Help board members become ‘ambassadors’ to maximize their fundraising impact

• Date: 01 September 2015
• Published date: 01 September 2015
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.1002/nba.30102

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Philanthropy CONNECT Conference; Philanthropy

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Foundations: Beware common myths, misperceptions

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Donor Relations: Expert: Retain donors through proper

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Volunteers: UN report shows volunteers key to

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Companies, foundations partner on youth employment

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Resources: Webinar explores secrets of winning

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Employment Law: Legal cases that impact nonprots ... 10

News: Briefs from around the sector............................12

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(See AMBASSADORS on page 2)

GAO nds aws with selection

process for nonprot audits

A new report from the Government Account-

ability Ofce found that poor oversight in the IRS’s

Exempt Organizations Division could increase the

risk that certain tax-exempt groups are targeted for

nancial audits.

According to the report, the EO Division uses

various “controls” intended to help it select ex-

empt organizations for examination. Namely, the

division maintains well-documented procedures

for several examination selection processes in the

Internal Revenue Manual, the IRS’s ofcial source

of instructions to staff.

However, there are several areas where the EO

unit’s controls were not well-designed or imple-

mented, the GAO found.

To address these issues, the GAO recommended

a series of changes at the EO Division, such as:

• Ensuring that all selection procedures are

included in the Internal Revenue Manual and thus

subject to executive management approval.

• Developing additional examination selection

monitoring procedures.

• Implementing a system to ensure that political

activity, high-prole and church referrals are not

always reviewed by the same classier.

To read the GAO report in full, go to http://www

.gao.gov/assets/680/671577.pdf. ■

Help board members become ‘ambassadors’

to maximize their fundraising impact

the charity. For these board members, giving their

cash and time is what they signed up for—but if

nonprots can help them tap into their deeper re-

serves and reach beyond their comfort zones, they

can generate much more substantial returns for

the organization.

According to Roger Sametz, president of Sametz

Blackstone Associates, board members should be

For the typical nonprot organization, having an

engaged board of directors that generates fundrais-

ing revenue and helps to mobilize volunteers and

spur event participation is critical to success. And,

in most cases, board members are more than willing

to help in these areas—contributing their time and

resources personally, and helping the organization

reach new audiences by accessing their networks

of friends and business associates.

Unfortunately, however, some board members

are not so eager to go this extra mile—acting as

what industry experts call “brand ambassadors”

that spread the word and advocate on behalf of

Vol. 312 September 2015