How To Ensure Effective and Engaged Volunteers – Part One – Finding Good Volunteers

Ann Green volunteers

Photo by WA State Library via Flickr

It’s National Volunteer Week. Many nonprofit organizations rely on volunteers. Some provide services such as tutoring or mentoring and others help out with publicity and administrative tasks.

Taking on volunteers can be very rewarding for an organization, as well the volunteer, but it can also be frustrating for both parties. Two problem areas are finding the right people and keeping your volunteers engaged. In this post, I’m going to write about finding good volunteers.   

If I can offer one piece of advice it would be – Don’t take on volunteers if you can’t support them.  People may contact you seeking a volunteer opportunity.  If you don’t have something concrete for the person to do on a regular basis, don’t take someone on at this time, even if you think you can’t turn away a potential volunteer. Volunteers require effort and engagement from the staff.

What is your need?
If you do have a need for volunteers, take the process seriously and go about it the same way you would if you were hiring a staff member.

First, put together a position description. This will help you assess your needs and what the person will do. Then you can post it when you recruit. The position description can also be transformed into the volunteer’s work plan.  I will go into more detail about that in my next post.

Here are some sample volunteer position descriptions.
Volunteer Position Description Worksheet and Sample
Volunteer Position Job Description – Sample

Training vs. Experience
Decide how much training you want to provide. If you are recruiting tutors, they will probably need to go through a training. However, if you are looking for an administrative person, you will most likely want someone with experience.

Finding someone with experience may take longer, but it will be worth it. Yes, people with experience will be looking for paid positions, but you might be able to find someone who is between jobs, a stay-at-home parent with relevant experience, or a retired professional. Don’t be afraid to be picky about choosing volunteers.

If you do bring on volunteers without experience, make sure you give them a good training and are available for guidance and support.

Finding the right people
Your best bet is to ask people close to you, such as board members, staff, and other volunteers. You would want a personal recommendation like this for higher level work and any type of work done on your website. 

Otherwise, you can post announcements on sites such as Idealist or Volunteer Match, on your website and social media, and on community list serves. 

Ask for a resume, writing or design samples, and references. Do a background check if the person will be working with children.

When you interview potential volunteers, besides assessing whether they have the right skills and experience for the position, see if they are willing to commit to a set schedule. This is often one of the biggest problems with volunteers. Of course, they should also be passionate about your work and fit in with your organizational culture.

I really recommend taking the time to screen your candidates. Any investment you make up front will pay off in the end for both your organization and the volunteer.

In Part Two, I will write about keeping your volunteers motivated and supported.

Additional Information

Developing and Managing Volunteer Programs

How You Can Create A Welcoming Website – Part Four – Writing For The Web

Ann Green marketing, website, writing

Photo by pigpogm via Flickr

How You Can Create A Welcoming Website – Part One – Your Home Page

How You Can Create A Welcoming Website – Part Two – Your Entire Website

How You Can Create A Welcoming Website – Part Three – Your Donation Page

For the past few weeks, I’ve been writing a series of posts on how to create a welcoming and audience-centered website. In my final post in this series, I want to go into more detail about writing for the web.

But before I go into the actual writing part, we need to focus on getting your website visitor to read your content in the first place. In the previous posts, I explained how important your website’s look is. First impressions are key. If your web pages look cluttered and sloppy, your visitor might not sick around to read your content, no matter how great it is.

You might think you are being creative by using a red background with white type. Don’t do it. Stick to black type on a white background. It’s not boring. You are thinking of your audience and giving them something that’s easy to read. Leave colors for your logo and graphics.


Avoid using fancy type. A simple font such as Ariel or Georgia works well. Sans serif fonts are usually recommended for websites, but simple serif fonts are also good.  

Bigger is better. Use at least a 14 point font, so your visitor isn’t straining to read your content. Here is more information on choosing fonts. Want people to read your nonprofit website content? Start here.

People don’t read copy on the web; they scan it, and they read online content 25% slower than print. Therefore, you need to break up your text with lots of white space and use short paragraphs, lists, bullets, bolded headings, and bolded words. Keep the pages clean, and include links for more detailed information. Using one or two pictures or images per page will also help break up the text. 

Again, your goal is to get people to read your content, but if the type is too small and there are no spaces between paragraphs, you might lose them before they even get a chance to read what you wrote.

