Q: What are the roles for board members in the Benevon Model?

A: There are three specific roles for board members:

1. Inviting people to Points of Entry^®
2. Thanking donors for gifts
3. Giving money themselves

Before we look at each of these roles in more depth, let's get the lay of the land, the overview of how we're doing it now.

It may come as a surprise to you that, in this model, board members are not required to ask others for contributions. If you have been hounding your board, waiting for them to lead the way in raising funds for your organization, this may come as bad news to you.

In the Benevon Model, the main responsibility of fundraising falls to the staff or, in the absence of staff, to the top volunteers. It will require you to get back into the driver's seat and orchestrate the plan with plenty of input from board and volunteers who have a genuine interest in being involved with it.

If you read on, I think you'll see how the model honors the unique contribution of each board member without pressuring anyone. It treats your board members as the lifelong supporters you want them to be. It keeps them in touch with your mission and feeling good about being involved with you.

Now, shifting to the board of your organization, check out these assumptions:

1. Someone in your organization spent a lot of time recruiting each board member. They started by identifying the categories of expertise needed. Perhaps you were looking for someone with experience in human resources, real estate, human services, the arts, finance, or fundraising, for example.

   Someone courted each potential board member, checked them out thoroughly, and then popped the question. You were thrilled when they accepted.

2. You had them read over your written agreement of expectations (a.k.a. job description) for board members. You made sure they digested all the fine print about their fundraising responsibilities. Perhaps your organization has a minimum giving expectation for the board. Or a "give, get, or get off" policy. Whatever your expectations, you made them all clear up front, and they signed off on the deal.
3. Now, as your fresh and eager new recruit arrives at one of her first board meetings, ready to fill the 'CPA slot', for example, one of the main agenda items is, of course, fundraising. It just happens to be the time of year for the big annual banquet, golf tournament, or the annual fund drive.

   Before she has even gotten oriented to the basics of being on the board, she's being asked to do the part she most dreaded. Yes, she knew this was coming, and she did agree to help. So she takes a deep breath and scans her address book for her closest 10 friends or colleagues who she knows can't refuse her. After all, she's helped them in similar times of need. Let's stop here for a minute and reflect on how it feels to be on the receiving end of one of those 'Asks'. In most cases, the person cannot say no. Their relationship with your board member, whether professional or personal, would make it very awkward to refuse. They may even be able to write it off as a business expense.

   The times I've been 'strong-armed' by my friends on boards, I've had to say yes. But as soon as my friend goes off that board, I stop giving there.

   Not that it was a bad organization. On the contrary, they were probably doing very great work. Had they taken the time to educate and cultivate me personally, I could have become a lifelong supporter in my own right. But in their mind, I was Susan's contact, so they left me alone, not wanting to intrude.

4. In terms of their love of fundraising, your basic random sample of board members pretty much mirrors the basic population. In other words, fundraising is just not everyone's bag.

   The same folks who may be brilliant at strategic planning or human resources may not have the bug for fundraising. You didn't initially recruit them for their fundraising expertise.

5. On the other hand, there is that portion of the bell-shaped curve of the population that actually likes to ask others for money. Those are the folks you recruited intentionally to fill the fundraising slots. You put them on the Development Committee.

   At the proper point in the fundraising/cultivation cycle, these folks will be of great help. But not until the potential donors have been introduced to a Point of Entry, received a Follow-Up Call, and been cultivated sufficiently to be ready to be asked.

   As many of us have learned the hard way, pressuring board members to do fundraising just doesn't work.

   Either they say they'll make those three calls but never seem to get around to it, or their attendance slacks off at meetings and eventually they withdraw or resign from the board feeling guilty, inadequate and frustrated.

Take heart! There is another way. A way to keep everyone happy and still have a successful, robust fundraising program.