"The Benevon Golden Rule" by Terry Axelrod

Above all, treat your board members as if they will become your most cherished major donors. That sounds simple, but when you scan through the list of your board members one by one—if you tell the truth—there may be a few members who you've already written off in your mind, either because they are annoying or troublesome to you in some way, or because you have predetermined that they do not have the capacity to become a major donor. That is a violation of the Golden Rule.

Think about your list of major donors, at whatever dollar level you define as "major." Think of all the special things you do or try to do for those donors—special events, letters, calls, and meetings. Think about the respect and humility you bring to each interaction, regardless of that donor's quirky personality. You have a great deal of tolerance for your donors, knowing their capacity to give.

Why, then, do groups discriminate when it comes to their board members? These are people who are giving their own time to do something you invited them to do: to serve on your board. That is a great gift unto itself.

Furthermore, the statistics show that 90% of people who volunteer in the United States also give money. That doesn't mean they necessarily give money to the same organizations where they volunteer. It just means that "volunteering" people are also "giving" types of people.

And here, in your board members, you have the most dedicated volunteers. Why not assume they will become your most passionate major donors? Even if they do not have the capacity to give a large gift now, odds are they will be making charitable gifts either now or at the end of their lives to one or more organizations.

Where else would they rather give that money than to an organization that has treated them well throughout the years—an organization whose work they know and love and perhaps has benefited them or their families personally?

What systems do you have for cultivating and engaging your major donors? You have a plan for talking to them several times a year, personally and face-to-face. You invite them to selected mission-focused Free Feel-Good Cultivation Events^™ each year. You consciously continue to deepen your relationship with them, finding out at every opportunity how else they might like to become involved, what more they need from the organization, and who else they might want to introduce.

These are the same sorts of systems you will want to put in place for your board members!

Comments

[Jason]

I work for a non-profit and many of our board members are our major donors. I think that it is important as you are setting up your board that you make sure they are willing to participate in fund development in some way.