Now, about your writing. Several weeks ago, I wrote a post about the 4 Cs of Writing Good Content While this covers all types of copy, it is especially relevant for website copy.

Is it clear? Make sure you know your intention. What results do you want? For example, your donation page should compel someone to donate.


Is it concise? Use as few words as possible, but use strong words and leave out any unnecessary adverbs, adjectives, or filler.

Is it conversational? Write in the second person and don’t use jargon or any words people need to look up in the dictionary.

Is it compelling?  Start with a good opening and keep your reader interested throughout.

Use the inverted pyramid, where you include the most important information first, and make your point right away. Of course, your content should also be well written and free of grammatical errors and typos.
Each page on your website might have a different target audience. For example, people visiting your volunteer page may not know your organization, so include a short description of what you do. 

Remember that you want to create a welcoming website for your audience. If you don’t, your visitors won’t stay long and could miss out on your call to action and other messages.

Resources – Writing for the Web

The Most Important Person Your Website Copy Should Speak To

Writing for the Web: Tips for Nonprofit Organizations

Nonprofit 911:Writing for the Web: Today’s Best Practices


How You Can Create A Welcoming Website – Part Three – Your Donation Page

Ann Green fundraising, marketing, website, writing
Image by S1m0nB3rry via Flickr

How You Can Create A Welcoming Website – Part One – Your Home Page

How You Can Create A Welcoming Website – Part Two – Your Entire Website

How You Can Create A Welcoming Website – Part Four – Writing For The Web

Over the past few weeks, I’ve been writing about ways you can make your website welcoming and audience-centered. In this post, I’d like to go into a little more detail about your website’s donation page. According to Convio, online giving grew by almost 16% in 2011. It is likely to increase even more in 2012.

Most people will be coming to your donation page because they have been led there by your electronic or mailed fundraising appeal. They may have also been drawn there by social media. To get them there in the first place, be sure your appeal has a compelling message.
Make it simple
Now that you have a potential donor on your donation page, you want them to stay. It’s very important that you create a donation page that’s easy to use, easy to read (no clutter), and has a strong call to action, using the same messaging you have in your annual appeal (to stay consistent).
Make sure you have an easy and secure online donation form. Show how the donation will be used and what different amounts will fund. You can set up a form with different giving levels ($25, $50, 100, etc), but include an “other” field so your donors can give any amount they choose.
Not everyone is comfortable donating online; therefore you need to include your mailing address so your donor can send you a check. Include a downloadable donation form that your donors can print and mail in with their checks. 
In addition, add your phone number to the donation page in case donors want to call in with a credit card number or just ask a question. You should also include a link to other ways of giving, such as planned giving, donating in someone’s honor, or in-kind donations.
Don’t forget to say thank you
After someone has completed their online donation, they should be taken to a thank you landing page so they know that you received their donation and it didn’t end up in the netherworld. They should also receive an e-mail acknowledgement. 

Make sure your message is friendly and personal and doesn’t resemble a receipt you would get after checking out on Amazon. This does not let you off the hook from sending out a thank you letter, which you should mail no later than 48 hours after receiving the donation.
A picture says a 1000 words
Find a compelling photo that captures what your organization does, and put that on your donation page. In the few seconds it takes to view that photo, your donor should get a good understanding of your work.
Recurring gifts
One feature of some online giving platforms is recurring gifts. This is a great way for your organization to raise additional revenue by enticing donors to give larger gifts. A $200 donation might seem more feasible over the course of a year. It also allows you to receive revenue throughout the year instead of at the time you do your annual appeal.
What else to include on your donation page
You can include a link to your annual report on your donation page.  This is an easy way for your donor to look at a list of your accomplishments over the past year.  If your annual report doesn’t have a list of donors, you can put one on your website with a link on your donation page. Be sure to give people the option of not being included on your donor list.  For corporate and foundation donors, consider displaying their logos.  
You can also include links to your 990 forms and any Charity Navigator or other outside reviews you might have.
Online giving will continue to be more prevalent. Make sure your organization is keeping up with the times and has a donation page that is welcoming and donor-centered.
Online Donation Resources

Elements of a Fantastic Donation Page 
Fix that fundraising landing page!

