The Secret to Fundraising - Don't Ask for Things

Raising Money Without Asking

• Do your board members love fundraising?
• Do you? 
• Do you want to have more fun securing the resources your organization needs?

When I say fundraising isn't about asking for money, people either slant their head and look at me confused or they give me the evil eye.  I don't mean to say you can't raise money if you ask for money; of course you can and it's done every day.  But it often feels, well, yucky (my technical term). 

Just ask your board members if they like asking people for money.  My guess is many of you feel your board members are not doing enough to open doors for your organization.  It's not that they are uncommitted; it's that their relationships are very important to them, and they don't want to put them in jeopardy.

Wouldn't it be cool if you could secure the resources you need without asking for things?  In fact, let's just be honest and admit that when we ask for money, it feels more like begging, and that feels yucky. 

There is a more genuine and spiritual approach to fundraising that feels good, and in this blog post, I'm going to tell  you exactly how to receive more by doing less asking.  This approach requires two important changes though:  FIRST, a change in how you think and what you believe; and SECOND, a change in what you do. 

Changing the Way You Think and What You Believe

There are some MISCONCEPTIONS about the world of fundraising:

• There's not enough money out there.  This just isn't true, but if you believe it, you've already put up a wall between you and all the opportunities to find the money that are out there.  There is soooooo much money out there it makes my head spin.  If you are not attracting it, YOU are the one not doing something as effectively as you could.  It doesn't matter if the economy is good or bad, whether you live in a rural community, a low-income community; there is plenty of money available for your organization. 

• We have to compete against everyone else.  This sense of competition makes me cringe.  It feels like you cannot be supportive of other organizations, because if you are, you will hurt your own.  If you think fundraising money is like a pie that has to be split among the organizations in your community, then again, you have limited yourself. 

In order for my approach to work for you, you must be an eternal optimist and believe all the resources that you  need exist - you just need to learn how to attract them to your organization.  The best athletes in the word do something very specific that gives them the edge over all the other athletes who, at that level really have the same skills.  They visualize what it feels like to cross the finish line and then they embody the feeling of what crossing the finish line feels like.

When it comes to fundraising, visualizing what it feels like to achieve the fundraising goal actually does something to your brain, causing you to become alert to the opportunities that have always been right in front of you but you didn't notice before. 

For example, you know how I love talking about Eastbrook Academy, because they put into practice a new way of thinking/believing PLUS new
behaviors.  Because of that they not only took their annual event to new heights (raising at this year's event a third of what they raised total in 15 years), but they achieved their initial goal a month before the event and then went on to double that goal and achieve that.  They were in the zone just like a professional athlete.  They could not have done this without changing the way they thought about money PLUS going about it in a way that made them feel comfortable and actually have fun. 

Changing What You Do

After you take a leap of faith and change your beliefs, what do you do next?  Well, action is required, but the right kind of action.  I've talked about these in other blog posts, so you may want to refer back to some of them on developing your story, inspiring people to become ambassadors for your organization, designing a compelling tour, etc.  

• Cultivate relationships when you DON'T NEED MONEY.  You will really strengthen your relationships with people if you change their perception that the only time you want to talk with them is when you need something. 

• Invite people in and share WITHOUT AN AGENDA.  Having an expected outcome from someone actually limits the outcome; it's like putting a wall up between you and the potential generosity of the person you're with.  That doesn't mean you don't enter the conversation prepared with things you want to share.  It means letting go of the result, and being genuinely interested in another human being.  The less you care about what happens, the more that will happen.  Caring too much about the results causes you to come across desperate, which is the opposite of inspiring.  Be truly open to the possibilities.  

• During your tour, ask your visitor questions.  His or her answers will give you clues about what really interests them, and then focus on those things.  Don't feel compelled to tell them everything - they don't usually care about everything, just certain things.  

• After the tour, sit down and share your achievements and priorities.  This is key and why you don't have to ask for money.  After you update your visitor/donor and highlight what you've been able to accomplish (thanks to them if they're already a donor), and then very clearly outline your major priorities and what you need to accomplish them.  You need to be specific, and you may even have separate one-sheets on each of the major priorities.  

