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Volume
7, Issue 4 - July 2005 |
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"I
love your newsletter! It's refreshing, fun
and filled with helpful hints"
Toni Paglia,
Director of Development, The ARC
Syracuse, New York |
|
SHAPE UP YOUR BOARD
of DIRECTORS |
No, I am not going to discuss calisthenics for your Board ... but
perhaps the issues surrounding fiduciary responsibilities are just as strenuous!
Federal and State oversight of nonprofits and their Boards is probably a
reality for the future. In fact, certain portions of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act
apply to nonprofits already, according to BoardSource and the Independent
Sector. These include the requirement for a written whistle-blower policy
and a document destruction and retention policy.
Source: www.BoardSource.org.
www.independentsector.org.
It is simply no longer appropriate for people to join your Board and rely
on the “I’m just a volunteer doing good deeds” mentality. Board members
should consider carefully the legal responsibilities of serving on your
Board. And your organization must take care to provide current and potential
Board members with the information and training they need to serve
appropriately.
The following is excerpted and condensed from a great resource: Right
from the Start: Responsibilities of Directors and Officers of Not-for-Profit
Corporations, published by the New York Attorney General. To see the
entire resource, go to
www.oag.state.ny.us/charities/charities.html
Prospective
Board members should:
- Review the Articles of Incorporation, Bylaws and minutes;
- Get a list of current Board members and understand what is expected
of Board members;
- Review the recent 990s and financial statements; Assess whether
reports have been filed in a timely manner;
- Understand internal controls and policies;
- Review recent audits and management letters; Ensure conflict of
interest and code of ethics policies are in place;
- Understand Board and Committee operating structure;
- Ensure Director & Officer liability insurance and employee fidelity
insurance are in place;
- Review current budget and cash flow projections… to name a few.
Board members should understand the Duty of
Care. This requires a director to be familiar with the
organization’s finances and activities and to participate regularly in its
governance. Directors must act in “good faith.” They must:
- Attend all Board and committee meetings and participate actively in
decision-making, coming prepared to act;
- Participate in strategic planning;
- Ensure adequate internal financial controls and policies;
- Participate in the periodic review of the CEO/Executive Director,
and more.
Board members should understand the Duty of
Loyalty. This Duty deals strictly with issues involving
conflict of interest issues and how to identify and deal with them.
Board members should also understand the Duty
of Obedience. Board members must ensure that the organization
complies with applicable laws and regulations and its internal governance
policies, including:
- Dedicating the organization’s resources to the mission;
- Ensuring the organization does not carry out unauthorized
activities;
- Complying with all appropriate laws, filing required reports, paying
all taxes;
- Providing copies of appropriate financial reports and documents to
members of the public who request them.
Back to Table of
Contents
If you have all the resources you need to operate the way you
really want to, then skip this article. If not, here are some ideas that may
stretch your current dollars a little farther.
Space. Consider sharing space with another nonprofit and
network with commercial realtors to discover unused or excess office space owned
by businesses.
Equipment. Search the Internet rather than buying at
retail stores. Get savvy on EBay. Connect with large businesses when they
upgrade computers, copiers, phones, furnishings.
Personnel. Share “back office” personnel with another
agency. Contact S.C.O.R.E., R.S.V.P, and City Office of Senior Affairs. Recruit
through VISTA and AmeriCorps. Recruit loaned staff from businesses or
corporations.
DataBase.
Unless your needs are Really Big, don’t invest in expensive data management
software that requires training and upgrading. Search the Internet for
reasonably priced, user-friendly software. Ask other nonprofits what they use
and for referrals.
Volunteers. Service clubs such as Civitan, Kiwanis,
Rotary, women’s and men’s groups. Get your information to corporate volunteer
directors. Recruit from special interest groups that match your mission. Office
of Senior Affairs. High school groups such as DECA, Key Clubs, Junior Civitans,
and campus sororities and fraternities.
Marketing and Promotion. Piggyback on local or national
events and celebrations that match your mission. Piggyback on grand openings.
Radio PSAs are free. Make up 10, 20 and 30 second spots. Get to know the
newspaper events and business writers. Consider sponsored advertising (but be
aware of potential tax issues).
Fundraising and Resource Development. Collaborate with
other agencies. Share mailing lists (it won’t decrease your donors, I promise).
Hold a nonevent or a virtual event instead of a big expensive event.
Use Electronic Communications! See
below.
Back to Table of
Contents
Watch your email for the
schedule and set up for live online seminars beginning this fall!
If you can’t afford to travel or bring me to your site,
then this is the best deal you can imagine!
Seminars will last one hour. All you
need is a computer with speakers.
