Due to a Family Connection training taking place this week in Warner Robins, we will postpone our February Community Partnership meeting until March.  Stay posted for details.  We apologize for any inconvenmience this may cause.

I’ll admit it, I’ve been on a board fundraising kick lately in the blog (here and here). I just think that if your nonprofit is going to become more strategic and financially sustainable, you have to start from the beginning (or the top, as it were). In my last blog post I discussed how to overcome excuses for why a board member can’t bring money in the door. But the fact remains that a majority of people don’t like to (or simply won’t) ask for money.

The good news is that there are lots of other things board members can do to bring money in the door. And remember, if you are financing not fundraising your organization, your definition of “bringing money in the door” should be very broad.

Here are 9 things you could ask your fundraising-shy board members to do:

1. Help create or evaluate a business plan for an earned income venture. If you have business leaders or entrepreneurs on your board this would be a great use of their time and add tremendous value to your organization. If they can help you create a more profitable business, they are directly contributing to your organization’s bottom-line.

1. Advocate for government money. You may have a board member that can’t stand the idea of asking their friends for money, but they are well connected in city, county, state or federal government and could open doors to you for government contracts, grants, fee-for-service or other government monies.

 

2. Provide intelligence on prospects. If you have a board member that seems to know everyone in town, but for whatever reason refuses to ask any of them for money, they can still be incredibly useful. You may be getting ready to ask a prospective donor for $1,000, and this board member can tell you what that person has already given to, at what level, who else might know them and so on. When you make an ask, the more information you have going into it, the more successful you will be.

 

3. Set up a meeting with a prospective customer. If your nonprofit is engaged in an earned income venture, you probably always need help with new sales. If you have a board member who is part of, or connected to, the target customer(s) of your business, they could open doors to new customers. Or at the very least, they could help you think through your sales and marketing strategies and make them  more effective so that you can attract more customers.

 

4. Email, call or visit a donor just to say thanks. The stewardship of a gift is an often forgotten, but incredibly critical, part of the fundraising process. According to Penelope Burk’s annual donor survey, 84% of donors would give again if they were thanked in a timely way. And being thanked by a board member is a bonus. A donor who renews their gift to a nonprofit is providing more money for the organization.

 

5. Explain to a prospect why you serve. A board of directors is a group of volunteers who care so much about the mission of the organization that they are willing to donate their time (a precious resource) to the cause. As a donor, it is affirming to see that a volunteer is contributing time, but it is even more motivating to hear, in the board member’s own words, why they feel compelled to serve this organization. That story can be enough to convince someone to give.

 

6. Host a small gathering at your home. Over the course of a year, most people invite a gathering of friends and/or family into their home at least once. A board member could take a few minutes at their next dinner party, birthday celebration or Super Bowl feast to talk about something that is near and dear to their heart: the nonprofit on whose board they serve. They don’t have to ask people for money, but they could simply say, “If you’re interested in learning more, let me know.” And then the nonprofit’s staff could take it from there with those who are interested.

 

7. Recruit an in-kind service. If a board member could remove an expense line item from a nonprofit’s budget that would directly contribute to a stronger bottom-line. For example, if a board member works at an ad agency, could they convince their company to provide some pro-bono marketing services to their nonprofit? But keep in mind, these in-kind donations must be of value to the nonprofit and provide an offset to a direct cost that the nonprofit would otherwise have to bear.

 

8. Negotiate a lower price from a vendor. Do you have a board member with great negotiating skills (think of all of those lawyers on your board). Could they negotiate with your insurance providers, office space rental company, or printers, for a lower price? If so, that’s more money in the bank.

If you think of a board member’s “get” responsibilities in these much broader terms, then I find it difficult to imagine a board member who cannot bring money in the door. You just have to get strategic about how each individual board member can best contribute to the organization’s bottom-line.

Photo Credit: DeeganMarie

Related posts:

1. 7 Things Board Members Can Do To Raise More Money
2. Ways to Raise Money in a Recession
3. Financing Not Fundraising: Jump Start Your Board
4. Overcoming Board Fundraising Excuses
5. Financing Not Fundraising E-Book

The Pleasant Hill Shalon Zone hosted the second in its series of community workshops focusing on reducing obesity and related health issues. Mr. Haywood Simmons, a native of Macon, is the consultant and guest presenter throughout the series.  Now living in Madison WI, Mr. Simmons is a Former Football Athlete, Rose Bowl Champion, and Owner/Trainer at Phitness Plus.

Dr. Kendra Russell, Faculty at GCSU and Chair of the Pleasant Hill Shalom Zone's Health Committee

The focus of this workshop was healthy food choices and combinations. The major objective of this workshop was be to increase awareness of children and families about the benefits of  participating in lifelong healthy eating.  Mr. Simmons repeated his mantra several times:  “If it’s in a box, it not food!”  He went on to describe the benefits of natural and organic foods as fuel for the body and medicine for disease.  Mr. Simmons has a  “keep it real” presentation style and uses analogies  that people can relate to.

After a presentation by Mr. Simmons, participants enjoyed a healthy lunch and visited partner information booths.

First Choice Primary Care

Dr. and Mrs. Marshall of the Pleasant Hill Shalom Zone

Sarah Porter, Mercer MPH student, presented a directory of health resources for participants and held a raffle for a gift basket.

Ms. Marna Cooper, winner of the gift basket raffle!

