Ways Your Board Member Can Support Your Monthly Giving Program
Are you struggling with your board when it comes to engaging them and getting things done? Do you feel like you aren’t guiding them in the ways that they can be more supportive? Does it feel like you’re constantly having to ask them to do more and give more time?
Board management is hard. Managing all the personalities is hard. Setting expectations and sticking to them is hard. Understanding what they’re best at and what activities their personality is best suited for is a critical part of the process.
When it comes to a monthly giving program, there are many ways that you can utilize your board to help your fundraising efforts whether they’re comfortable with asking for money or not! Here are a few ideas to get you started.
Have Them Reach Out to Their Friends and Family
The beauty of a monthly giving program is that the ask is much smaller. They don’t have to ask for big gifts or sponsorships. Instead they can share their passion and inspiration for joining your board and ask for $5 or $10 monthly gifts. It’s a great way to enter into asking people for contributions that doesn’t feel so big!
Make it even easier by crafting sample emails, social media posts, graphics, etc that they can share.
Set goals for each board member that equate to either numbers of monthly donors, monthly dollar amounts or both! Come up with a game or a bonus for those that hit certain metrics. Have quarterly awards for a variety of categories to keep people engaged and motivated.
Have Board Members Thank Donors
Hopefully a personal thank you (phone call or handwritten card) is part of your welcome sequence when a new monthly donor signs up. We recommend the initial call be from someone on your developement team or your executive director.
There are lots of other times that you can reach out to monthly donors and say thank you. This is a great opportunity to involve board members:
✅ donor-versary.
✅ their birthday.
✅ milestones that relate to your organization like pet adoption date or graduation.
✅ when they reach a cumulative dollar amount.
Provide them with a script and a list and have them make calls. This not only sets up your board members to be the hero and give great information about donor impact and say thank you, it also allows your board members to hear great stories from donors about why they are involved.
Interview Donors About Features and Benefits
Monthly giving campaigns often include additional value like a special newsletter, virtual meet & greets, etc. When it comes to the options you provide the best place to understand what your donors want is to have conversations with them. This can be tedious.
Give your board members a list of questions and have them reach out and talk with your monthly donors. They can survey them on the benefits they like and how they think your nonprofit is doing for the community.
Help you Identify Donors to Reach Out To
One of the powers of a monthly donor program is that you have a goup of donors for your organization that are your biggest fans. Bring that list to your board meetings and have your board members review it. They can help you identify people that might be great to start chatting with regarding larger gifts.
Ask Them to Become Monthly Donors
It’s easier for your board members to ask others to become monthly donors if they are one themselves. If you have a give or get as a board requirement this is a great place to start. Plus, it’s a great way to jumpstart your monthly giving program and reach your goals.
Because the gift can be smaller it is a great way to encourage all board members to participate at a level that feels comfortable to them.
Conclusion
A monthly giving program is a great way to engage with your board on all levels. You can encourage them to use the skills they’re most comfortable with and make an impact!