• Ask these THREE MAGIC QUESTIONS in this order and then take notes.  Now it is time to stop talking and listen very carefully.  FIRST ask WHAT DO YOU THINK?  Start writing, because you are going to gain insight into what is really important to this person, as well as valuable feedback about how you are sharing your story.  SECOND ask HOW DO YOU SEE YOURSELF FITTING IN?  This question allows the person to decide for themselves where they want to have an impact, and because you were so clear on your priorities, whatever they decide will be what you need.  By not asking for a specific amount from them - but letting them know specifically what you need to achieve your priorities - you have left it wide open for them TO DECIDE FOR THEMSELVES, which often leads to a much bigger donation than you would have otherwise gotten.  Or, they could say, I'm not sure, or nothing now, to which you will answer THANK YOU! THIRD ask WHO ELSE NEEDS TO KNOW ABOUT WHAT WE'RE DOING?  If you've inspired them and been clear about your priorities, and because you didn't ask them for anything, I can almost guarantee that they will think of at least one other person or organization that may be interested in your organization's mission.  The answers to these questions represent the JUICY STUFF (another technical term) that directs your cultivation activities and leads to resources.  

• Send a hand-written thank you note within 48 hours.  No matter the result, send a thank you note. No matter what happens, you have made an impression on this person that could lead to something down the road. 

• Do your follow-up activities.  Followup is the key to success here.  If the visitor suggested someone might be interested, be sure to follow up with them about getting connected to that person, and follow up with that person and invite them for a tour.  Followup is every organization's weakness, and it's where all the results happen.

Celebrate Successes - Even the Small Ones

It's not the size of the gift that should matter when it comes to recognizing people or celebrating.  It is about understanding the path that got you there, because there is no difference in how you receive a small donation versus a large donation.  It is the same cultivation path, and you just never know who will lead you where and when.  And to help your board members build confidence, share the stories about how donations ultimately happened.  They will learn that every moment of the day is an opportunity to share the story and cultivate a relationship that might lead somewhere. 

As always, feel free to share what happens when you put these ideas to work for your organization, and please pass this information along to others who could benefit. 

Happy Spring!

To read more about how to do fundraising without asking for money, purchase my book The Secret to Fundraising; It's NOT About Asking for Money by clicking here.

Deb

 

Turn Board Members & Volunteers into SUPER AMBASSADORS

My all-time most popular blog postings are How Engaged Are Your Board Members? (click here)  and How to Create Ambassadors for Your Organization (click here).  Since it has been a couple years since I've written about these topics, I thought I'd bring a fresh perspective to the table and share some real stories.

Success Story - Eastbrook Academy

I started working with this amazing school in January.  Eastbrook Academy, a ministry of Eastbrook Church in Milwaukee, supports families from diverse backgrounds in regards to ethnicity, socio-economics, and geography, they have been ranked #1 in Wisconsin on the High School Challenge Index and 100% of their high school graduates get accepted into college and receive a significant amount of grants and scholarships.  This school has such an amazing story in my mind because families do NOT have to choose between diversity AND academic excellence - THEY GET BOTH!  

Anyway, Eastbrook Academy hired me to take their small resource development program to the next level.  Once I understood how amazing they were, I told them, "You are just shy."  There are probably lots of organizations like Eastbrook Academy that do amazing quality work and envision delivering their mission to folks regardless of financial capacity, but don't know how to secure the resources they need to achieve this vision.

In my mind it really was about teaching the organization - especially the board members - how to embrace their role as ambassador and then to provide the coaching and tools needed for them to have the confidence to share the story and cultivate the relationships that were sure to result in the resources they needed.

So we got right to work implementing my infamous formula of STORY + DIRECTION + RELATIONSHIPS.  The first step was to take the Eastbrook Academy story and articulate it in a professional case statement (click here for the first in a series of blog posts that describe how to develop your professional case statement).  The board members and a core team of other organizational staff members began to get used to sharing the story in a consistent manner.  The elevator pitch helped the core team and board members be more natural by sharing the story from the perspective of their passion (click here to read about the elevator pitch). 

