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As nonprofits face economic turbulence — including losses in federal funding, rising costs, and the possibility of a global recession — nonprofit boards play an increasingly essential role.
Not only do they help with strategy, they also can be powerful donors and fundraisers. But nonprofit leaders say they rarely get the support they need from their boards. In a Chronicle survey of over 350 executives, we found that fewer than a quarter described their board members as enthusiastic fundraisers.
Two leaders, Kathleen St. Louis Caliento and Nick Grono, join Chronicle CEO Stacy Palmer to explain how they have overcome that challenge and engaged their board in financial efforts.
St. Louis Caliento runs the Cara Collective, a Chicago nonprofit that works with low-income people to help them find jobs. Grono heads the Freedom Fund, an organization that pools funds from donors who want to fight modern-day slavery. He’s the author of How to Lead Nonprofits: Turning Purpose Into Impact to Change the World, a book published last year.
Both leaders not only work with their own boards, but they have gained perspective on great governance by serving on the boards of other nonprofits. And they have another thing in common: Their organizations received grants from MacKenzie Scott. Freedom Fund received $35 million, while Cara Collective got $8 million in unrestricted funds.
Among the suggestions Grono and St. Louis Caliento discuss:
Ask board members for access to their networks. Securing key meetings is often the hardest step in fundraising; board members can make introductions that get these meetings on the calendar. Grono’s team identified the potential donors each of their board members knew, then met with each trustee to seek introductions.
Tap the board’s resources beyond donations. St. Louis Caliento relies on her board to advocate for her organization and help with strategy. And a board member who was a partner at McKinsey and Company helped provide training for her entire leadership team, something the organization otherwise would not have been able to afford.
Help the board understand the nonprofit’s work and impact. At every board meeting, St. Louis Caliento starts with a “mission moment.” Sometimes it’s a video featuring a program the nonprofit runs and demonstrating how the nonprofit’s work is changing lives. And at her organization’s retreat, she asks board members to play the roles of staff members and clients, so they can see up close what the work is all about — and why it is often challenging.
Do an annual check-in. St. Louis Caliento holds a one-on-one meeting with each board member annually to learn more about what they want to accomplish through their involvement with the organization and to reinforce all the things the board member did that made a difference in the past year. She says she wants to be sure she is helping her board grow both personally and professionally through their service.
Most important, says Grono: Get everyone focused on the mission of the organization, not on personalities, and keep the board chair and other members updated regularly. “Make sure there are no surprises,” he says.
To read about Grono’s perspective on leadership, and his views on what foundations can do to ease the strain on CEOs, see this essay he wrote for the Chronicle.
And for more leadership insights, turn to our special report: Leadership at the Crossroads.
Nonprofits Now: Leading Today is produced by Emily Haynes and Reasonable Volume, with editorial direction from Margie Fleming Glennon and support from Kyle Johnson.
