Klass Strategies

Description

With full time staff featuring management, service delivery and development talent, trustees can easily get the impression that oversight, let alone participation in, fund raising, is not their job and certainly beyond their capacity. Routine development tasks for trustees may only extend to making an annual gift, signing solicitation letters, opening doors for staff to ask for funds and of course, accepting the monthly financial report and approving the annual budget. Some boards do become very involved in capital campaigns and major giving and many more staff leaders wish their boards would adopt this level of commitment. For too many boards, trustees shy away from concerns and activities concerning financing, leaving these tasks to “the professionals.” How can members of these boards get started in owning the responsibility of insuring adequate funding levels? One starting point is at least an annual conversation, at the annual meeting, strategic planning retreat or other forum, in coming to grips with the strategic considerations of fundraising. Here are some starting questions to consider. Where does funding come from now, in general, what is the revenue source pie chart and why is it in this configuration? What areas of service delivery need to grow in order for the organization to become more valuable to the community it serves? What are the alternative revenue source expansions that could be achieved to support this growth? What would an optimal new revenue pie look like and how long will it take to get there? What are the probabilities, risks and trade-offs associated with staff, board and partners working to achieve this new, differently shaped revenue pie? Even if trustees are new to these sorts of considerations, it is productive to help them develop skill in this sort of top level analysis. For one thing, it helps them to appreciate the challenges and stressors faced by key staff on an ongoing basis. It will also prepare these trustees to take on a more active role and becoming stronger partners with staff in carrying out necessary fund raising activities.

Products & services

Similar companies nearby