Building Strong Boards

Ten Ways to Strengthen Board Performance[1]

1. Use a board profile assessment to strategically recruit board members
2. Form a board governance committee and actively seek new member
3. Develop and implement a meaningful board orientation program
4. Conduct regular trainings and offer board members access to educational opportunities
5. Annually review all governing documents
6. Form a finance committee to provide sound financial oversight
7. Be transparent in all board matters
8. Take responsibility for program outcomes
9. Make an “all hands on deck” commitment to fundraising
10. Implement regular member self-assessment and evaluation

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[1] Thanks for Leadership North Country Class of 2011 for sharing the first version on this list, it has been adapted slightly by Sasha Eisele & Associates and the source of the original list is unknown.

The Power of Cross-Training

I run because I love the feeling of racing through the woods, bounding over rocks, roots and through the mud. I run because I need that time to clear my head of everything and let all slow creep back in.

Racing for me is just an extension of running, biking and swimming - a reason to focus my training to allow myself the time for exercise induced euphoria - a totally different feeling then what I get from rock climbing or surfing.

This morning I hit the trails before the heat of the day and ran in the woods under the cover of thick leaves, it was perfect. I thought about...

Hill sprints, long endurance runs, race pace runs, flat sprints...
All tools that when packaged to together create a sum great the parts.

This afternoon in my office, I thought about the tools that I use to support my clients and their marketing and development needs. Here is a list of five great tools that will give you a sum greater then their parts - happy training.

Some are free, others have a free trail period and then charge a fee for use.

Go to Meeting - Web conferencing, online demos and work group collaboration

Doodle - Meeting scheduling made easy

Crowdrise - Online fundraising and charity research made fun and easy

GroupSite - Social networking meets group collaboration

Guidestar - Find information on foundations and nonprofits around the country

The Potential of June and Social Media

Even years after the meaning of summer morphed from childhood wanderlust to the realities of adulthood June still holds visceral magic for me. There is something about the potential of summer – everything it could be, the adventures still to come, the uncertainity, the flavors, sites and sounds that mesmerizes.

This June I am developing on online platform where social networking and community collaboration interface for a group of change agents working toward a more prosperous future for their county in rural New Hampshire. The site will be built out from GroupSite and run for a trail 6-month period to test viability.

The energy behind this site is tremendous and tempered by the fact that participants just came off a three day symposium together- high on ideas, social capital building. This project is just like June – filled with potential, possibility and the unknown.

I look forward to challenge of measuring success in this virtual world, supporting individuals who engage social media for the first time, mining the knowledge and experience of early adopters and providing tools to create greater connectivity and opportunity in rural America.

What Donors Can Learn from Central Asia Institute's Recent Challenges

I had worked in nonprofit development for three year and helped to raise hundreds of thousands of dollars, when a perspective donor answered my ask with a request to see a litany of financial documents. At first I was shocked, defensive even, though I had nothing to hide. I covered my surprise quickly and promised to deliver the documents.

Years later that moment stands out above all of the solicitations which were honored in the moment and without question. This donor simply asked what any investor would ask, to ensure his/her funds were being directed to a transparent, accountable and genuine place.

In the face of the accusations against Greg Mortenson and The Central Asia institute, I keep coming back to wrestle with multiple layers of institutional failure leading up to this point.

Jon Krakuer is taking on the credibility of Mortenson's books. I'll be honest, I am not terribly interested in this piece of the story. CIA and Mortenson do great work in education and bridging cultural divides, period. If pieces of the stories are condensed, stretched or omitted so be it.

Fellow nonprofit consultant and friend, Janet Bergman, addressed the organization's clear and blatant disregard for basic best practices, adhered to by organizations large and small across the country, in her recent blog post.

I want to empower and challenge the philanthropic audience, no matter what size gift you are making, ask questions, second but arguably equal to the board of directors, you are the people who keep these organizations alive.

Knowing what to ask for may be half the battle....

The financial statements for every nonprofit organization are public record.
Be skeptical if you ask to see information and are not provided with it.
Here are a list of ways your can sure your charitable gifts are ending up where you expect.

1) Check on the organization's public financial records

GuideStar's Mission: To revolutionize philanthropy by providing information that advances transparency, enables users to make better decisions, and encourages charitable giving.

2) Request a copy of the current board of directors

Industry standard suggestions a minimum of five board voting board members

3) Ask for additional financial materials

Operating and program budgets, as well as current financial statements will not always be available online but you have a right to ask for them. It is standard practice to include these documents with grants proposals., so it should be no trouble for any organization to provide them to you.

4) Ask for a detailed report on how your gift was spent


5) Use your intuition

If something about the organization strikes you as off, ask about it. Organization's with nothing to hide will have an explanation and might even be happy you asked.

Option two if something seems amiss, call the attorney general's office in the state where the organization operates.
Ask for the office of charitable trusts. You can ask your questions or file a concern with their office.

The Grappone Challenge

A recent funding update from The New Hampshire Center for Nonprofits included mention of contest for local non profits. The prize $20,000 to the winning organization.

The contest is simple but the benefits impressed me enough to write about this new approach to corporate philanthropy. Check out the pitch here: http://bit.ly/bundles/jjurczynski/4

I don't know that my client who is registered will win the grand prize but I love the challenge. Grappone Auto Group builds it's reputation as a community oriented brand; nonprofits can engage supporters of all levels to participate and as someone working in the sector I can check out other organizations who might be reputable partners/collaborators in the future.