Then I worked with their fabulous fund development director to develop a compelling tour that incorporated my three magic questions, the answers to which would provide amazing opportunities for relationship cultivation.  (click here to email me to get a sample compelling tour). 

Immediate and Significant Results

Well, because this organization was so open to doing things in a new way, results came fast.  We started by inviting current supporters and donors to take a compelling tour.  In the first month, the first four tours resulted in three new donations!  During the past six months, more than 10 additional tours have been conducted, resulting in more donations as well as more connections.  Twenty more tours are scheduled to take place within the next two months.  After hosting a a community session, two couples - already supporters - are making monthly donations.  By simply doing a better job of sharing their story, welcoming people in for a tour and asking three simple questions, Eastbrook Academy is taking their development program to the next level.

Where Board Members and Volunteers Fit In

BEWARE!  It is important that you realize all of this work is NOT being done solely by the fund development director.  The key to a successful development program is seeing the role of the fund development director as DRIVER AND FACILITATOR of the plan.  Ideally, the fund development director is empowering lots of other people to make connections and help cultivate relationships.  

At Eastbrook Academy, board members and other volunteers have really stepped up, but before they could do that they had to know what to do, have tools to make it easy to do and get the training and support to have the confidence to go out and make new connections.  Again, they've experienced immediate and significant results.  Now, board members and the fund development director communicate on a weekly basis regarding which board members and volunteers will accompany visitors on tours or make connections out in the community.  When it came to planning the invitation list for the community session, each board member had to contribute 10 names to the list and assign themselves to making personal invitations.  But, again, they were offered tools and and training on exactly how to do that.  The fund development director tracks all the relationships and supports the board members and volunteers.  IT'S A REAL TEAM! 

Try my approach and see what happens!  

Deb   
  

 

Applying alinea's approach - Success Story

Do you know . . . 

A nonprofit or school that is looking for HELP getting better results (money, enrollment, community partners, 

more awareness)?  

Options for partnering with alinea include: 

Coaching and training on strategic relationship cultivation or developing materials like case statements, compelling tour documents, elevator pitches, plan documents, proposal templates, event stratgies, and more . . . 

My gift to you:

If your referral becomes a project worth at least $2,500, you get one hour of free coaching (valued at $160) or a 

$75 Amazon gift card

Now, on to my regular blog post. 

Applying the alinea Formula - Real Success Stories

My coaching call with one of my favorite clients - South Shore Schools way up in northern Wisconsin - was so exciting, because the many successes the board chair of the South Shore Education Foundation shared all perfectly reflect the alinea philosophy and approach.

I thought sharing these specific examples of how to apply the alinea formula would help you do the same in your organization, school or church.

alinea-ism #1 - It's NOT About Asking for Money . . . or Asking for Anything 

if you've heard me say it once, you've heard me say in a million times, but I can't emphasize enough that the secret to resource development has nothing to do with "asking" people for money.  That's where the alinea formula comes in - Story + Direction + Relationships.  The reason you don't have to "ask" with my approach is because you understand the three pices of my formula.

• Story is about inspiring people with your vision for what the world looks like because of your organization (school, nonprofit, church, small business, you as a professional).  Your tool for articlating your story is the professional case statement. 

• Direction is about being very clear about what you need to accomplish in order to get closer to achieving your vision - these are your most important top three (no more) priorities.  After you've inspired someone, they CANNOT determine where they fit in if you do not explain what you need to get done in order to achieve your vision. 

• Relationships is about being genuinely interested in people without having an agenda - harder than you think.  This piece is about connecting with someone on an emotional level and then sharing your vision and priorities and then asking alinea's three magic questions:  #1 What do you think?  Listen.  #2 Where do you see yourself fitting in?  Listen.  #3 Who else needs to know about what we're doing.  Listen.  

There's no asking because if you've inspired someone and you're super clear about your priorities and what you need to achieve them, people can figure out for themselves how they fit in.  You don't have to corner them. 

