Jane B. Ford

This final blog in my four week series on outstanding web sites for nonprofit boards, staff and volunteers has information for everyone in the nonprofit field seeking to raise more money to support their mission. If you want answers to specific questions, are looking for inspiration, or are seeking sample forms and exercises, go to www.askingmatters.com.  Begin by taking the tour of the site (either with the Power Point format or the video presentation).

Although there is a wealth of free information on the site, I paid the very affordable membership fee because I wanted to use the Asking Styles tool.  I was skeptical that a 20 question quiz would provide me with much useful information – but it did.  Not only did this tool explain to me how to better use my personality and experience to raise more money; it also offered useful information to help me work with others who have different styles.

I then went on to explore the wealth of information offered on this site: useful exercises for board, staff and volunteer development, solicitation guides, sample worksheets to help engage volunteers in fundraising, tip sheets for asking all levels of donors, videos from highly respected development professionals on everything from special events to major donors, and much more.

I also participated in a webinar and to learn more about special events from two experienced professionals in the field.  In addition to offering practical, proven advice, they also responded to questions from participants and closed the session with a useful summary of the ideas presented. In addition to the site itself, Asking Matters offers a practical newsletter and an inspirational Monday morning tip to make sure you start your week with a focus on fundraising.

Whether you are an executive director, development staff, board member or volunteer who wants to help your organization raise more money, www.askingmatters.com is the web site for you.

Jane B. Ford

Last week, while working on an article for Ezine, I took a minute to check which key words people most frequently used to find my work on that site. The most-used word by far was “board”.  So, I decided that this week’s blog would share a web site that is specifically designed to help board members do their job – www.boardsource.org.

The mission of Board Source states that it is “dedicated to advancing the public good by building exceptional nonprofit boards and inspiring board service”.  My favorite section on this site is the “Knowledge Center”.  Click on this tab and you will find a tip of the week, educational resources, white papers, articles, frequently asked questions and even downloadable e-books. To make this site even easier to navigate, it has well-defined “Browse by Topic” area where you can type in the specific area you want to research and the site will lead you to the most relevant topics in this area.

If you are a board member, why not make it a habit to check this site at least once a month?  You may access information that relates directly to the work you are doing and you can share this with your fellow board members.  If you are an executive director, check out this site before you send out your regular board packets.  You may find an article or tip that you want to include as part of ongoing education for your board members.

*Editors note.  We offer great Advisory Board information on this site from both Jane and Susan Hammond of SCHammond Advisors.  They are great resources for Nonprofit Organizations.

Jane B. Ford

This is an apparently simple question. Your nonprofit serves the people for whom you create programs that will achieve your mission. Your orchestra provides concerts for your patrons and educational programs for school children. Your housing nonprofit provides down payment assistance for first-time homebuyers and low-interest loans to help seniors with emergency repairs. Your workforce nonprofit provides job training and placement for people who need skills to compete in today’s economy.

These examples focus on the primary people that different types of nonprofits serve. As good board members, you understand your mission and ensure that you offer programs that directly serve your primary clients. But have you thought about the other people that your nonprofit serves indirectly?

Your orchestra serves the community where it plays by bringing people into the city, people who often eat at local restaurants, attend other events, and may even plan a weekend around the date of a concert. Your housing nonprofit assists realtors and mortgage brokers who help first time buyers and provides work for contractors who do emergency repairs. You workforce nonprofit provides skilled workers for local companies to grow their business.

Why is it that you as a board member need to know the indirect benefits your nonprofit provides to the community? There are two reasons. First, this knowledge will help you promote your organization as you talk with your families, friends and colleagues.  Second, this knowledge will broaden your reach when raising funds to support your nonprofit. Not only can you reach out to the people who support your mission; you can also reach out to the broader community which benefits by the work you do.

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5 Great Posts from around the Web

Here are five great post from around the web this week.

1. Just in time: Seven Incredible Hours in December: How to Make the Most of Year-End Giving from Network for Good.

“It probably comes as no surprise to you that December is the biggest month for giving. Between people being in the Holiday Spirit and the U.S. tax deadlines, giving is bound to go up. But what you may not realize is that 15% of December’s donations happen on the 31st of the month. And if you break that down even further, there is a peak giving time on that day of 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. That’s a huge chunk of donations being given in a small window of time.

2. Nonprofits: Is your website mobile-ready? from Socialbrite. If you are using wordpress for your website, there is a plug-in that you can use to optimizes WordPress sites for mobile devices: WP-Touch and WPtouch Pro.

With use of smartphones exploding, this is now a must-have in today’s marketplace. Morgan Stanley analyst Mary Meeker predicts that within the next five years “more users will connect to the Internet over mobile devices than desktop PCs.”

