Ask the Nonprofit Doc

This month, I'm launching a new periodic feature on my blog: an opportunity for you, my readers out there in the nonprofit world, to pose questions about gnarly issues you are facing.

You can ask me anything about any topic, ranging from board development to fundraising to messaging to time management to dealing with difficult people (with one disclaimer: I'm not a tech geek). And I'll do my best to answer you.

I'm going to start with two questions that came up last month when I did a presentation about board roles and responsibilities for the West Marin Fund, the community foundation serving western Marin County.

1) How do you get rid of unwanted board members? The answer depends on why you want them off the board.

• Do they never show up? Make sure you have a policy governing board attendance - typically three no-shows and you're out.
• Do they dominate board discussions? Develop rules of conduct for board meetings that emphasize courtesy, civil discourse, and full participation by everyone. Make sure all board members read and agree to the rules, and make sure the Board President is clearly empowered to enforce them.
• Have they been there too long? Are they set in their ways and not open to change? Check to see if you have term limits in your by-laws, and stick to them. Or - initiate a discussion about the need for new energy and more diversity on the board. Couple that with the establishment of an emeritus Advisory Board so they can remain engaged and feel that their service is being honored.
• For the future, establish a board recruitment process with specific vetting procedures. This includes allowing board members to veto someone if for any reason they cannot work with them. And be sure to solicit feedback in regard to any previous board experience. You don't want to inherit somebody else's board member from hell, no matter how skilled or smart they might be. 

2) Is there a tried and true method for finding someone (anyone) to take over as Board President? Short answer (sadly): no. In my experience most organizations have trouble getting someone to commit to being President. But here are a few tips and tools:

• Write up job descriptions for all of your board officers. Be mindful of creating a sustainable workload for the President, with lots of support from staff and board members. Make sure the one for Vice President clearly states that he/she is being groomed to be the next President.  And -- be sure your officers actually read and sign on these descriptions.
• As part of your recruitment process, keep an eye out for people who have leadership potential.
• If you are an Executive Director, make it a priority to develop strong bonds and positive working relationships with all of your board members. Folks will be more likely to become an officer if they know they like working with you.
• No matter how good your current President is, do not let them stay on and on and on. After awhile, your other board members are just going to assume it will never end. But eventually it will, and then you're really going to have a hard time moving forward.

More questions? Email them to me at cjay@horizoncable.com I look forward to hearing from you!

How's Your Board Doing?

The first step to an effective nonprofit Board of Directors is to clearly define and communicate the board's roles and responsibilities. And the next step? You need to put in place a process for doing an annual assessment of the board's work.

A board assessment - much like an employee performance review - is a terrific opportunity to engage board members in a frank discussion about what's working and what needs improvement. Here are some questions you should be asking:

• Mission and programs: Do your board members know your mission statement by heart? Does your mission statement accurately reflect your current organizational goals? Are your programs consistent with your mission?
• Board composition: Do you have a full board? Does your board reflect your constituency? Is your board diverse - in regard to gender, demographics, expertise, community connections, age? Do you have policies in place about board recruitment and attendance?
• Board orientation and training: Is there are a board job description in place? Do you have an orientation procedure and packet of key documents for new board members? Are board trainings and retreats scheduled that are appropriate and constructive?
• Structure and meetings: Is the size of the board appropriate for providing the resources needed to govern your organization? Are your board meetings constructive? Are they fun? Do they start and end on time? Do your committees actually meet regularly and do the work that needs doing? Is there a good working relationship between the board the Executive Director?
• Governance and finances: Do you have a Policy and Procedures Manual? Do you review and update it annually? Do board members regularly review financial statements? Do they really truly understand the numbers they are looking at?
• Community Relations & Outreach: Do your board members serve effectively as advocates in promoting your work? Is your messaging throughout all forms of media - from printed brochures to your website to social media - consistent with your mission?
• Fundraising: Has everyone on the board made a significant (for them) annual contribution? Do board members actively participate in making connections, soliciting contributions, developing and implementing annual fundraising plans, and participating in important annual events?

You should use your annual assessment to motivate, energize and revitalize the board. Honestly address shortcomings - but don't forge to celebrate achievements. Be sure to take time to define priorities and goals.

And your final step? Take the information and feedback you've gotten and develop a detailed one-year action plan that defines what needs to be done, how you're going to do it, who is responsible, and when it's going to be accomplished.

Milestones in Nonprofit Fundraising: Fascinating Facts

For your pleasure and amusement, here’s a very brief history of nonprofit fundraising from colonial times to the present:

1644: Harvard University kicks things off. Four New England colonies instituted “College Corne,” asking families to contribute a peck of wheat to support Harvard. For over 10 years, these contributions funded the entire teaching staff.

1847: The first documented response to a crisis. Americans donated generously to help Ireland during the devastating potato blight. 

1891: Here come the bells. A Salvation Army captain put out a large pot at a San Francisco ferry landing, launching the tradition of Christmas kettles that spread all over the country and continues to this day.

1901: Cookbooks for causes. The first fund-raising cookbook was The Way to a Man’s Heart. It was a fundraising tool for the Jewish Settlement House in Milwaukee. The initial printing in 1901 sold out, and the book ultimately sold more than 2 million copies. 

1902: The origins of the thrift store. The first Goodwill store was started when founder Reverend Edgar Helms started collecting used household goods and clothing from wealthy families, hired poor people to make repairs, and resold the items to raise money for the organization. 

1918: First major national fundraising campaign. The war generated tremendous national unity. The Red Cross tapped this for the benefit of its international work, raising more than $400 million dollars during World War One.

1950: The Salvation Army launches the first direct mail appeal. The Commander in Los Angeles posed this question: "Could we mail to a million households in Southern California this Christmas?" They scoured every directory in wealthy areas, mailed a million pieces, and raised more money than anyone thought possible. 

1952: Congress establishes the discounted postal rate for nonprofits. This new rate made direct mail more economical and launched a fundraising method that floods your mailboxes to this day. 

1963: The U.S. Postal Service creates zip codes. Zip codes made it possible for fundraisers to target mail and select names based on census tracts. In tandem with computer databases, this made direct mail fundraising much more effective.

1970: Fundraising turns to heart-wrenching stories of people in need. Here’s one tagline: "All she wants for Christmas is a red coat with gold buttons." Not only did that appeal secure hundreds of thousands of dollars, but the Salvation Army was inundated with red coats.

2014: The Ice Bucket Challenge goes viral. This social media campaign centering around dumping a bucket of ice water on someone's head promoted awareness of the disease Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerorsis (ALS) - and raised $115 million for research.

From pecks of wheat to cookbooks to ice buckets – what a long crazy journey it’s been, and continues to be.