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By Jim Mellor and Brian Keel

The board of directors is an essential component of nonprofit leadership. We seek boards that are engaged, embrace their roles and responsibilities, are committed to transparency, and value both short- and long-term planning. 

Rules vary from state to state, but every board has significant legal and ethical duties that it cannot delegate to others including legal, management, program, and financial oversight. Beyond the board there may be committees that further assist the organization. Committees have representation from the Board but are also an opportunity to engage other community volunteers to serve, especially if these members have subject matter expertise.

Happy New Year! As you settle back in after the holidays, let me suggest you take a few moments to consider the “three Rs” before getting sucked into the hustle and bustle of a new year.

As empty nesters, my wife and I have more time to volunteer in our community. We really enjoy our volunteer time together - almost as much as vacation.

Recently, we responded to two requests for help.  One community organization responded to my wife’s email the very same day.  She got an email addressed directly to her that included three quick questions along with several resources and a short video on volunteering. Later that afternoon, the volunteer coordinator followed up with a phone call to my wife and engaged her in a nice comfortable conversation.  Impressive!

I responded to the other request with an email offering our services and asking for next steps.  That was weeks ago.  Still waiting.  What does this have to do with development and fundraising?  

This January, the DBD Team is making resolutions to help us be better. Today Thom tells us why we need to resolve to trust our volunteers.  

I love working with volunteers and, in the right circumstances, I love volunteering.

At the 2017 Willow Creek Association Global Leadership Summit, the DBD team was once again inspired and challenged by incredible stories of leadership and vision. Each year it seems a story will dig into our hearts and not let go.

When you are conducting an annual campaign, capital effort, or even an endowment program, publicity can be helpful. Positive “buzz” helps improve community understanding and support. But too often, we rely on buzz to do all the work. We assume that some good publicity will raise money for us.

Recently, Michele Goodrich and Peggy Vinson from our team interviewed Jen Kruel from the YMCA of Dodge County as part of the NAYDO 365 podcast series. With their permission, we’re posting it here as well because the conversation tells the story of a small organization climbing out of a paralyzing debt situation. How they did it, and how their community rallied around this Y, has lessons for any organization considering taking on debt… or working to get out of it.

While Jen’s remarks come from her recent experiences in a YMCA, any non-profit can be served by reframing how they think – and talk – about debt with donors, with the community and even to themselves. 

This month, the Donor By Design Group is challenging you to take action, moving from resolutions to results. Today’s post is the final one of the series, reminding us that the only thing we need to do is the next step.