3.  As your needs change, how do you communicate them to your advisors/boards…from Susan C. Hammond: Five Ways to Manage Expectations

It’s imperative to be clear on what you want and need from advisors/board members and how to address changing needs.  Remember many people agree to serve on an advisory board with the understanding there is no expectation to provide hands-on assistance.

4. Jumo.com, is the new social network for causes and nonprofits created by Facebook co-founder Chris Hughes, Beth’s Blog gives A First Look at Jumo about the new site, and NonProfit Tech 2.0 writes about: HOW TO: Add Your Nonprofit to Jumo (and Why You Should)

From Beth’s Blog;

Jumo helps connects people with issues and organizations on the first rung of the ladder of engagement, but the challenge will be how to cultivate relationships to bring people up that ladder to higher levels of engagement and involvement – from following and connecting to making donations to making change offline.

5. An article from the New York Times something we should keep an eye on: Nonprofits Fear Losing Tax Benefit

With the federal government struggling to regain control over the nation’s deficit, a debate is emerging over the charitable deduction and other tax policies that support nonprofit groups.

Join us for our next Networking for Non-Profit Event at Derby Street Shoppes December 14th!

Susan C. Hammond of scHammond Advisors is searching for one nonprofit organization that wants to establish an advisory board or council and needs help. In exchange for her services the nonprofit organization must be willing to allow Susan to document the formation process in the form of a written and publishable case study. The nonprofit will use Susan’s book the Advisory Board Kit: A Comprehensive Guide to Establishing an Advisory Board.

Interested nonprofit organizations who meet the criteria below should contact Susan directly. The information requested should be delivered in one package.

Qualifying Criteria:

The organization must:

1. Submit an essay of no more than 1000 words on how the organization will use and benefit from an advisory board.
2. Be in operation for at least two years.
3. Employ (i.e. pay) a minimum staff of 3 people, full or part-time.
4. Provide a copy of their 501c3 letter from the IRS.
5. Commitment from the Executive Director/CEO and the chair of the board of directors that they will be involved in the project.
6. Evidence that the Board of Directors approved the project (i.e. copy of Board meeting minutes where vote was taken or a letter from the Board Chair).
7. Be located on the South Shore of Massachusetts or upper Cape.

Prior to the start of the project the following information must be provided:

A list of staff & board members.

1. Copies of Form 990 for last two years.
2. Copies of the operating budget for the current and prior year.
3. Copies of internal comparative financial statements for the current & prior years.
4. A copy of the fundraising plan or a summary of activities for the last 12 months.
5. Copies of Board Meeting minutes and Executive Meeting minutes (if any) for last two years.
6. Copies of the organization’s Annual Reports (filed with the Massachusetts Secretary of State) for the last two (2) years.
7. Copy of the organization’s Certificate of Solicitation filed with the Public Charities Division.

All information received will be held in strict confidence. Susan will provide a detailed work plan that includes a confidentiality clause and a copy of the Advisory Board Kit and related materials.

Applications Deadline: October 1, 2010

Project Start: On or around October 15, 2010, approximately

Project Duration: 4-6 months

This is worth $5,000 in donated fees! Contact Susan at 781-837-1999 or susan(at)schammond.com.

The Advisory Board Kit is a product of scHammond Advisors.

Join us for our next Networking for Non-Profit Event September 30th!

Susan C. Hammond

Board members can get lost in the loftiness of the organization’s mission and not realize the harsh realities of the day-to-day.  If your board members have limited or no experience working or volunteering in the nonprofit sector it is imperative you make it “real” for them, i.e. what you and the staff live with daily.  Before I suggest steps on how to do this, two anecdotes:

Many years ago I served on the board of the local chapter of large nonprofit whose mission was to teach financial literacy and business skills to students in K-12.  I was so impressed with their mission I also signed on to teach the high school level program.  Everything was fine until one board meeting when the board began to discuss the curriculum.  Many of the board members were senior executives of large corporations whose staff did the teaching.  In the ensuing discussion it was clear they had no idea how the various financial literacy programs worked and how they were received by the students.  I did.  I was in the trenches.  For as a sole proprietor I was the CEO and the worker in my company.  I finally raised my hand and corrected as many of the incorrect assumptions I could.

When I worked with for the Museum as CFO, facilities management reported to me.  Frequently the chair of the Facilities Committee would walk around the building with me and the Facilities Manager to witness the problems we were facing.  As a result, any time repairs and capital expenditures were raised at a board meeting, this director was perceived as most knowledgeable and his recommendations were followed.