What other great corporate giving challenges are out there?

"I just want to work for myself" - Why the grass is sometimes greener

Recently a friend wrote me to ask how I make it work, referring to working for myself. He is justifiably frustrated by the dynamics in his work environment and looking for a way out. He is also a talented artist who would love to make a go at turning his part-time painting gigs into a full time venture. I hope he reads this - I think he has the talent and drive to make it happen.
His inquiry got me thinking about the challenges of working for yourself, the realities between the appealing bullet points of self-employment.

So here is what I have to say to anyone considering a shift to self employment...

Don't be so quick to only see green grass on the self-employed side of the fence. I love working for myself, it works for me, it supports the lifestyle I am excited about but here are drawbacks to consider and honest realities of dark side of self-employment...

-Success will require you to be the hardest boss you have ever worked for.

-Higher taxes.

-Wrestle with the fact you will never afford the kind of health insurance you had when you worked for a company...you will settle for basic coverage you pay too much for and family plans - forget about it

-No paid holidays, sick days or vacation. You take time off ...you don't make money.

-When you screw up there is no one to blame but yourself

-No IRA contributions

-Be prepared to work 2 + years before really making any money

-Realize that your business is YOU so it doesn't really ever get turned off (ie: trip to Peru...computer comes, emails are answered and that's vacation)

-When work is insane you don't get to run, play, visit with your spouse until the work is done

-If you don't have a spouse who is bought into the entirety of the plan above you will also contend with that

-Plan to spend less then you ever thought you would - dinners out, buying the smaller house, not buying a new car, holding off on major purchases until your business is stable.

The upside....

If you can handle the discipline required
If you can figure out the expenses of running a business
If you want flexibility
(read periods of intense work and then down time)
If the idea of kicking your own ass beats someone kicking it for you

.....you can do it.


It will be hard. You will get frustrated. There will be times you have no clue where the money is going to come from. You will have months where a day off means you don't have meetings but your read email before going for a run, answer a call while on it and check email again before bed.

If all of that is still agreeable. Find what you you love and go for it. If being my own boss has taught me anything it is that you don't have sit in a job you hate.

Twelve Rules to Live By In the Land of Donor Appreciation

Penelope Burk's book, Donor Centered Fundraising is the first book I purchased that I considered professional development reading. It has since become my bible. I loan my copy out regularly and encourage others to look beyond the sticker shock, what you learn will be worth it's weight in gold. I am thinking about donor appreciation and cultivation today so I felt it was good time to share these rules Burke suggests.

Twelve Rules to Live By In the Land of Donor Appreciation

-Penelope Burk

1) Statistics

a. Do your own research specific to your organization, do rely on industry standards. Figure out who your donors are, how much the give, how often and how you can cultivate them. Then implement your plan.

2) Categorizing Donors By Gift Size

a. Is shooting your organization in the foot. This is a reward and punishment system that is insulting to donors and doesn’t allow npo’s to grow the size of the gifts people are making.

i. Ex: if you only have to give $1000 to be in the CIYC, why would anyone feel compelled to give $5000.

ii. ?How do you get the information that compels your $25.00 donor to become a $100 donor out do them.

3) Urgent Appeals

a. Remember your emergency is not your donors emergency.

4) Failure to Plan

a. Don’t expect donors to fund on faith. You need a well organized, succinct plan that shows donor where their money is making a difference.

5) Failure to Test

a. Test all fundraising ideas before counting on them entirely.

i. Ex: NPO has a budget deficit, at a board meeting an innovative idea for a new fundraising event is suggested, projects are made about its potential net income and before the board meeting is adjourned the event date is set.

6) Being Unrealistic About Time

a. There is no such thing as short term fundraising. Pressure is often put on fundraisers to close deals within unrealistic timeframes. This failure to take into account the cultivation process with your donors almost always means the organization looses out in one way or another. Many failures that happen today have roots in things that were/weren’t done 2-3 years ago.

7) Solicitation/Attrition

a. Don’t fall into this cycle: Direct mail campaign happens, response isn’t what you anticipated, decision is made to send another mailing to increase revenue, this causes donor burn out (attrition), so prospecting for donors increases, no time to follow up and thank current donors, leads to more attrition, leads to more solicitation.

i. GET OFF THE TREADMILL. Spend time with your current donors.

8) Relying on Fundraising as Marketing

a. The organization should have separate budgets for fundraising marketing and general marketing. General marketing is for awareness building and fundraising marketing is to generate income.

9) Fundraising Expenses

a. You need to be willing to spend money to make money. If you aren’t you kill the ‘donor-centric’ fundraising model before it can work for you.

10) “Donors should be neither seen nor heard”

a. Donors feel privileged to give and don’t want anything in return. Don’t confuse no vested interest and no interest. There is incredible competition for donors and volunteers, an organizations meaningful communication is what will set them apart.

11) The Fundraising System

a. Be willing to break out of the current system. If you aren’t seeing results, if your solicitation strategies aren’t donor-centric don’t tinker with the old system, take it apart and build a new one.

12) Feeling Charities are Beyond Reproach

a. In 2000 83% of Americans gave to charity. As NPO’s we need to be more in tune and better prepared to change the way we do business to meet the needs of the people who keep us in business.