The key to reinvigorating your board

A nonprofit’s board of directors is generally expected to manage several different responsibilities, such as oversight, governance, fundraising, and even advocacy. That means board members are integral to a nonprofit’s success – which may turn out for the worst if they’re unmotivated or disinterested in their roles. NYN Media reached out to panelists participating in NYN Media’s Nonprofit BoardCon on Feb. 6 to learn the key to keeping board members engaged and excited.

The first step: informing the board about the nonprofit’s mission. 

“It all starts there,” Lisa Jakobsberg, vice president of development and marketing at Public Health Solutions, told NYN Media. “You can’t talk to your friends or colleagues at work about an organization that you’re on the board for unless you truly understand and also believe in their mission.”

One of the major obligations board members face is donating to the organization but that requirement can be met in a number of different ways. 

“You’re responsible for giving them, let’s say $10,000,” Ron Gold, president of Marketing Works, told NYN Media. “But all of that $10,000 doesn’t have to be cash from your pocket. It can be money that you raise through selling tables to friends and things like that.”

A particularly creative board member can go even further via partnerships with vendors. Denise Rueda, vice president of sales at Briscoe Protective, often partners with nonprofits to offer support through monetary awards to impressive staff members or offering free educational classes when helpful. 

“It’s looking at your vendors as true partners in your fundraising, not just the vendor providing the services,” she told NYN Media.