Special
Introductory cost is $125 per site per session for as many people as
you can manage in your space.
Track I
Fast Fundraising Facts for Fame & Fortune ©
Session 1: Fast
Fundraising Facts Overview; Marketing principles applied to fundraising, getting
to what donors and funders want.
Session 2: Jean’s 10 Rules
for Fundraising Success, Rules 1 - 5.
Session 3: Jean’s 10 Rules
for Fundraising Success, Rules 6 - 10.
Session 4: What Board
Members Can Do to Fundraise.
Session 5: Fundraising
Ideas that Cost Little and Work Big.
Track II
The ABCs of Building Better Boards ©
Best Practices of Best Boards
Session 1: Recruitment
Essentials - the nominating committee that works; job descriptions, etc.
Session 2: Managing the
Effective Board - planning; administrative issues, committees, etc.
Session 3: The Board’s
Role in Fundraising.
Session 4: The Invisible
Yellow Line - Board and Staff Roles and Responsibilities.
Session 5: Governance
Issues and Board Performance Evaluation.
Back to Table of
Contents
The
following sites are great resources for nonprofit governance and Board-related
issues.
Alliance for NonProfit Governance.
www.angonline.org.
Alliance for Nonprofit Management.
www.allianceonline.org.
American Institute of Certified Public Accountants is a good resource for
accounting standards and procedures.
www.aicpa.org.
The Internal Revenue Service has all its applicable forms, instructions and
brochures at www.irs.gov.
National Association of State Charity Officials, an organization of state
charitable agencies that regulate nonprofits and their fundraisers.
www.nasconet.org.
And don’t forget BoardSource, Inc.
www.boardsource.org, Council on Foundations at www.cof.org, Foundation Center at www.fdncenter.org, GuideStar at www.guidestar.org,
and Independent Sector at
www.independentsector.org.
If you find a broken link on
the site, please send me an email () and let me know. Thanks!
Back to Table of
Contents
Now you can add two great books to your agency library.
The ABCs of Building Better Boards is just what you need to
improve your Board’s potential. It includes ideas for recruitment, retention and
recognition and has some great forms for you to copy and use.
The Association of Fundraising Professionals says of this book:
“Here is a book that every senior fundraiser
responsible for board recruitment and development should read once and then
review annually...takes up where books full of theory fall short...give it a
chance and you will discover a gem to be treasured.”
Learn how to deal with unproductive Board members and how to better define the
roles of staff and Board. There is a chapter on financial and fiduciary facts,
one on simple parliamentary procedure and much much more.
Discover how Board Job Descriptions and annual Commitment Letters will
dramatically improve your Board’s effectiveness. See how a truly effective
Nominating Committee will lead to a better Board.
Get good ideas for more efficient Board management and administration, including
how to set up and manage effective committees.
It’s only $24.95 plus shipping and handling. Take advantage of a volume
discount of up to 20% and give this book to all new Board members as part of
their orientation.
The 3rd Edition of
Fast Fundraising Facts for Fame & Fortune
is full of ideas to improve your fundraising, including how to ask effectively,
special events essentials and new ideas for fundraising.
Help volunteers get over the fear of asking for money and in-kind resources for
your organization. Learn how marketing principles will make fundraising easier.
Learn about Jean’s Ten Rules for Fundraising Success
and apply them to your organization immediately. This book puts the
FUN into
FUNDraising and gives good examples and ideas that really work, rather than
using hard to follow formulas and theories.
It’s only $24.95 plus shipping and handling. Take advantage of a volume
discount of up to 20% and give this book to all new Board members as part of
their orientation.
Or buy both books for only $45.00 plus shipping and handling. Order
your copies today!
Order Now So You Don't Forget
Go to the Order Form to order your copies of
The ABCs of Building Better Boards
and
Fast Fundraising Facts For Fame & Fortune ©
|
Back to Table of
Contents
In a perfect world, teachers would earn more than professional
athletes, things that are obvious to us would also be obvious to others, and
non-profits would always have enough money to do the marketing we all know they
need to do.
Well, the first two are a little beyond my control, but I might
be able to help with the third. If you’ve been reading my newsletter for the
past few years, you know that my webmaster and I opened a web site a few years
ago called nonevents.com (see below).
As we’ve been working at promoting and growing nonevents.com, an
interesting thing has happened - a bunch of people like you have asked us (well,
they’ve actually asked Shelly Liebman) to send email notices and newsletters to
their contact lists. It’s not exactly a nonevent, but it is very close.
So, a new service has been born called NPOMAIL.COM
(believe it or not, npomail.org was already taken).
You can use
NPOMAIL.COM as you need it to get a message to your electronic mailing list.
