Does your Board disappoint you? Would it be a miracle for your nonprofit to have a Board full of movers and shakers who are constantly drumming up support for your mission? Are you tired of having to chase Board members down to find out if they’re planning to attend an event or a meeting? Do you wish your nonprofit Board would just pull their weight? Unfortunately, these are very common issues facing small nonprofit organizations! And if you’re planning to raise BIG money this year, it’s time for a change. Even if your nonprofit is doing amazing work and changing lives, you’re probably still struggling to keep your Board engaged. I know. I’ve been there. Every day, I coach people with these and many other nonprofit Board issues, like: Lack of attendance at meetings Avoidance of anything that remotely looks like fundraising Micromanagement Apathy or unproductive conflict It’s frustrating for you, I know. But here’s the thing - it’s not fun for your Board members either! I remember being on a nonprofit Board that was incredibly disorganized. Even though I agreed to serve because I cared about the nonprofit, I soon became frustrated with the experience. Every time I saw a Board meeting on my calendar, my heart would sink. I dreaded going because the meetings weren’t fun or productive. The empty chairs of Board members who repeatedly fail to show up for your meetings PROVE that they would rather be somewhere (anywhere) else!!! I believe that the core problem lies in recruitment and orientation. When you get the wrong people on your nonprofit Board, it doesn’t matter what comes next, it’s not going to work out well. And if you happen to get the right people on your Board, but you don’t give them clear expectations, you’re going to have equally dismal results. But it doesn’t stop there. Once you get the right people on your Board, you have to get them oriented so they understand what’s going on and how they can plug in. Otherwise, they’re just a by-stander, watching and not participating. The answer is actually fairly simple. It’s how you think about and treat your Board members. When you honor their commitment to your organization, and treat them as valued donors, you’ll get what you expect from them. It just takes a few key tactics to build a solid, successful Board. “Sandy’s so-very-positive style and gracious approach turned a disgruntled and reluctant group into an enthusiastic crowd of fundraising converts. All who attended her sessions said it was the best training they had ever received in the whole of their professional careers. What Sandy does in training is take people where they are and lead them to a much higher level. Our now-productive fundraisers are raising more money than we originally thought possible, and we owe it to the inspirational and motivational training they received.” ~Doug Kingsriter, former Vice President of Development, Be the Match