11 Donate Now Best Practices for Nonprofits

Online Giving Grows as Fast as Shopping
Helping Donors Help You: How transparent is your website?
10 Tips That Will Increase Online Donations


How You Can Create A Welcoming Website – Part Two – Your Entire Website

Ann Green marketing, website

Photo by mcclouds via flickr

How You Can Create A Welcoming Website – Part One – Your Home Page

How You Can Create A Welcoming Website – Part Three – Your Donation Page

How You Can Create A Welcoming Website – Part Four – Writing For The Web

Last week I wrote about how to create a welcoming and audience-centered home page for your website. Now, I would like to show you how to make the rest of your web pages welcoming.


The key is to create pages that are easy to navigate, easy on the eyes (no clutter), and contain compelling content with a clear message and call to action.

Make sure your website has a consistent look on every page and is consistent with the rest of your communication material (both online and print). For example your logo is always in the same place, you stick to a few colors, and you use the same easy-to-read font.  

Update your content frequently and make sure you don’t have any outdated information on your site. In addition, all your links must work!  Have someone check them on a regular basis. You could lose potential donors or volunteers if they end up on a page with a broken link.

Most likely, you already have a website with some of the sections I will highlight below, so now is a good time to check if your pages are welcoming and audience-centered. This is also a good time to make sure that what you are including is relevant and if there is something important that you are leaving out. Use analytics to figure out how often people are visiting your pages.

All Pages
Include a photo on all your pages. If you can use pictures of the people you serve, that would be the most compelling. Stick to one or two photos per page, so it doesn’t look cluttered.

Put a Donate Now button on all your pages in a way that’s prominent, but not tacky. You should also include a navigation bar, social media icons, a newsletter sign up box, and a search feature on all your pages, so your readers don’t have to go back to the home page.  

About Us
The About Us section may be the next place your visitors travel after coming to your home page, and it may be viewed by people who aren’t familiar with your work, so make it captivating. Include your mission, vision, a brief history, and recent accomplishments. You could include a description of your programs and services in this section or create a separate section for that. Be sure your narrative is compelling, but brief. Show how you are making a difference in the community.

Put a staff and board list in this section (include pictures so your audience can put a face to a name), along with contact information, mailing address, hours of operations, directions, and anything else that would be relevant here.

Donation Page
Your donation page should contain a short call to action that emphasizes how the donation will make a difference. Make sure the page is easy to navigate and the donation form is painless. Include options for mailing in donations and contributing in other ways, such as planned giving or in-kind donations. Show appreciation and include a list of donors on your website. Make sure you get their permission first. For corporate and foundation donors, consider displaying their logos.  I’ll write more about donating online in my next post.

Get Involved
Here is an opportunity to reach out to the community. Write a compelling call to action to interest people in volunteering or contacting their legislators about an issue related to your cause. If you are recruiting volunteers, you are most likely engaging with people who either found you through a web search or responded to a volunteer request (e.g. on Idealist) and may not know you. It’s important to make a good impression. Again, if there is a form to fill out, make sure it’s user-friendly. 

Blog
A blog is another great way to reach out. Choose topics you think your audience will be interested in. Promote your blog posts on Facebook and Twitter and encourage two-way communication.

Events  
If you have an upcoming event, put a link on your home page that will lead to this page. Include a short description that will entice your visitor to attend your event. If they can register or pay online, make that easy. Be sure your event page stays current.

News
In this section, include press coverage about your organization, past issues of your newsletter, and press releases. If you get press coverage, post that on social media to bring people back to your website. You can do the same each time you send out your newsletter. Keep this up-to-date and don’t include newsletters and press releases over a year old.

Photo Gallery
Since you won’t have a lot of room on each page for photos, create a separate photo gallery. Action shots, such as children engaged in an activity, are best. 

Annual Report
Include your most recent annual report, if you have one. Otherwise include a list of recent accomplishments.

These are just a few of the sections you might have on your website.  Just keep remembering that your website needs to be welcoming and audience-centered.

Website Resources
Resources for Improving Your Nonprofit Website

Shape Your Nonprofit Website to Generate the Actions You Need

4 Quick Tips for an Engaging Nonprofit Website

The 5 Elements of Great Nonprofit Web Design






How You Can Create A Welcoming Website – Part One – Your Home Page

Ann Green marketing, website
Photo by VerrdeSamVerdeSam

How You Can Create A Welcoming Website – Part Two – Your Entire Website

How You Can Create A Welcoming Website – Part Three – Your Donation Page

How You Can Create A Welcoming Website – Part Four – Writing For The Web

Even with the advent of social media, websites are still one of the first places people go to in order to get information. That’s why your nonprofit organization needs one that’s welcoming and audience-centered.

