As sensible and noble as it may sound, the job of building a base of true lifelong donors for your organization can be a little lonely. Even though everyone may pay it lip service, when it comes to that nasty word, "fundraising," most people would rather look the other way.

In the face of apathy or downright resistance, the first place most people look for support is to the board. After all, as we all know, fundraising is their job. Then why is it the board can seem so resigned and contrary? What will it take to get your board on board?

First of all, have a little compassion for your board members. They have full lives of their own. Much as you might like it to be otherwise, serving on your board is not their full-time job. They are volunteering.

Second, let them off the hook. Do not assume, just because everyone says that all good board members should raise funds, that any organization attains that goal 100% of the time. In any random sample of good people, some will enjoy fundraising and others will not.

I say that is because they think of fundraising in the old "strong-arm the Rolodex" way. If that reciprocal subtle pressuring of friends was my only option as a board member, I would avoid it too. If your board is not on board with the Benevon Model for building lifelong donors, it is most likely because they do not understand this approach. Have you taken the time to introduce at least some of the board members to the full model? Perhaps you can start with members of the development committee. Show them our video. Let them see that this method is different.

One of the biggest pitfalls we see in the implementation of the model occurs when the staff is reticent about telling board members that this model is much more than just a slower version of "strong-arm the Rolodex" and that, in fact, there is no requirement in our model for any board member to ever ask anyone for money. I suspect the staff is reticent because they presume that if we were to let our board members off the hook for their obligatory fundraising responsibility—even if the board members are doing very little—these board members would not participate in the other ways the model suggests.

Rather than treating their board members as they would treat cherished or potential major donors, board members are held in a special class of their own, one with outdated rules that we would never use today in our relationships with donors. Let's look again at the three roles for board members in our model, roles which every single board member can participate in, without ever feeling pressured to ask their friends for money.

The goal should be to have each board member understand that this is the way your organization does fundraising because, over time, it will make long term friends for the organization, long after the current board members have gone. This will be a legacy the board members will be interested in, because it is true to the mission and treats donors and potential donors the way the board members themselves would want to be treated.

To quickly review, our permission-based model suggests three roles for board members. Each of these roles is entirely optional and honors their commitment to your mission. If presented properly to the board, in the context of the larger Benevon Model, we find that most board members readily embrace them.

1. Inviting people to Point of Entry^® Events and serving as the official board host at a Point of Entry once a year. Once your board members have attended their first "kick-the-tires" Point of Entry for the board, they will trust that short event to educate and inspire people, without even talking about fundraising. This is the place for their Rolodex. It is fine for them to invite their friends who may attend largely out of guilt and obligation. Yet once they get there, some will find themselves captivated by the program. They will want to get involved for their own reasons, not to please their friend.

   If your board members did nothing more than invite people to Points of Entry all year, they would have made an enormous contribution to the future of the organization. Some organizations encourage those board members who are interested to host Points of Entry of their own, perhaps focused on a particular civic, professional or social group they are part of.

2. Thanking recent happy donors. Board members each take a month of the year to telephone individual donors from the prior month to say "thank you." Leaving a voice mail message is permissible. It doesn't take long for board members to realize the positive impression this call makes on each donor who may never have received any personal communication from the organization, let alone from a board member. Again, not all board members will want to do this, but once a few members report on the experience at the next monthly board meeting, others may offer to jump in.
3. Giving money themselves. It will come as no surprise to you or your board that your funders and donors will assume that everyone on the board makes an annual financial contribution. While there is no proscribed amount expected, in our model, 100% board giving is strongly recommended.

   Once you have established your Multiple-Year Giving Society^™, these will be the same levels you can suggest to your board members, without pressuring them in any way to give at any level.

Again, the more your board members experience the permission-based power of the model firsthand, the more readily they will introduce others and get more involved themselves. Soon they will be among the many who say, "This is the way fundraising should be done; I can do this comfortably. This method reminds me of why I got involved with this organization in the first place. It makes me proud to be a board member here."