Today, in my phone call with South Shore Schools Education Foundation, I learned that something magical just happened because of this approach.  South Shore Schools has a Wall of Fame, where people nominate an alumnus who they feel has achieved something significant and who they believe has made their community proud.  This particular alum wasn't even on the mailing list for the foundation, but somehow ended up receiving something from the foundation that really inspired him.  But nothing really came of it.  Until . . . this person was formally recognized and inducted onto the Wall of Fame.  The Foundation Chair had a casual conversation with this successful alumnus, after which the alumnus shared that he planned to make a significant contribution.  

There was no asking.  There was sharing of good news, vision and priorities.  Then there was this magical alignment of vision on the part of the foundation and alignment with someone who was proud to be an alumnus and saw an opportunity to give back.  

alinea-ism #2 - When vision aligns with intention to give back, a gift is received by BOTH the donor and the organization 

Contrary to what many people think, the primary motivation for charitable donations is the desire to have a positive impact, not financial considerations like tax benefits.  There are so many successful people who have a real understanding that they didn't get where they got alone.  They feel blessed and they want to give back.  These folks though aren't going to the yellow pages to find worthwhile causes.  They are responding to organizations that express interest in them.

So, back to South Shore Education Foundation.  The South Shore Schools community is blessed to have a wonderful local philanthropist who has been generous since the start of the foundation.  This philanthropist has been specifically interested in equipping students with the technology in order to connect them to anyone anywhere.  This person has been instrumental in helping the South Shore Education Foundation achieve it's most importaint priority of putting in the hands of EVERY SINGLE STUDENT K-12th grade a tablet or laptop that when they graduate they take with them.  This year, the foundation achieved this priority and this fall will be presenting kindergarten students with their own tablets.

The Foundation has been so focused on cultivating a genuine relationship with this philanthropist, and they were so clear on their next priority, which is to maintain this 1 to 1 technology intiative, that he and his wife were moved to made a significant contribution that will result in keeping the initiative going into the forseeable future.

But here's the magic.  Recently, the education foundation chair had lunch with this generous philanthropist and he tried to treat - the donor expressed gratitude to the chair on the part of he and his wife for the OPPORTUNITY TO GIVE BACK TO THEIR ALMA MATER.  The donor said THANK YOU!

All along, the South Shore Education Foundation NEVER ASKED FOR ANYTHING.  They inspired, shared success stories, were clear about their vision and priority to touch the life of every single student.  And then a major donor said "thank you for the opportunity to give back."  This is a magical moment.

In both of these examples there was NO ASKING involved, but significant gifts made.  But it didn't happen by accident.  These gifts happened because of inspiration, clarity of vision and priorites, and genuine relationship cultivation.

Try it out and see what happens!  See my other blog postings for how to develop your case statement, provide a compelling tour, be clear about your priorities and have a genuine curiosity about people.  Or buy my books - both of my books walk you through exactly how to do this.



Click here to purchase The Secret to Fundraising.











Click here to purchase The Secret to Better Schools. 










As always, I love to hear how people apply what they learn in my blog and how it leads to a new and better results.  Share here or send me an email at info@alineaconnect.com.

Deb

Fundraising - Building Your Major Donor Program

REMINDER

MY NEW BOOK IS OUT! 

The Secret to Fundraising; It's NOT About Asking For Money

“We forget when we raise funds for something, say a building, that it isn’t about the building, but the people who will occupy it.  Deb’s book is conversant, chock full of anecdotes, 

and will lead to a winning strategy of success.”

Dr. David Borst, Dean of Business Administration

Concordia University Wisconsin

Click here to purchase on Amazon

Now, on to my topic for this post, 

BUILDING YOUR MAJOR DONOR PROGRAM:

Most of my nonprofit clients have budgets of $1 million or less and fall into two camps when it comes to their funding sources.  Many of them get almost 100% of their resources from foundations, and many of them have more of a balance between foundations and events like an annual dinner.

Almost NONE of my clients have any kind of individual or major donor program.  What's really holding them back is the confidence to approach people and then knowing what to do next.  