What is one of the first things you do before you have people over to your home? You get rid of clutter. Make sure your website’s home page is clutter-free and easy to read (actually,all your pages need to be this way.) Pictures and graphics are great, but go easy with these. You don’t want to overwhelm your visitors. 

That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t include pictures on your home page. Put up a few engaging photos of people that can tell the story of what your organization does. Include your logo and tagline or mission statement, too. You can add more information on your About Us page.

Different people will be visiting your website for different reasons. Some folks will know you well, and others might be visiting for the first time. Either way, your home page needs to be audience-centered with up-to-date information on events and whatever else you want to highlight. In this day of instant information, you can’t have content that’s outdated.

You don’t want to include too much information on your home page, because you have other pages people can visit. What you do include needs to pique your visitor’s interest, so they will want to click on your links to find out more. Think of your home page as an entryway.

Engage your visitor by offering them the opportunity to sign up for your newsletter and follow you on social media. Conversely, when you are communicating via social media, invite people back your website by including links in your tweets and status updates.

Your home page should include a Donate Now button that leads to a user-friendly donation page (I’ll write more about this in a future post). If you are recruiting volunteers, post a captivating message, such as Make a difference today and volunteer at our food bank.

Make sure you have a navigation bar that’s easy to use and good titles, so your audience will want to visit your other web pages. You can also include a search button. And, all your links must work!

Use a white background with black type, a simple easy-to-read font (such as Ariel or Georgia), and short paragraphs (more on writing for the web later). 
The key is to create a welcoming home page, which will entice your visitors to stick around and check out some of your other pages. In part two, I’ll write about how to make the rest of your website welcoming.


Resources for Creating a Great Home Page

8 Things Your Nonprofit Home Page Should Have

Website Before and After: Give2Give Hope

5 Tips for Visually Enticing Nonprofit Websites

General Website Resources 

SEO Keywords for Small Non-Profits

Resources for Improving Your Nonprofit Website

11 Website Design Best Practices for Nonprofits




It’s All About Your Donors

Ann Green donor relations, fundraising


Image by worldlywonderworks via Flickr 


Most nonprofit organizations rely on fundraising for a good portion of their revenue. They spend a lot of time strategizing and working on sending out appeals,and then it kind of stops. 


Of course,these aspects of fundraising are important, but you need to spend just as much time on donor relations, because it’s all about your donors

Thank your donors right away
Every single donor, no matter how much they have given or whether they donated online, gets a thank you letter mailed to them. Thank you letters should be sent out no later than 48 hours after you have received a donation. This shouldn’t be hard to do. Carve out some time each day you get a donation and send out your thank you letters.

Send out a great thank you letter
Spend as much time creating your thank you letters as you do your annual appeal. Make sure your thank you letters are addressed to a person and not Dear Friend. Instead of the usual,Thank you for your donation of $50….., get creative.  Try something like –
                
—You are amazing. Your generous donation of $50 will provide Sarah and her brother Michael with brand new coats this winter. Thank you so much.—

This lets your donors know how much you appreciate them and highlights what your organization is doing with their donation. 

You can also invite donors to sign up for your newsletter, visit your website, or call if they have any questions. Whatever you do, don’t ask for another donation in your thank you letter.

Add a personal handwritten note to the letter, preferably something that pertains to that particular donor. For example, if the donor has given before or attended one of your recent events, you could mention that. 

In addition, make sure all the letters are hand signed. Again, this shouldn’t take your Executive Director too long if you are generating thank you letters on a regular basis, as opposed to letting a huge pile of them accumulate.

If possible, consider sending out handwritten notes, but if you can’t do that, send a great printed letter. Here are some examples.

Donation Thank You Letter Examples
Does Your Organization’s Thank You Letter Suck?
Tips for Better Nonprofit Thank You Letters

Take an extra step and make thank you calls
Making thank you calls to your donors is a great extra step. This is something your board can do.  Here is more information on getting your board to make thank you calls.
How Your Board Can Increase Donations by 39%
Donors really appreciate thank you calls and it’s a good way to engage your board.

