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Home >> Eight Tips for Involving Board Members in the Benevon Model
Eight Tips for Involving Board Members in the Benevon Model
- Board members should be "ambassadors" for your nonprofit's work in the community. Have them think of all the people in their lives they would love to introduce to your nonprofit, and make a plan for inviting each of them to a Point of Entry®.
- Have each board member host a Point of Entry at least once a year. This does not necessarily mean they are responsible for filling the room with their friends, although that would be great too! It can simply mean attending the Point of Entry as the official board member host who welcomes guests and inviting a few of their special guests to attend in addition to the other guests your organization will be inviting.
- Talk up the model with your board members. Talk about the importance of long-term sustainable funding. Have them talk about their frustrations with the year-to-year fundraising treadmill and their desire to leave a legacy of sustainable funding—perhaps in the form of an endowment.
- Encourage them to watch the free online video, Seventeen Minutes to Sustainable Funding, to get up to speed on the model.
- Have a board retreat on sustainable funding. Start by having all board members tell why they are involved with your organization and why they feel its work is so important. Explain the model or show the 17-minute video. Talk about your plan to start POEs, and invite them to a kick-the-tires Point of Entry just for board members. Do a Treasure Map® exercise with them to identify groups in the community and people they think should be invited to Point of Entry Events. Remind your board that the model is mission-based and permission-based. They no longer need to ask their friends for money before potential donors have been educated and inspired about the work of your group.
- Have your board work with staff leadership to develop job descriptions for Sustainable Funding Team Members, such as team leaders for Point of Entry Events, Follow-Up, Asking, and Cultivation. Your board can help the staff find volunteers to fill these roles.
- Have your board members make calls to thank donors and ask for their feedback after events. We call this an 80/20 call because it should involve 80% of listening to the donor and only 20% talking. There is absolutely no substitute for a board member calling a donor.
- They should give money to the organization every year. If this organization isn't one of the top three places each board member supports, they may not be the right people for your board. Conversely, if they came on the board with a sincere interest and passion in your work, if they want to get to know you better so that they might elevate your group to one of their top three charitable gifts each year, and if they are happy to contribute financially each year, keep them on board and tend them carefully.
For more information on this topic, listen to Terry's newest podcast. (Note that this audio file is large and may take some time to download.)
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