​by Molly Galo, Senior Consultant

As Advancement professionals, we rely on our board members to fulfill many roles…advisor, counselor,  fundraiser, donor, advocate. Do we take the time, regularly, to ensure they have the tools they need to fulfill these roles? Sometimes, we take for granted that our board members know all they need to know about our organization, and we assume they are focused on our mission. But, in order to ensure our board members are both engaged and fulfilled, we must work to keep them connected. An important, yet simple, way to strengthen this connection is to incorporate "mission moments”  into every board meeting. Minimally, every meeting agenda should have the organization’s mission printed on it. This requirement may seem trivial, but I’ve been surprised by the number of board members who cannot  articulate the mission of the organization. Beyond this practical suggestion, there are a plethora of ways to include a mission moment in every meeting. Here are a few suggestions:

•  Invite someone who has benefited from your services to share their impact story with the board;
• Invite a non-advancement staff member to talk about their role with the organization…what they’re working on, who they’re touching, and how the board support helps make the work possible;
• Begin with a “silent start,” by simply asking board members to take a few moments to clear their minds, and quietly reflect on their reasons for being involved with your organization.

As a complement to these mission moments, a creative board chair I know  introduced what she calls “moments for mission” into regular meetings.   Her strategy engages board members actively.  A week or two prior to each meeting, she asks an individual board member to prepare to lead the moment for mission…by sharing a personal story about why they support the organization, by sharing a fundraising strategy they’ve used successfully, by reporting on a conversation they had with someone in the community about the organization’s work.  Her board has gotten so excited that even the quietest, least active board members have become energized.  One board member spoke about how these moments inspired her to reach out to her employer’s Community Affairs team, to discuss the employer supporting the organization on a bigger scale.  Another board member shared his family’s decision to make monetary gifts to the organization rather than giving each other birthday and holiday gifts.

You know your organization, and your board members, best.  Be creative when engaging in mission moments …there’s no limit to what you can achieve!

Have a mission moment to share?  We’d love to hear your stories.  Please post your mission moments as a comment to this blog.

​Laurus Strategies brings our expertise to you with two complimentary workshops for nonprofit organizations.
​
Chicago, Illinois Nonprofit Fundraising Workshop – February 27, 2014

​The Cycle of Fundraising – Part I – Identifying, Educating and Cultivating  in Advance of the Ask

Laurus Strategies presents the first in a three-part nonprofit workshop series focused on the Cycle of Fundraising.  Our first session will focus on identifying, educating and cultivating prospects in advance of the ask.  Partner Mike Bruni along with the team of Laurus Strategies consultants will provide an interactive workshop experience that will provide attendees with new techniques that will aid organizations grow their prospect pool and lead to improved fundraising results.
Register now for this complimentary  Chicago workshop!

Milwaukee and Southern Wisconsin Nonprofit Fundraising Workshop – March 12, 2014
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Get on the Bus: The Keys to Success in the Current Financial Environment
Do you and your team struggle to understand the current financial landscape?  Do you wonder how you should proceed in these difficult economic times? You’re invited to our nonprofit fundraising workshop. The Laurus Strategies team will share techniques that will enable nonprofit organizations to navigate the current financial environment successfully.  Mike Bruni, Partner, and George Rattin, Senior Consultant, will lead the workshop

​Register now for this complimentary Milwaukee workshop!

I will go on record explaining that I am not a psychologist.  However, I came across the work of Abraham Maslow again recently and it got me thinking about people’s desire and motivation to be philanthropic. In 1943, Maslow developed a theory of the Hierarchy of Needs. The hierarchy is sequential in nature. These needs build upon one another and move from basic to increasingly higher-level needs. Humans focus on basic needs (called Psychological by Maslow) food, water, rest, etc. as their primary needs.  It is only when those needs are met that we move to the next level within the hierarchy, safety.  At this level, thoughts turn to security, health, employment etc.. Once the needs at these two levels are met, you move to the next and so on.

 I had studied the work of Maslow and others back in my college days as part of my education training, but now I began thinking of how the Hierarchy of Needs might affect a person’s philanthropy. If we were to use Maslow’s hierarchy as a tool, we could not effectively reach people in the first two levels of giving with a fundraising appeal.  Their focus is still on basic fundamental needs. Ideally, we would target those at the top two tiers of the pyramid. However, this is the smallest group and many never make it to the highest level of development. So how might a nonprofit use this hierarchy to help improve their advancement program? A nonprofit should take a multi-pronged approach to donor-base building.  Identifying the Esteem and the Self-actualized donors is important.  These will be those donors with a strong motivation behind their donations.  Beyond identifying this group, work with your donors to fulfill some of the critical needs necessary to move up the hierarchy. I believe people innately strive for improvement beyond basic needs. Maslow called this motivation “Metamotivation.” We can foster this metamotivation within our donor base by engaging them at various need levels. For example, we can help build at the love/belonging level by creating a true community at our institutions which engage, involve, communicate and appreciate.  We can supply the love and family atmosphere that they desire. Beyond that we can treat our donors with respect and show them how their involvement can mirror their need to respect others.  By connecting with the donors needs, we can supply them with their needs, that will help them move up the hierarchy which in turn will put them in a better position to hear and respond to our nonprofit’s needs.