Compensating Board Members

Should foundations compensate active board members? There is much controversy on whether or not board members of large foundations should be paid. Many of these board members are upper-middle to high class and oftentimes don’t need the extra $20,000. This money could be put to into the foundations and used for helping non-profit organizations. On the other hand, it’s much more of a respect issue. These people spend their time helping these foundations to give to non-profits. I personally think these board members deserve to be compensated but, not to the level in which they are now. I personally think $20,000 dollars is a bit too much to give these people if it is a secondary salary. Do you think these trustees should make that much?

http://philanthropy.com/article/Majority-of-50-Wealthiest/128337/

-Stephanie Barnes

 

Fundraising Misktakes

Fundraising has never been an activity that I have enjoyed doing. I hate to make my friends and family feel obligated to give to me, and asking complete strangers can be a bit awkward at times. I ran across this article titled “Five Fundraising Mistakes we make with our Boards” on http://www.guidestar.org/news/features/board_fundraising.jsp

This article gave five key points that cause failure when fundraising by board members. I found them very helpful as they stress many of the key points we have discussed in class. It stressed the importance of building relationships with your donors instead of contacting them only when you want money. It also said that asking donors at too low of dollar amount limits you to what they might have potentially gave if you had asked for more first. Finally, it stated the proper training and coaching is needed for your board members because they may have no experience at all with this type of fundraising experience.

It is also important for nonprofits when selecting board members, that they select ones with a large networking base along with the communication and sales skills needed to raise the required amount. Because fundraising is diffictul, but definitely attainable through the proper procedures and avoiding these five mistakes.