As a nonprofit coach, I hear these all the time:

“My board won’t fundraise.”

“We’ve got people on our Board who haven’t been to a meeting in months.”

“Our Board has lots of good people on it.  They just don’t know what they’re supposed to do.”

Sound familiar?

These are common complaints from staff of small nonprofit organizations.  And I’ve got just the thing to fix the situation!

Let me tell you about my Board Magic Workshop.

You have such high hopes for your Board.  You expect them to carry the vision for your nonprofit. You expect them to help you spread the word about your organization and help raise money.  And you expect them to represent you well in the community.  After all, they’re the top leaders for your organization, right?

Yet, too often you’re disappointed.

Board members don’t show up to meetings (and don’t rsvp).  They don’t help with fundraising.  Heck, they may not even make a gift themselves.  They never seem to really understand what it is your nonprofit does.

So what can you do?

It’s frustrating to have a Board that doesn’t meet your expectations. (I’ve been there!) What I’ve found is that a little understanding goes a long way with Board members.

Many times, people say “yes” to being on a Board without knowing what that means.  They don’t know what they should do, and without anyone to tell them, they may try to figure it out themselves or they may do nothing.

To bring your Board up-to-speed, I offer a half-day workshop just for nonprofit Board members called Board Magic Workshop.  Here’s what I cover:

• Basic Board responsibilities
• Recruitment of new Board members
• Self-governance and enforcement of by-laws (including attendance policies)
• Financial management (including creating and monitoring a budget)
• Ethical and legal liability
• Managing staff
• Being an Ambassador for the organization
• Fundraising and public relations

My style of training is fun and playful.  Having studied adult learning styles, I know that people learn in different ways, and that sitting still for several hours listening to someone talk is NOT a good way for most adults to learn!  I incorporate activities and games into the workshop to keep participants interested and engaged.  I get LOTS of positive feedback about the things I work into my classes!

During the training, I’ll introduce a couple of my own interpretations of basic fundraising concepts to give you a simple way to understand how fundraising works.  I break it down into the step-by-step chunks that your Board members can understand and absorb.  They’ll come away excited, charged up, and ready to take action!

 

 

Here’s what a few of my clients have to say:

“Sandy led our Board retreat this year and it was the best one we have had in the four years I have been here. Sandy got everyone engaged in the process and had them thinking very “big”. My Board has been very dysfunctional and negative for a couple of years. Sandy has had her hands full trying to get them on track. I watched the meeting with wonder as she led an extremely positive meeting. The group that would normally not want to do anything that would require fundraising is thinking of building a Wellness Center! They have since conveyed to me how exciting the meeting was and how they want to keep the momentum going.” – Debbie Henry, Executive Director Health Education Awareness Alliance of Loudon County, Loudon, TN

“Sandy, thank you so much!  You did a terrific job and for the first time I have a board that seems energized and motivated to do fundraising.  I really appreciate your help and plan to keep in touch with you for future assistance.” – Diana U. Allen, CEO, Primary Health Care Center of Dade, Inc., Rossville, GA

 

“Sandy was a real hit with our Board of Directors at our annual retreat in June.  We wanted to give our Board a “gentle” approach to educating them about fund raising as they felt intimidated by the subject in general. Sandy not only gave them a broad base of her fund raising knowledge, her delivery was playful, factual and fun! With two big fund raisers this year, our organization needed our Board behind us and with us. Sandy managed to do just that! Thank you, Sandy, for sharing your expertise and fun approach to fund raising with us.” - Christine Wallace, Director of Resource Development, Prescott Area Habitat for Humanity, Prescott, AZ

“If your Board needs an ‘intervention,’ Sandy’s your gal.  She can get them fired up and on the job.” – Colleen Dudley, Executive Director, Habitat for Humanity of Tennessee, Murfreesboro, TN

“I have served on the boards of several nonprofits who brought in consultants to assist with fundraising and Board development.  The result is usually the same set of recommendations about what type of plans we need to develop.  Sandy’s approach was very different -  She lead us to develop a set of organization specific action items and who would be the lead on each activity.   We have benefitted greatly from the action oriented outcomes.”  - Marcus Weseman, Board Member, Center for Peace, Seymour, TN

 

“Sandy, thank you for the community board training you did in Rogersville in January.  In our rural setting, it’s easier when we can partner together to bring in someone like you. Over 74 board members representing over a dozen local boards were there.  Since the training, I’ve heard the highest accolades for your presentation.  Your approach was fresh and revealing.  Many of us learned we have been shooting ourselves in the foot trying to raise money.  We expect in years to come you will find nonprofits making more of a difference in our community using the information you provided.   Many have said it’s the best training they have ever been to.”  - Sheldon Livesay, Director, Of One Accord Ministry, Rogersville, TN

I’ll give your Board the nuts and bolts of what they need to be successful.  Plus, I’ll give you a list of resources (books, periodicals, websites, etc.) that you can use to keep your Board moving forward after this retreat.

So, what’s it cost?

My fee for this transformational half-day workshop customized for your Board is $1,000, plus any travel expenses.  I don’t like ‘nickel-and-dime’ pricing, so I include handouts, toys and all the little extras in the price.  I’ll even include any customization I need to do to the training to make sure it meets the needs of your unique Board.

I’ve delivered this training for organizations like:

• A Hand Up for Women (Knoxville, TN)
• Athens Area Arts Council (Athens, TN)
• CASA of the Tennessee Heartland (Oak Ridge, TN)
• CEDnet (Community Economic Development Network of East Tennessee) (Knoxville, TN)
• Center for Peace (Seymour, TN)
• Cerebral Palsy Center (Knoxville, TN)
• Christian Women’s Job Corps of Loudon County (Lenoir City, TN)
• Clinch River Children’s Advocacy Center (Clinton, TN)
• Community Mediation Center (Knoxville, TN)
• Community School of the Arts (Knoxville, TN)
• Concord Adult Enrichment Services (CADES) (Farragut, TN)
• Health Education Alliance of Loudon County (Loudon, TN)
• Hopkinsville Area Habitat for Humanity (Hopkinsville, KY)
• Horse Haven of Tennessee (Knoxville, TN)
• Keystone Adult Day Care Services (Oak Ridge, TN)
• Lisa Ross Birth & Women’s Center (Knoxville, TN)
• Loudon County Habitat for Humanity (Loudon, TN)
• Marshall County Habitat for Humanity (Mayfield, KY)
• Monroe County Habitat for Humanity (Madisonville, TN)
• New Hope Children’s Advocacy Center (Maryville, TN)
• Operation Inasmuch (Knoxville, TN)
• Prescott Area Habitat for Humanity (Prescott, AZ)
• Primary Health Care Center of Dade, Inc. (Rossville, GA)
• Putnam County Habitat for Humanity (Cookeville, TN)
• Restoration House of East Tennessee (Knoxville, TN)
• The Gate (Gateway to Independence) (Maryville, TN)

As you can see, I’ve presented this material to lots of different groups and I’ve learned lots of great stories that I’ll work into the training as examples.  That means you’ll get the benefit of my experience as you hear real-world stories about other Boards, the challenges they’ve faced, and how they’ve overcome them.

If you think this might be for you, but you aren’t sure, please contact me for a free consultation.  Email me at sandy@getfullyfunded.com to set up a time to talk.

Warmly,

 

 

 

 

 

 

ps.  Imagine what your organization could do if your Board would get on board!  Let me help them get moving today.

pps. I only do a few Board Magic Workshops each month and my calendar stays pretty full.  I encourage you to email me soon if you want me to rock your Board!