Show appreciation all year round
You don’t want your communication with your donors to end after you send out the thank you letter. Communicate often, between once a week and once a month, sending out messages in which you are not asking for money. A newsletter is a great way to do this. Make sure your newsletter is donor-centered and focus on success stories that demonstrate how you are making a difference with your donors’ contributions. For example, I used to work for a mentoring organization and we would feature a different mentor/mentee match each month in our newsletter. 

Another good way to show appreciation to your donors is to hold an open house at your organization. Offer tours so your donors can see the inner workings of your organization. Make your open house informal and fun,and provide food. Have a brief program that might include a video/power point presentation or a few words from a client. If cost is an issue, you could have food donated.

If you can’t have a gathering at your organization, consider asking a restaurant donate space and some food. Either way, highlight your accomplishments and be sure to thank your donors for have all they have done. Even if your donors don’t come to your open house, they will appreciate the invitation.

Remember, it’s all about your donors. If you treat them well, they’ll treat you well the next time you send out your annual appeal.




The 4 Cs of Writing Good Content

Ann Green marketing, writing
The 4 Cs 


You have just finished writing something, maybe it’s a fundraising letter or newsletter article. Before you go any further, ask yourself if you have covered these 4 Cs of writing good content.


Is it Clear?

What your intention? What message are you sending to your readers? Are you asking for a donation, thanking them, or informing them? 

Whatever it is, make sure your message is clear. If you have a call to action, that needs to be clear as well. You want your message to produce results. For example your fundraising letter should generate a donation.

Make sure you use language your readers will understand (no jargon). Just because something is clear to you, doesn’t mean it will be clear to others. Terms such as capacity building are used a lot in the nonprofit world, but may not mean anything to your supporters. 


Is it Concise?
Can you say more with less?  Eliminate any unnecessary adverbs, adjectives, and filler. Get to the point right away. Concise writing doesn’t mean you need to be terse, or that all of your materials have to be one page. Sometimes they will need to be longer, but the same rules apply. Make all your words count.

Is it Conversational?
Write as if you are having a conversation with your readers, and be personable. Most of your communication and fundraising material can be written in the second person – where you refer to your readers as you and your organization as we.  

Avoid using jargon, cliches, multi-syllable words, and the dreaded passive voice. Would you ever use any of these in a conversation? 

You may think you are impressing your readers by using jargon and big words, but you are most likely confusing them or even worse, alienating them. 

Is it Compelling?
Is whatever you are writing going to capture someone’s attention and keep them interested throughout?  Start with a good opening sentence. Leading with a question is often good. Stories are also great. 

Put a human face on your stories and keep statistics to a minimum. You could start a fundraising letter with a story that leads to a call to action.

Of course, your content should always be free of typos and grammatical errors, and keeping these 4 Cs in mind will help ensure good content that will give you the results you want.

The Board’s Role in Fundraising

Ann Green board, fundraising
Photo by 401K via Flickr

I recently wrote a series of posts detailing ways nonprofit organizations can ensure effective and engaged board members. How to Ensure Effective and Engaged Nonprofit Boards I would like to expand on this a little and discuss the board’s role in fundraising.  


Board members should know their fundraising requirements before they join the board. These requirements can include giving a contribution, getting others to donate, and attending fundraising and cultivation events. Whatever requirements you have should be included in your organization’s board agreement, which the member will sign before joining. Board Expectations and Requirements The amount of money you expect the board to raise should also be included in your annual fundraising plan.

Board members should make a donation
Even if you don’t have specific fundraising requirements, board members should give a significant donation, depending on their financial means, to your organization. Board members have chosen to serve on your board because they are passionate about what you do. They should want to donate. As ambassadors of your organization, they need to support you in any way possible, and that includes a financial contribution. Another motivator, grant funders like to see 100% giving by the board.

How much should board members give?
As I mentioned above, it should be a significant contribution. If they have the means, board members should give at the major donor level. Depending on the organization, that could start at $250, $500, or more. One way to make larger donations easier is to have board members give a monthly gift. A $500 donation may be more feasible if it is spread out over a year. Of course, if a board member is unable to contribute at a higher level, they shouldn’t be expected to, but they still need to give something.

