, we have learned that how you approach your board for their gifts makes a vast difference in how much board members give and how they feel about their giving.
Best Practices for Asking Your Board Members to Give
In capital campaigns, board giving plays a very important role. It’s quite common for boards to give 20% or more of the campaign goal. So, soliciting board members in the most effective way is critical. Not only should every board member contribute to the campaign, but every board member should make a “stretch” gift.
Here is the process we encourage our clients to use. You can easily adapt it for your organization, too:
1. Create a small ad hoc committee on board giving.
The process of board giving shouldn’t be driven by staff. That’s a bit awkward. And, unless you have an enlightened board chair who really understands fundraising, you shouldn’t just turn it over to your campaign chair.
Instead, ask three or four board members to serve on an ad hoc committee to develop and implement a board giving plan. That group should be well-staffed by the ED or DD, depending on your organization.
The ad hoc group should plan to meet three times over one or two months. The meetings might be organized as follows:
Meeting 1: Discuss and agree on board giving goals and process for presenting to board
Meeting 2: Review progress toward the goal and follow up with board members
Meeting 3: Review results and develop a stewardship plan
2. Determine a collective board giving goal.
Having a dollar goal for board giving helps board members make informed decisions about what their gifts might be. But because most board members have little or no idea of the capacity of their fellow board members, you must be clear and intentional about the process of determining that goal.
We recommend having your ad hoc committee review the list of board members and, using available information about each person’s giving history and other indicators of giving ability, determine a possible high and low for each member.
Add those numbers up and you will have a collective giving range for your board. Present those results to the board and invite a discussion to determine a board giving goal.
3. Discuss board giving at a board meeting.
Designate a portion of the next board meeting to discuss board giving to the campaign. Topics to be discussed should include:
Relationship of the campaign goal and board giving to annual giving.
Collective board giving goal.
Rate of board participation—with 100% being the ideal.
The process of soliciting the gifts.
Timetable for when all gifts should be in.
Be sure to provide clear documentation, next steps, and deadlines as needed.
4. Solicit each board member in person.
Following the meeting, members of your ad hoc committee should meet with each board member to discuss and determine their gift. Those meetings can be done in person or on Zoom.
Each person should be asked to consider a specific amount or range for their gift that is in the context of the collective board giving goal.
5. Report on progress toward the board giving goal.
The board chair or chair of the ad hoc committee should track the board giving process and gently nudge everyone to make their contributions before the scheduled deadline. They should send email progress updates to the board and push toward a timely conclusion.
6. Celebrate reaching the board giving goal.
Once the board has reached its collective giving goal and has 100% participation, you shouldn’t miss an opportunity to celebrate.
For some organizations, that means a couple of bottles of bubbly champagne shared after a board meeting. For others, it might mean something more official. You might even consider creating special awards for various roles people played in the board campaign.
You should certainly recognize and appreciate the people who served on the ad hoc committee that worked on the board giving process.
The Way You Solicit Your Board Sets the Stage for Success
The way you handle soliciting your boards can set up your campaign for success. If you take it seriously and put into place effective fundraising practices, that will set the path for doing that for your entire annual or capital campaign.
When your board feels that their giving is important, and when they are asked in a way that respects them and their generosity, they will feel less anxious about reaching out to people they know to help with other aspects of the campaign—including giving.
Board Member’s Guide to Capital Campaign Fundraising
If you’re on the board of an organization that’s considering a capital campaign, there are things you need to know. This guide will help you understand your own role, and that of the entire board, during a campaign. Download this free guide today!
Amy Eisenstein, ACFRE, and Andrea Kihlstedt are co-founders of the Capital Campaign Toolkit, a virtual support system for nonprofit leaders running successful campaigns. The Toolkit provides all the tools, templates, and guidance you need — without breaking the bank.
About the Author:
Amy Eisenstein | CEO & CO-FOUNDER
Amy Eisenstein, ACFRE, is CEO & Co-Founder of the Capital Campaign Toolkit. She is a veteran fundraising consultant. With over 20 years of experience in the nonprofit sector, she’s published a number of books, including Major Gift Fundraising for Small Shops. Amy is also an in-demand keynote speaker and an engaging board retreat trainer and facilitator.