Spring is a busy time in the nonprofit world. So many organizations host galas, golf tournaments, run/walks and other fundraising events. But before you become consumed by centerpieces and table assignments, consider this: How are you engaging your board? As you quickly approach the end of your fiscal year or prepare for annual meetings,… Read more »
Posts Categorized: Boards of Directors
How—and why—your board should self-evaluate
In my previous article “Five Steps to a Creating a High-Performing Board,” I offered this road map to ensuring your board knew what was expected of them and coaching them toward greater effectiveness: ?1. Ensure the nominating committee is considering your nonprofit’s unique needs at this point in its organizational development 2. Talk through responsibilities—including… Read more »
5 steps to create a high-performing board
Is your nonprofit’s board of directors living up to expectations? Do they even know what is expected of them? In our work with nonprofits, we’ve sometimes found that when staff and board leadership are disappointed in their board’s performance, it’s often because they have not made their expectations clear—particularly in fundraising. Therefore, to build a successful… Read more »
Wealth advisors on your board? Help them help you.
After two recent conversations with wealth advisors, who were also nonprofit board members and were wrestling with whether they should discuss their own philanthropic priorities with their clients, I began to give this topic some thought. These individuals understood that, as board members, they were expected to be connectors, but they were trying to balance… Read more »
Examining Your Board: Notes from the AFP International Conference
At this year’s Association of Fundraising Professionals International Conference in San Antonio, I participated in two sessions on board leadership and how to create a dynamic, purposeful group of volunteers. Kay Sprinkel Grace, spoke passionately about the need to create an environment where there is permission to innovate. Board members and staff should be encouraged to… Read more »
Tips to Help Your Board Raise Major Gifts – As Published in The Major Gifts Report
As a nonprofit staff member, how can you help create a board of directors who are both willing and able to do their part in raising major gifts for your organization? Nonprofit consultant Keith Curtis, whose company The Curtis Group provides board development training, among other consulting services, says the process starts with board recruitment and continues… Read more »
Board Service: How Many Is Too Many?
Last week I led a class for the Board Development Academy hosted by the Center for Nonprofit Excellence in Charlottesville, VA. The Board Development Academy is for engaged community leaders, people either early on in their board careers or those who have never been on a board, who want to learn how to effectively serve… Read more »
The Curtis Group Presents Fifth Successful Webinar: The Role of the Board in Fundraising
On February 20, we offered a free webinar on “The Role of the Board in Fundraising.” This timely subject proved to be one of our most popular webinars yet with nearly 100 nonprofit staff and board members tuning in. Our extensive work with nonprofits over the past 24 years has provided us the opportunity to… Read more »
Highlights from “Donor and Board Member Engagement” Webinar Hosted by Bloomerang
Bloomerang, a company specializing in donor databases, hosted a webinar recently titled “Everything You Need to Know about Donor and Board Member Engagement.” We are cautious of programs that boast these superlatives—”Everything”, really? But we knew the hosts were authorities in their field and signed up to participate. While Jay Love, CEO of Bloomerang, and Bryan… Read more »
Board Members as Askers, Ambassadors and Advocates
In our 24-year history, The Curtis Group has spent significant time advising on how nonprofit management can work most successfully with their boards. We hear it a lot: one of the biggest challenges nonprofit executives face is getting their volunteer leadership to help raise money and a common complaint from board members is they aren’t… Read more »