Development Committee
If your organization relies on fundraising revenue, you must have a Development (aka Fundraising) Committee. The role of the Development Committee is strategic. They design and implement your fundraising plan, which will be carried out by the whole board and staff.  Here is more information on the role of this important committee. Role of the Nonprofit Board Fundraising Committee

Major donors
Board members who have connections to major donors should be involved in soliciting them. Securing major gifts is not something that can be done overnight and involves research and cultivation. If board members are meeting with prospective funders, they need to be well prepared. That includes being trained in fundraising and knowing how to talk about your organization. Here are some  ways your board members can help identify major donors. How to Get Your Board Members To Help Identify Major Gift Prospects

Annual appeals and events
Not all board members will know potential major donors, but they can solicit annual appeal donations. Encourage them to send a personalized annual appeal to friends and family. They should also encourage friends and family to attend or donate to your fundraising events.

Thanking donors
Donor relations is an important part of the development process. A great way to involve the board is for them to make thank you calls to donors. Donors are impressed by these calls, but nonprofit staff rarely have time to make them. The link below highlights examples of how making donor thank you calls can be successful and how to prime your board to do it. How Your Board Can Increase Donations by 39%

Other ways to get the board involved in fundraising
There are plenty of ways for the board to be involved that don’t include asking for money. They can identify prospective donors. They can also accompany the Executive Director, Development Director, or other board member when meeting with a prospective funder. I mentioned earlier that grant funders like to see 100% giving by the board. They also like to see board involvement. These links include additional ways your board can be involved in fundraising.

Getting the Board involved in fundraising
9 Ways Board Members Can Raise Money Without Fundraising

Your board needs to be involved in raising money for your organization. In whatever ways they are involved, they should know what is expected of them and be well prepared to carry that out.

Here is even more information about boards and fundraising.

Leadership: The Board’s Mythunderstood Role in Fundraising
How Board Members Can Become Effective Fund-Raisers

How to Ensure Effective and Engaged Nonprofit Boards – Part Three – Board Member Orientation and Training

Ann Green board
Photo by Michigan Municipal League via Flickr

How to Ensure Effective and Engaged Nonprofit Boards – Part One – Finding Good Board Members

How to Ensure Effective and Engaged Nonprofit Boards Part Two – Board Member Expectations and Requirements

ORIENTATION
Your next step to ensuring effective and engaged board members is to give your new members an orientation.  If you are bringing on more than one board member,do the orientation for all new members at same time. This can help them feel more engaged right away. Make it congenial and include food. You want your new board members to feel welcome.

The board orientation is conducted by the Board Chair,and a few other select board members,including the Board Treasurer to go over financials. The Executive Director should also be there. If appropriate,involve some senior staff,perhaps the Development Director and Marketing Director. This meeting should take place before the next full board meeting.

Give each new board member a board manual before the orientation and have them look it over before attending. This link contains a list of items to include in your board manual. What goes in the board of directors manual?  Don’t overwhelm people with too much information.  

During the orientation,go over some of the key parts of the manual. New members should be encouraged to ask questions.


Here are some items to cover in the orientation. Of course, you should tailor it as needed.

ByLaws and Other Organizational Documents
You don’t need to go over every bylaw, but make sure members are familiar with them,as well other documents such as the 990 and audit forms.

History and Mission
Briefly go over the history and mission of your organization. Give an overview of what your organization does and talk about key programs and accomplishments.  

Strategic Plan
Summarize the main parts of your strategic plan. Be prepared to answer questions the new members may have.

Expectations and Requirements
Revisit some of the expectations and requirements you discussed with your members prior to joining the board. See Board Member Expectations and Requirements  Now is a good time for them to sign their board agreement, if they haven’t already done so.

Committees

Discuss which committee the board member should join. This is often a requirement. The board manual should include committee job descriptions that will help members decide which committee is right for them.  

Key Messaging

Make sure your orientation material includes key organizational messaging – tag lines, talking points,and elevator pitches. Here is some information in case you don’t have organizational messaging  The 4 Cornerstones of an Engaging Message Platform Board members serve as ambassadors of the organization and often meet with funders and other members of the community. They must use your official organizational messaging.

Consider assigning new board members a mentor (someone who has served on the board for more than a year). The mentor can be available to answer questions the new board member may have. After the new member has served for a year, he or she can mentor an incoming board member. This is another way to help board members feel engaged.

TRAINING
New board members may need training in certain areas.Training is not limited to new board members and should be used on an ongoing basis.

Financial
If your new board members don’t have a financial background,give them a finance training. Board members are responsible for the financial well-being of the organization and need to approve the annual budget. Go over all financial forms and budgets to make sure they understand them. 