Everybody got funky with DJ Chester Gibbs

Haywood Simmons and Travis Blackwell, Community Partnership

Join us for Monroe County Family Connection’s February meeting on Tuesday,
February 14 at 12:00 pm at the Prime Palette Restaurant on Forsyth Square. 

We will welcome special guest speaker Pam Vincent of River Edge Prevention Resource Center
to tell us about a grant River Edge recently received to start a substance abuse
coalition in Monroe County.  Find out how you can get involved! 

Also, committees will report on recent planning meetings in the areas of Adult Education and Job
Training, Youth Education and Development, Financial Literacy, and Health/Mental
Health.  Find out how you can get involved! 

Partners are welcome to come to the meeting room at Prime Palette as early as 11:30 to grab lunch from the great buffet!  (Partners are responsible for their own lunch)

Please call Travis Blackwell at (478) 787-7542 for more information

Monroe Reads with Ferst participants are encouraged to join us for the Second Annual Adorable Reader Contest in March.  Children from birth to age five enrolled in the program are invited to have their picture made by professional photographer Monica Clayton with their favorite book at NO charge next week.  Readers may come Thursday, Feb. 16 from 1 to 3 pm, Friday, Feb. 17 from 3:30 – 5:30 pm or Saturday, Feb. 18 from 10 am  – 12noon.  (Please call Shoppes on the Square 994-1028 or the Monroe Family Connection Office 994-7981 to let us know the time you choose.)

We hope everyone will stop by Shoppes on the Square to vote for the readers March 9,10, and 11 during the Forsythia Festival! Visitors may view the adorable pictures and cast a ballot for their favorite for just a dollar a vote.   A special prize package will be given to the children that receive the most votes in their age category (0 – 1, 2 – 3, 4 – 5). 

This event will help the Monroe County Community Action Team (CAT) raise the funds necessary to provide more books to children in our community and continue the sponsorships of the over 590 children currently enrolled.  Our costs are $3.00 per child per month to provide these quality selections.

Monroe Reads is an affiliate of the Ferst Foundation for Childhood Literacy and provides books for all registered children from birth to age 5, free of charge.  These quality books are helping to improve early literacy for Monroe County youth.  To register your child or for more information, please contact us at monroereadswithferst@gmail.com or at 478-994-7981.

 AMERIGROUP Community Care PRESENTS

 Family Night Out

Tuesday, February 21, 2012

4:30p.m. – 6:30p.m.

Chuck E Cheese’s

3374 Mercer University Drive

Macon, GA 31204

 1st 50 people will receive FREE Pizza and Tokens!

There will be games, give-a-ways, and much more!

Fun for the entire family!!

 Call (706) 868-4412 to let us know if you will attend.

Click here to see the flyer!

Join as we welcome Mr. Haywood Simmons, Jr., Guest Presenter, Former Football Athlete & Rose Bowl Champion.  

The focus of this workshop will be access to healthy foods. The major objective of this workshop will be to increase opportunities for children and families to participate in lifelong healthy eating. 

February 18th– 10:00a.m.-2pm

St. Peter Claver Catholic Church

Mother Katherine Drexel Center

Lunch will be served.

Please RSVP to Kendra Russell at kendra.russell@gcsu.edu

POWER TO PREVENT is a series of four (4) workshops designed to raise the awareness of childhood obesity in Macon- Bibb County.  The focus of these workshops will be to show you how to make small, but powerful changes in your eating and physical activity to reduce the risk of childhood obesity as a health threat in Macon- Bibb County.

SPONSORED BY:                                                                                                                        

The Pleasant Hill Shalom Zone

"We talk about how we can help and what the neighborhood needs, so we're delighted to be here and kind of show support for the five by five program and build it up bigger and stronger," said Mayor Robert Reichert.

Community Partnership assisted in the event by coordinating community agencies to be on hand to help provide resources for people in South Macon.

CASA of Central Georgia

The event included a cook out and entertainment.

Pastors Of Heritage at Houston

Wanzina Jackson of ECD

Ms. Alma and Mr. Bennie

Tyrone Hill of A Positive Intervention

Workforce Development Mobile

 

Right now the five by five program is going through the Pleasant Hill Neighborhood around Thrid Avenue and Ward Street.

View video of the event below:

Board of Commissioners Chairman Sam Hart

Families of children at Ingram-Pye and Hartley elementary schools, Ballard Hudson Middle School, and Southwest High School will be getting special attention from a group of community leaders who are planning the Macon Children’s Promise Neighborhood Project

MCPN is the only such project in the Southeast, that received a $500,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Education. In-kind donations bring the total to more than $800,000 to create a 5-year plan that prepares students in the the two neighborhoods for college or a career.

Mayor Robert Reichert

MCPN Co-PI, Peter Brown said,  ”Right now, the project is just in the Tindall Heights and Unionville neighborhoods, but Brown said if the project goes well, that won’t be the case forever.”

 In the retreat,  82 partners were ratified as the MCPN Partners Council.  The group then broke into committees to discuss plans around early childhood, K-12 education, neighborhood empowerment, health and safety, transportation, adult education and job training, communication, arts and humanities, parent involvement, resource development and evaluation.  

Suzanne Griffin-Ziebart, Bibb Schools deputy superintendent of school improvement and redesign, said the project will support the district-wide strategic plan, and vice-versa.

The retreat was attended by many residents of Tindall Heights and Unionville. 

Danny Glover, Chairman of the Bibb County Democratic Party and a Southwest High School success story

 See video of the retreat below: