You've done the board training, now what?

You've done the board training, now what?

After all, it's easy to get excited about fundraising during a board training session. You're surrounded by your peers, you all have a shared love for your organization's mission. The compelling speaker (with the sharp bow tie) has made it all seem easy - and joyful!

But on the other end of the training is the rest of your life. Family, work, obligations. And you've got time between the training and your next board meeting. Can you keep the momentum?

Put it another way: how can organizations make effective fundraising a habit with their boards?

Here are three systems you can put in place that will help the board stay engaged with fundraising:

Start with a mission moment: Kick off each board meeting with a client story, staff testimonial, or moment that connects the board with the larger mission. Give your volunteers a chance to get reconnected with your mission and cause  - and remind them why they joined the board.

Support (don't assume): Your board members aren't staff members. And they certainly aren’t professional fundraisers. So when we ask board members to help fundraising tasks, we need to be sure to give them the support they need to succeed. Support is more than an email with a sponsorship packet attached. It's helping them craft an outreach strategy, or writing up talking points for thank you calls, or whatever it takes!

Celebrate in public: Did a board member bring a guest to a tour? Or help out with thank you calls? Or host an event at their home or office? Then celebrate them at the meeting! Celebrating fundraising wins and activity as part of the meeting will give you a chance to identify and recognize the fundraising support you're looking for while giving the board members a chance to receive some recognition from their peers!

If you want your board members to be fundraising champions, we have to create fundraising habits - and that starts with you and your meeting agendas. Get started today - and see where they can take your mission.

Keep up the great work!

Ready for more? My Align & Accelerate program can help you build a better fundraising program (and unlock ways to engage staff and board members in the process).