We’ll take your list in just about any reasonable format (text delimited, MS
Excel spreadsheet, MS Access database, MS Outlook address book) and then send
your text or HTML message to the list for a VERY reasonable price. It’s not
free, but it costs much less than printing, stuffing, labeling and mailing. And,
best of all, you don’t need a room full of volunteers to get it done.
You also don’t have to worry about whether or not your Internet
Service Provider has restrictions on how much mail you can send, as we’ll give
you a mailbox at npomail.com and the message will come from there. All “bounces”
will be returned to you so you can update your database.
How affordable is it? The minimum charge is only $100 and
that includes up to 1000 names. The next 1000 is $.07/name, the next 1000 is
$.04/name, then it’s only $.01/name after that. That’s only $230 for 5000
emails. Try sending printed mail at that price.
Call Shelly Liebman at 505-332-1281 or send an email to
to get started.
Back to Table of
Contents
Everyone who has ever organized a fundraising event raise your
hand. OK, you can put them down now.
Do you wish there was an easier way? Holding a “nonevent”
could be it. With a nonevent, you ask people to support your fundraising
efforts WITHOUT actually attending a function. Your “attendees” don’t have
to arrange for a baby sitter, worry about food allergies, or think about how
to get their oversized auction items home in their undersized sports cars.
You don’t need to worry about setting up the room, checking
people in and out, or hoping they'll mind their manners during the program.
And, you don’t have to give a food or beverage guarantee.
Does it sound good so far? It should.
With a nonevent, you can raise money on a tight budget.
We’ll help you design your online invitation, email it to your electronic
database, and give you a way to accept secure donations through your
nonevent web page. All at a fraction of the cost of putting on a traditional
fundraising event.
The cost begins at only $600 ($500 for design and $100 for the
first 1000 names in your database). Even if you have 30,000 names on your
electronic mailing list, the cost is under $1000.
Browse on over to
www.nonevents.com for more information or send an email to
or .
Back to Table of
Contents
HOW CAN I HELP YOU?
TAKE THIS QUICKIE QUIZ
|
Please give me a call if you want to turn any NO into a YES. I can help
with:
- turning your Board into a dynamic group of volunteers,
- facilitating a strategic planning session,
- analyzing your current fundraising and suggesting some new ideas, and
- training volunteers and staff in becoming more effective fundraisers.
Back to Table of
Contents
Here is what people have said about my training and facilitation:
“You certainly shifted my paradigm. After hearing you last
Friday, it is the first time in 11 years as an ED that I was excited abut
fund development. And you got my Board members to that point as well. “
Kay
Hopper
RDC for Children, Richardson, TX
“Your seminar in Dallas was the best I ever attended. You
are wise and hilarious.”
Mary Jo Dorn
Catholic Charities of Dallas
"Jean conducted an extremely well
organized and productive [Board] retreat, one that I can
say with confidence that our members count as the finest
ever conducted for us. Jean's follow-up report was
in-depth and meaty, and both Board and staff have
referred to it time and again. The knowledge of
boardsmanship the members took with them has made a
remarkable difference in their levels of commitment and
support."
Eileen Cook, Executive Director
Casa Esperanza
"Jean Block is a powerhouse in the
Non-Profit world. You don't move about these circles long before her name is
prominent in the conversation. Her commitment to training, fundraising,
motivating, and cultivation is unsurpassed. To say she is an influence is
to miss the point. She gives new meaning to the word enthusiasm! You don't
know Jean, you experience her! She is a force unlike any other I have every
met."
Randy Gleason
Randy
Gleason Consulting, Inc.
“Your training was invaluable to me. I dreaded doing this
because I couldn’t even sell someone a candy bar in the past but I was
inspired by your advice to try. I raised about $377,000!
Joan Shepack
Keystone Botanical Garden, El Paso,
TX
"I attended the Corporate Sponsorship Workshop - WOW! You
were amazing! What an OPPORTUNITY for me!
Your presentation style was EXCELLENT. By far the best
workshop I've been to in a long time (content and style both!)."
Vicki
Kopplin
Epilepsy
Foundation of Minnesota
"As a senior-level development officer, I have a hard time
finding useful workshops. Jean's programs should be required for even us old
CFREs."
Trisha Dunbar
Visiting Nurse Association,
Dallas, TX
Jean Block
Consulting, Inc.
7915 Cliff Road NW
Albuquerque NM 87120
(505) 899-1520
Fax (505) 890-5285
Email:
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Contents
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"I
love your newsletter! It's refreshing, fun
and filled with helpful hints"
Toni Paglia,
Director of Development, The ARCRC
Syracuse, New York |
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