June 17, 2008 - Board Cafe Email Print

In Part 1 of this article, Wes Mukoyama of Yu-Ai Kai asked the question: "As a small agency . . . how do I look for a grantwriter? I have talked to a few who either want to be paid by the hour or receive a percentage of the grant. Any suggestions?" We discussed why hiring outside (contract) grantwriters seems to work so seldom - either for the community nonprofit or for the grantwriter. We also suggested two additional choices: hiring support staff to free up your program managers and executive director to write grants, and growing your own grantwriters.

In this issue's Part 2, we’ll discuss how to find grantwriters, select them, how much to pay them and what kinds of payment arrangements to choose. (And in Unicorns Found, we profile two of these elusive creatures.)

A. How to find one

By Board Cafe - June 17, 2008 - Board Cafe Email Print

A fresh and radical idea: consider eliminating all (or most) of your board committees. Too many boards are bogged down by committees that are inactive or maybe even semi-fictitious. And board members can feel compelled to be on three or four committees each!

The reality is that very few committees need to exist in perpetuity. Instead of a permanent Personnel Committee, for example, create a time-limited HR Task Force to oversee policy revision and then disband. In place of a standing Program Committee, form a time-limited Library Committee that tackles reviewing library usage—and then dissolve the group. The same folks might volunteer for the subsequent Newsletter Overhaul Committee to reinvent the newsletter, and then move on after four months.

One permanent (standing) committee you'll probably need is the Finance Committee, which must oversee financial performance on a continuous basis. Some organizations might also want to keep a Fundraising Committee, while others might replace this body with two task forces: one to coordinate the fall luncheon and one to plan and manage the county fair booth.

Task forces, ad hoc committees and temporary committees all have specific tasks to accomplish in a specific timeframe. Signing up to work on a project with a clear goal and a termination point always trumps the prospect of indefinite service on a committee weighed down by a vague purpose.

An added bonus resulting from shifting to temporary committees is the changing mix of team participants. Interaction among a variety of members on the board will result in having the right people "on the bus" more often, and by board members getting to know more people on the board. And isn't getting to work with more people in new settings one of the reasons we join boards in the first place?

Go for it!        

May 14, 2008 - Board Cafe Email Print

Let's say you're at a reception, a conference, or a holiday party and across the room you see someone who has made a donation or a grant to the organization on whose board you serve. What do you say?

First, thank the donor: "Glad to meet you. I want to thank you for all the support you've given our organization. It means a lot to us."

Second, introduce yourself: "I'm a board member. I got involved because I think this cause is so important."

Third, ask why he or she gives: "I'd like to ask you a question . . . what is it about our organization that made you decide to a contribution/grant to us?"

Fourth, ask for advice: "If there were one thing you wish we'd change about our organization, what would it be?"

Got it? TIA-1: Thank, Introduce, Ask why, and 1 thing.