Could Better Communication Help Nonprofit Leadership Increase Board Member Engagement?

Jacquelyn Kasuya writing in the current issue of the Chronicle of Philanthropy passes on what could be viewed as three tips for nonprofit leaders.  Tips are needed in the areas of increasing board engagement levels and nonprofit leadership is all ears.  In our recently released report on the resiliency and sustainability of 50 nonprofits here in Middle Tennessee, most nonprofits were struggling with low levels of board engagement and leaders were eager to move the dial towards greater involvement.

Boards play a key role in navigating through difficult economic waters whether it is in contingency planning to address declining dollars or critical fundraising to fund operational costs in the face of increasing demand for services.  Fundraising and increasing revenues is intricately linked to how an organization communicates both inside and outside.  The Chronicle article stresses the importance of internal communication with board members. That means letting board members know they are falling short when an organization’s board isn’t living up to its potential.  Takeaway tip #1: be honest with your board members about their fiscal responsibility.  Mr. Goldstein, speaking at a conference held by the Association of Fundraising Professionals in New York on Friday, said in tough economic times, it is more important than ever for nonprofit leaders to be honest with their board members, said Henry Goldstein, president of the Oram Group. To make such messages effective, nonprofit leaders must offer goals that are reasonable, he said. Takeaway tip #2: be reasonable in goal setting and clear in your communication.  He noted that board members lose heart quickly when confronted with tasks they cannot fulfill and said it is the nonprofit organization's responsibility to set clear, reachable goals.  Finally, takeaway tip #3:  get to know your board members.  In setting those goals, nonprofit leaders need to get to know their board members better, said Mary Ellen Pelzer, chief executive of the South Street Seaport Museum who says, “One way to do this is by getting to know what their daily life is like and the kind of things that motivate them.”  Three good tips I pass on that I hope will spark your thinking in the area of increasing board member involvement. To read Jacquelyn Kasuya’s article in The Chronicle,  click here.