Are all of your board members "on board" with making an annual gift to your organization?

If not, this is a great resolution for your nonprofit. Every nonprofit should strive for 100% board giving, every year.

WHY YOU NEED 100% BOARD GIVING

There's a basic fundraising tenet. Sometimes, it's called the 3 Ts. It says that board members need to give their Time, Talent, and Treasure.

This is not an either/or.

Board members need to give all three.

And there are lots of reasons why board members need to make a personally meaningful annual gift.

One reason is because it demonstrates that the individual board members are, literally, invested in the cause.

Another reason? It gives credibility to your fundraising efforts. It makes fundraising easier.

There are plenty of other reasons why you want 100% board giving. As a grant writer, this next one is my favorite.

Because foundations want to know.

Consider these questions from real grant applications:

Did every board member personally contribute financially to your organization in the most recently completed financial year?
Please indicate what percentage of your board makes financial contributions to your organization.
What percentage of the nonprofit applicant's staff and board members made a cash contribution to the applicant during the last 12 months?

Not only do foundations ask questions like these, they pay close attention to your answers.

The best answer? And, in my opinion, the only acceptable answer?

Yes, 100% of our board members make a personal financial gift each year.

WHY YOU WANT 100% BOARD GIVING EARLY IN THE YEAR

I encourage my clients to make board giving an organizational priority. I also encourage them to get to 100% within the first 60 days of the fiscal year.

That way, when they're applying for grants and the question about board giving comes up, the answer is easy.

And it's one that you're proud to share.

Also, when you have 100% board giving, you avoid any awkward embarrassment when answering questions like these:

If less than 100% of your Board made personal contributions to your organization last year, please explain why.
If every board member does not personally contribute financially, please state the reasoning.

Understand that board giving is important any time of year.

And now's a great time to start working towards 100%.

HOW TO GET TO 100% BOARD GIVING

So, you want 100% board giving? The first step is having the conversation.

In fact, talk about it when you're recruiting new board members. And make this an expectation of all board members.

The actual "how to" part takes a little more work.

Check out these trusted resources. They will help you explain the importance of board giving to your board - and help you get them to 100%.

How about you? Does your organization have 100% board giving?

Even if you can't say "Yes!" today, I have confidence that your nonprofit can get there. This year.

So start now by making a New Year's Resolution.

Make 100% board giving a priority at your organization.

Photo credit(s): Pixabay

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