When it comes to foundations, I personally think many of them exist on a different planet.  They often require small nonprofits to seek them out, submit very comprehensive proposals (with about a 3% chance of receiving a donation), aren’t willing to invest in operations (which is how services are delivered in most cases) and require the nonprofit to remember to send follow-up reports proving that the donation resulted in measureable outcomes.  They're also fickle, some making donations only once to an organization, others changing their guidelines from time to time and sometimes going out of business (they call it sunsetting).

The good thing about foundation donations is that they tend to be the largest donations for small nonprofits.  The bad thing about foundations is that it’s easy for a small nonprofit to become dependent on their funding and to end up in a very difficult place if one goes out of business. 

Individual Donors - Large and Small - Key to Sustainability - 
3 Steps to Getting Started

What I know for sure is that your long-term sustainability CANNOT be achieved through foundation donations.   Your most loyal supporters are regular folks who are inspired by your mission.  It’s usually personal for your individual donors, and unless you “blow it” with an individual donor, they tend to not only continue to make donations, but if you cultivate them properly, their donations tend to grow over time and often ultimately include a significant bequest through a will. 

CALLING ALL SMALL NONPROFITS!  Creating a major donor program doesn't have to be scary and intimidating, and you don't need to be a large organization to generate a significant portion of your revenue from individual donations.  Forget about all the fancy stuff, and think about building friendships with people.  

Step #1 - Get Your Act Together 

Before you begin talking to people, make sure you know how to tell your story and be clear about what you need and how people can help.  I call this "getting your act together," and you can revisit many of my blog posts to help you do this:

• Professional Case Statements - Click on these links to take you to three separate blog posts about develping your case statement - Part I, Part II, and Part III 

• Plan Document - To receive a sample of my planning template to help you define your priorities, click here to send me an email (put sample plan document in the subject line). 

Step  #2 - Start With Who You Know

What most nonprofits do is make a list of wealthy people that already get asked by everyone else.  Instead, start with people you know and who know and respect you.  You just never know what might happen.  For example, back when I was the President of The Park People Board of Directors, we decided to have a gala, and we wanted to invite Jane Kaczmarek (from Malcolm in the Middle) to be our keynote speaker.  She’s from the Milwaukee Area and she’s passionate about our parks.  While the letter we wrote to Jane was brilliant (I wrote it), that’s not why she accepted our invitation.  The mother of one of our board members played bridge with Jane’s mother who still lived in the area.  The letter was personally delivered from one bridge player to another. 

One of my awesome clients is Eastbrook Academy – recently ranked #1 in WI and in the top 10% in the nation by the High School Challenge Index.  I love this school, for many reasons, but mostly because they are strong on diversity AND rigorous academics.  One hundred percent of high school students graduate, get accepted into college, and are awarded almost $1 million in scholarships each year.  Having started 16 years ago, their first graduating class is graduating from college this year!  To learn more about Eastbrook Academy click here to visit their website. 

Anyway, the school has a basic development program that secures a modest amount amount from foundations and from individual donations mainly through their annual event.  When I sat down with the fund development director (who has never been trained to do development), and we reviewed every foundation and donor, I found a gold mine of possibilities.  They have received donations from foundations without asking.  They’ve received donations that were bigger than the amount they requested.  And they have supporter after supporter than just gives without being asked when they find out what the school needs.  Some of the donors have or had children in the school, and others just are in love with the impact Eastbrook Academy has on students and the surrounding community.  

With a little help from me to build their confidence by teaching them how to share their story, be clearer about what they need and how people can help, as well as understand it's about genuine relationship bulding, they will become a magnet for the support they need to achieve their vision!


Step #3 - Invite People in for a Compelling Experience 

Whether it's a long-time supporter or your neighbor, the first step is to invite people in to experience the essence of your mission.  My advice to Eastbrook Academy:  Reach out to all those people who have already been so generous and simply tell them that you are trying to get better at communicating your priorities and vision, and you would like to invite them to take a formal tour and share your plans.  Let them know you're looking for feedback.

A compelling tour is not a geograhical tour of your organization or school (e.g., here's the computer lab, here's the gym, etc.).  The tour is an opportunity to get to know what's important to the visitor and allow them to guide you when it comes to what to share about your organization.  A lot of thought should be given to how you conduct tours.  THERE SHOULD BE ABSOLUTELY NO EXPECTATION OF AN OUTCOME!

Nonprofits often allow people to just walk out of the building after the tour. If you do this, you have lost a great opportunity.  After spending no more than 20 or 30 minutes talking and touring with your visitor, you should find a quiet place to sit down, present a packet of information and share a little more about your vision and priorities.  But that's just the beginning.  Now, it's time to find out what's inside of your visitor's heart and mind.  The answers to three simple questions could give you enough leads and follow-up work to keep you busy for two months.  Of course, I've got tools to share with you to help on this front.

• Compelling Tour Guidelines - To receive a sample of this tool, click here to go to my website, register to recevie free information and download the Compelling Tour document. 

• alinea's 3 Magic Questions - To learn more about how to make the sit-down portion of your tour super productive, click here to view a blog post about this topic.  

The key to all of this is having NO AGENDA OR EXPECTATION!  This is where the magic comes in.  This approach is about inspiring people, making an emotional connection, providing enough information about what you need and how people can help, so people can decide for themselves if and how they’d like to get involved.  It’s an approach that feels better for everyone involved and results in some surprising and significant donations.

Step #3 – Use the Relationship Tracking Tool to Determine the Best Ways to Cultivate the Relationship

You probably realize that every moment is an opportunity to share your story and cultivate a relationship with someone that could lead to more resources.  Your challenge is usually knowing what to do after you have a great conversation with someone. 

For example, let’s say you go to an event, and you have an amazing conversation with someone who is really inspired with your mission.  You didn’t have any expectations of the conversation, you did a great job of making an emotional connection, and you even asked them alinea’s 3 magic questions.  In fact, they gave you feedback, said they were curious about one of your programs and suggested you contact another person who may be interested.

In most cases, a small nonprofit will fail to follow up on this gold mine of an opportunity, not because they mean to, but because they’re not sure exactly what to do.  Don't think so hard about it.  Send a personally hand-written thank you note, share a success story via an email four weeks later, pick up the phone and invite them to your next event.  It's about just thinking about them and giving them more opportunities to be touched by your mission. 

I’m going to give you a very simple tool to help you take advantage of these opportunities.  You just never know when one conversation could lead to an amazing donation or connection.  Use a simple excel spreadsheet and create these columns:

• Relationship and contact info – name, organization, title, phone, email, website
• Who’s in charge of the relationship – who has this relationship within the organization
• Date next step – this is when an action needs to be taken to cultivate these relationship
• Next Step – this is the actual next step (e.g., send an email sharing a success story, make a phone call to extend a personal invitation to an event)
• Progress – most current date and action on top
• Notes – a little background about the start of the relationship, any past giving, referrals to others, etc.

Every week on the same day during the time that you are going to devote to doing this work you will sort the spreadsheet by date next step so you know what your tasks are for the next week.  This seems simple, but the followup is where small and large nonprofits miss opportunities. 

As always, let me know what happens when you try this approach so others can learn. 

Deb

Fundraising - Complaining about Board Members Doesn't Bring Results

Getting More From Your Board Members 

But First . . .

My new book is out The Secret to Fundraising; It's NOT About Asking for Money.  Click here to view and purchase it on Amazon.com.  

Now, back to board engagement

1st Step to Getting More From Your Board Members 

STOP COMPLAINING ABOUT THEM! 

I'm part of a couple online philanthropic groups, and over the past couple weeks I noticed a lot of conversation around this topic of discussion:  Time for a good laugh or cry.  Fill in:  You know when your board is dysfunctional when . . .

I was intrigued because in my work with nonprofits, schools and churches, helping board members feel inspired and confident to share their organization's story is critical to the organization's sustainability.  

As I read the comments, though I began to feel YUCK, because the comments were more like venting and dumping on board members.  The comments were supposed to be humorous, but they felt disrespectful and judgmental.  

I shared my perspective on the matter, offering this comment:  

I know that this is supposed to be humorous, 

but I have learned something really important about this over the past 10 years. 