Fundraising
Board members are often required to fundraise. If your members are not familiar with fundraising, you will need to give them a training. Make sure the training is done by someone experienced in fundraising. Here are some things to include. How Board Members Can Become Effective Fund-Raisers

Messaging
Consistency in messaging is crucial.You could conduct a training where board members practice their elevator pitches.Create role play situations, such as having them talk to potential donors. Here is a more detailed explanation of an exercise. Powerful Elevator Speech Exercise for Your Board Members This can also be an ongoing training.


Ongoing Training
Periodically use your regular board meetings for training. If your meetings are two hours,conduct business during the first hour and do a training during the second hour. Using a consent agenda can help keep your meeting on time. Here is more information What is a consent agenda or consent calendar? Seek input from your members to see what types of training they would like. Some possibilities include leadership,team building,or perhaps a quick fundraising training before your next annual appeal.

In addition to trainings, keep your board members updated on your organization’s accomplishments. Include a brief report with each board meeting agenda. 

Making sure your board members know their role and what your organization does will make them more effective and engaged.

Here is some additional information about Board Orientation and Training.
Orienting and Training Board Members

Board Orientation

In my next post,I will write about the role of boards in fundraising.

For everything you wanted to know about boards, go to Board Source

How to Ensure Effective and Engaged Nonprofit Boards Part Two – Board Member Expectations and Requirements

Ann Green board
How to Ensure Effective and Engaged Nonprofit Boards – Part One – Finding Good Board Members

How to Ensure Effective and Engaged Nonprofit Boards – Part Three – Board Member Orientation and Training


Now that you have found potential board members, you will need to go over expectations and requirements with them.

First, you need to understand the role of a  board member. A board member provides governance and financial oversight.They do not run the day to day operations of the organization. They are also responsible for hiring and evaluating the Executive Director,approving the budget,and strategic planning. 

Knowing what is expected of board members will help you find effective and engaged individuals, and help candidates determine whether serving on your board is right for them.

If you don’t have a set of expectations and requirements for your board members,you should put one together right away. Here are a few of the standard ones to include.

Time Commitment
Approximately how much time is a board member supposed to commit to your organization?  It’s usually several hours a month. Be reasonable in determining this. Remember that board members are busy professionals who are volunteering their time.

Attendance
Board members should be required to attend a majority of full board meetings and committee meetings. This could mean being available for meetings at least once a month. Board members are also expected to attend organizational events. If you have a gala, they need to attend that. Let them know how many other events they should attend.

Fundraising
Most boards have some sort of fundraising requirement,and I will write a separate post about the role of the board in fundraising. At the very least, board members should make a substantial contribution, based on their income level, to the organization.

Serving on a Committee
Many boards require their members to serve on a committee. Different committees can include governance, finance, development, program, and communications.

Serving on a committee is a great way for a board member to feel more engaged, while providing their expertise and skills to the organization.

You may want to consider having potential board members serve on a committee for a period of time, maybe three to six months, before inviting them to join the board. This way you can determine if the person would make a good board member and the individual can decide whether serving on your board will work for them. You don’t want to bring on a great board member who serves for a few months and then realizes they don’t have the time to commit to your organization.

Term Limits
Many boards elect members to three year terms. Some include an option for an additional three years, and then the person is expected to step off the board. This ensures a fresh board. This is something you will need to determine. Will the person be expected to serve for three years?  At the very least, they should make a commitment of one year.

Once you have determined your expectations and requirements, prepare a board member agreement for both the board member and board chair to sign. Here are some samples you can  use.

Board Member Expectations

Nonprofit Center Board Member Expectation Statement

The following link includes a sample agreement you can download.

Roles and Responsibilities of Nonprofit Boards 

After a board member serves for a year, the board chair should look over the agreement to make sure the member is fulfilling his or her requirements. At the same time, the board member can fill out a self evaluation.  Here is a sample.  Individual Board Member Self-Evaluation

If the board member is not fulfilling his or her requirements,the board chair will need to take action, perhaps starting off by talking to the person about steps for improvement. If nothing changes, the board chair can ask the board member to step down. 

This should be done every year for each board member. Of course, in order for this to work, you need a board chair or other board leadership that is willing to make these annual evaluations.  It will take more time, but will help keep your board effective and engaged.

In part three, I will discuss Board Orientation and Training

For more information about boards, go to Board Source