Assign duties according to board member strengths

• Published date: 01 November 2020
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.1002/nba.30869
• Date: 01 November 2020

NOVEMBER 2020 NONPROFIT BUSINESS ADVISOR

3

© 2020 Wiley Periodicals LLC • All rights reserved

DOI: 10.1002/nba

crucial role in this area as well, Perry said, as they can

contribute on several fronts. First, they can scan their

networks and connections to identify any peers that

might be good prospects for supporting the organiza-

tion. They can also help with personalized meetings

and introductions to organizational staff and leader-

ship. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, in-person

meetings with potential major donors might not be

appropriate, but board members can just as easily

extend virtual invitations to podcasts, webinars and

other virtual experiences the organization sets up to

introduce potential supporters to the organization

and its mission, Perry said.

• Post-campaign operations. After the campaign

has run its course, Perry said, board members can

help by sending their thank-you cards and person-

alized follow-up letters, emails and even phone calls

to those who gave. Done properly, these activities

should help the charity retain these donors by setting

the stage for them to stay engaged and connected to

the organization throughout the year.

• Personal giving. As the saying goes, board mem-

bers should give “early and often” to the organization

they serve—and that goes for end-of-year fundraising

campaigns as well, Perry said. In fact, one of the

best ways they can urge others to donate to these

campaigns is to do so themselves, demonstrating

their own personal support for the organization and

its mission. ■

For more information

Gail Perry is president of Gail Perry Associates, a fund-

raising and consulting rm serving the nonprot commu-

nity based in Chapel Hill, N.C. Perry is also the author of

the best-selling book, Fired-Up Fundraising: Turn Board

Passion into Action. For more information, visit https://

www.gailperry.com.

2019 data show strong returns for private, community foundations

New data show that private and community foun-

dations recorded strong annual investment returns

for 2019, much better than the year prior when they

saw negative growth in their portfolios.

The data—included in a report from the Council

on Foundations and the Commonfund Institute—

show that private foundations saw an average return

of 17.4% in 2019, up from –3.5% in 2018. Mean-

while, community foundations reported an average

return of 18.2% for 2019, compared to –5.3% in

2018. The growth gures marked the strongest re-

turns of the decade, the report said, and represented

the best returns since 2009.

Broken down by size and asset class, community

foundations with assets under $101 million reported

the highest average return for 2019, at 18.5%.

In comparison, private and community foun-

dations with assets of more than $500 million

reported slightly lower average returns of 16.1%

and 17.6%, respectively. According to the report,

organizations with smaller asset portfolios had

greater exposure to U.S. equities, which outper-

formed in 2019, leading to the higher average

returns.

To read the report in full, visit https://bit.

ly/3iGXprj. ■

Assign duties according to

board member strengths

According to fundraising expert Gail Perry,

not all board members are equipped to directly

solicit potential donors for contributions, but they

can support the organization in its fundraising

activities in other ways. Executive directors should

be sure to enlist board members in ways they are

comfortable with, by sorting them into a handful

of groups based on skill sets. For example:

• Group 1: The communicators. These board

members can help with the personalized letters

and phone calls that come before and after the

direct appeal, letting donors know their support

is appreciated and reminding them of the good

they are doing in the world. It’s a role that is not

as social or visible, but still crucial to the success

of fundraising campaigns.

• Group 2: Public ambassadors. These are the

more social board members who are comfortable

serving as visible public ambassadors for the

organization, meeting with potential major do-

nors and generally being more “out there” with

regard to their relationship and commitment to

the organization.

• Group 3: The socially connected. This group

of board members might be less inclined to be a

public face for the group, but can still leverage

their social networking and connections to drive

engagement with the organization. ■