I have found that when staff people are frustrated with their boards, 

it is more a function of lack of direction and clarity about what you want 

board members to do. Board members are volunteers who have taken 

time to attempt to make a meaningful contribution.  

It's not their job to figure out how to help you.  They need what I call a "shopping list." 

It's not fair for you to assume they should know HOW to help you.

What you might not realize is that while you are frustrated, your board members

probably feel guilty about not making the kind of contribution they had hoped to make. 

Everything works when your board members not only know EXACTLY what you 

expect of them but also have the tools and training so they have the confidence

to go out and do what you need them to do.  If they're not promoting your orgnaization's

story, likely they are not comfortable or confident about doing it, which means YOU

have not provided the tools and training they need to feel confident.

Seeking First to Understand Will Provide Solutions 

What I remember most from reading Stephen Covey's books is this principal:  Seek First to Understand.  I naturally have a lot of empathy for other people's perspectives, PLUS I have served in all of the roles related to nonprofits - board president, board member, director, development manager, volunteer - so I can quickly put myself in someone's shoes.  I think this is part of why I've been able to facilitate change that would otherwise be very difficult.  When I'm observing a conversation between staff people and board members, and I start feeling YUCK, I immediately know there's a lack of empathy happening that will stand in the way of moving forward.  

I recently worked with an organization where this was going on.  It's was an organization full of passionate people, many of whom did not understand or sometimes respect each other's perspectives.  The organization thought the issue was finding the right marketing message, but really what was holding them back was a lack of common vision and understanding of their respective roles.    

If you're feeling like your board members are not giving their all, begin first with YOU and the message you are sending.  Are you even open to their contributions?  I know that sounds ridiculous, but sometimes we hold back because we don't believe we will get what we expect.  Our own thoughts about board members doom us.  

Conduct a Confidential Survey & Identify Themes

One thing I've learned is that group dynamics often stand in the way of identifying the real issues that are holding the group back.  When I do a seminar with board members and ask:  "How many of you are comfortable sharing your organization's story?"  only a third of the hands go up.  

Those board members will never admit this though because they feel that this is something they should know how to do.  You should just assume the board members that aren't contributing what they could be know it and they feel great GUILT about it.  They are likely feeling embarassed about it and don't know how to get themselves out of the situation.  

A really great way to find out what's going on in the head's of your board members - if you are brave enough to hear it - is to conduct a confidential survey.  To get the most authentic feedback, you may want to hire someone to conduct the survey using something like SurveyMonkey.com and have that person generate a report that captures what was said in a way that makes it impossible to "out anyone" for specific comments.  

When I do these surveys, I ask four open-ended questions because I want to hear people talk in their own words.  Multiple choice surveys assume that you know what the possible answers are, and I want to get into people's heads and hearts.  My questions include: 

1. Please share your perception of the organization.  What do you love?  What frustrates you?  Feel free to share specific examples and stories to help us understand your perspective. 
2. What is your understanding of the organization's goals and priorities?
3. What do you think has to happen in order for the organization to reach its goals and priorities?  
4. What is your vision or dream for the organization?  What does the world look like if the orgnaization is wildly successful? 

I use these same questions to get the perspectives of community stakeholders, teachers, parents, etc.  

For boards specifically, sometimes I add these two questions: 

1. Ideally, what should the board look like in order to achieve the organization's goals and priorities?  What kinds of people, with what kinds of talents and skills?  How should the board members spend their time on behalf of the organization? 
2. What do you need personally and professionally in order to help the organization achieve its goals and priorities? 

I guarantee you will get a lot of JUICY insights into how to be more effective with your board members.  THEY WANT TO MAKE A MEANINGFUL CONTRIBUTION!  That should be your first assumption.  You shouldn't make them feel STUPID for whatever they say.  Your goal should be to figure out how to get their unique talents out of them and working for your organization. 

As always, let me know if you try this and if you see a difference.  CHANGING YOURSELF ALWAYS RESULTS IN PEOPLE RESPONDING TO YOU DIFFERENTLY. 

Deb