Trustees & Volunteers

The board of a nonprofit organization is crucial to fundraising success. If the board is not committed to fundraising, the organization cannot reach its fundraising potential. Nearly all fundraising campaigns rely upon a cadre of committed volunteers to solicit gifts and achieve goals.

To be a board member , a trustee, is to take on multiple responsibilities. Governance and oversight of staff are perhaps the two most important. But right up there with them is the responsibility to assure the solvency of the organization and its ongoing ability to fulfill mission.

Without committed volunteers a nonprofit cannot execute a traditional fundraising campaign. Volunteers, like board members, who in reality are volunteers themselves, are proof of the commitment to the organization of a community of interest. By their involvement they vouch for the organization and its fundraising efforts. By their actions as leaders and solicitors in fundraising campaigns, they provide the opportunity for success.

Articles about Trustees & Volunteers

Private Foundations and Board Accountability

I have always believed in placing as little burden as possible on prospective donors whether they be individuals, foundations, corporations, or other grant-making organizations, However, I have in recent years come to recognize the damage that can be done to...

How to Build a Nonprofit Board That Can Raise Money

The biggest fundraising problem facing smaller nonprofit organizations is board makeup. An organization’s board is its top level constituency—its first circle of community. A nonprofit’s community is comprised of concentric circles. Like the rings that ripple outward...

Do Not Ignore Nonprofit Basics

I recently saw a LinkedIn posting searching for a marketing director for a nonprofit with national and international ambitions headquartered in my geographic area. I usually check out such job postings as possible indicators of the direction nonprofits may be moving...

How Board Members Can
Become Effective Fund-Raisers

So, you've been asked to join the board of a non-profit organization, or maybe you're already on the board. In either case, here's some advice. Never sit on the board of a non-profit organization unless you are willing to express your leadership by asking friends,...

In Search of the Elusive Major Giver

What a Major Giver is How to find them What you need to have in place before conducting a Major Gifts Campaign Your organization needs money. Big money. The kind of money you can't raise by going out and asking for donations of $10, $20, $100, or perhaps even $1,000....

How to Recruit Your Volunteer Fund-Raising Team

Volunteers are the lifeblood of a development operation, and trustees are the most important volunteers of all. The trustees approve an organization's budget and they must accept personal responsibility for raising called-for contributed income. They are expected to...

Annual Fund Giving & Getting
Guidelines for Trustees

All of your organization's fund-raising campaigns must have the leadership and the financial support of your Board of Trustees. The most important of those development efforts should be the raising of funds necessary to maintain and enhance your organization's...