Here are a seven ways to make it tangible for your directors:

1. Create opportunities for directors to meet directly with constituents.
2. Arrange opportunities for directors to listen in on or participate in fund raising calls.
3. If you have a physical plant, have them join the property insurance broker as he reviews the building each year pointing out trouble spots.
4. Arrange for the directors to deliver direct service to the constituents.
5. Include the directors on the distribution list for important industry/organizational specific articles. Then make sure to query them as to their thoughts on the subject matter.
6. Create opportunities for directors to “shadow” staff in their daily jobs.  Call it “Take a Director to Work Day.”
7. Send them the weekly cash report so they develop a deeper understanding of the weekly struggle to balance need against resources.

Susan C. Hammond, principal of scHammond Advisors, consults with nonprofits on board governance, strategic planning, improving financial intelligence, and the formation of advisory boards or councils.  She is an advisor, coach, consultant and author.  She previously served as the CFO for a museum and other nonprofit organizations. Susan recently published the Advisory Board Kit: A Comprehensive Guide to Establishing an Advisory Board.

Join us for our next Networking for Non-Profit Event tonight!

Susan C. Hammond

Too often I hear why a particular nonprofit either doesn’t include a provision for term limits in their by-laws or opts not to enforce the provision.  The primary reason always seems to be the fear of losing good board members, the ones who are active on many levels. Very rarely does anyone ever discuss the flip-side of not enforcing term limits, i.e. stagnant meetings, turnover and in-fighting.

If you need arguments to convince your governance committee and board to implement term limits consider the following six points:

1. Term limits prevent “dead wood” from forming.  You know who they are…the board member who shows up all the time and contributes nothing.  If you’re lucky they may buy their perfunctory 2 tickets to the annual fundraiser.
2. Appointing new board members allows for new solutions to entrenched problems.
3. Lack of term limits can cripple board member recruitment and possible fund raising.
4. The conversion from a working board to a strategic board can be hindered.  The old board members have their sacred cows they are unwilling to relinquish and are unable to change their mode of operation.
5. Factions or cliques can develop between board members and/or staff paralyzing the organization when disagreements occur and critical decisions need to be made.
6. Term limits provide a vehicle for newer board members to step into leadership roles.

I equate not enforcing term limits to Albert Einstein’s definition of insanity.  To paraphrase:  “Doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result each time.” If you never change the players on your team how is anything ever going to change? And for me it’s a deal-breaker…I don’t serve on boards that don’t use term limits.

What are your thoughts on term limits?  Let’s get a discussion going.

Susan C. Hammond, principal of scHammond Advisors, consults with nonprofits on board governance, strategic planning, improving financial intelligence, and the formation of advisory boards or councils.  She is an advisor, coach, consultant and author.  She previously served as the CFO for a museum and other nonprofit organizations. Susan recently published the Advisory Board Kit: A Comprehensive Guide to Establishing an Advisory Board.

Join us for our next Networking for Non-Profit Event in August!

Susan C. Hammond

The same steps used to onboard new managers and senior staff can be applied to new members of a board of directors.  Orientation will shorten the learning curve and speed-up how soon you receive invaluable advice about issues facing your organization.

Here are six steps to help onboard a new board member:

1. Assign a board buddy or coach. It can be another board member or a senior member of your staff.  Someone they can go to in addition to the executive director to have their questions answered.
2. Have them visit your office and where services are delivered. This can happen early in the recruitment process or soon after they have joined the board.  It is important for board members to understand first-hand what the organization is doing and the impact on the constituents.
3. Provide recommendations on educational events. As a consultant on nonprofit governance I constantly stress to my clients, and the executive directors of the boards I serve on, the need to better and constantly educate their board.  For new and long-serving board members any information gained about the issues facing your organization and your specific nonprofit focus as well as the constituents you serve is invaluable.
4. Provide a list of books, publications, and websites relevant to your organization and your specific nonprofit focus as well as the constituents you serve.
5. Provide a Board Manual. The board manual should include all the information a board member may need to refer to from time to time.  Don’t assume the information provided during the recruiting process has been retained or organized in one place.  In a future post I will discuss what information should go in the board manual.
6. Host a reception to introduce the new board member to the other members and key staff.  This gets the relationship off to a good start and once again will speed up how soon you will receive invaluable advice.

If you have served on a board of directors how were you oriented?  What type of orientation would you like to see upon joining a board of directors?

Susan C. Hammond, principal of scHammond Advisors, consults with nonprofits on board governance, strategic planning, improving financial intelligence, and the formation of advisory boards or councils.  She is an advisor, coach, consultant and author.  She previously served as the CFO for a museum and other nonprofit organizations. Susan recently published the Advisory Board Kit: A Comprehensive Guide to Establishing an Advisory Board.

Join us for our next Networking for Non-Profit Event in August!