“We can’t get our Board/Advisory Council/Volunteer Group to focus on consistently helping us with fundraising and giving.”
I hear this complaint regularly from advancement leaders.
And, then, I review the previous meeting agendas for the group and find:
- Too much reporting from institutional leaders, instead of time for question-asking and discussion;
- Too much quantitative data being shared, instead of qualitative narrative about institutional strategic progress;
- Too many items on the agenda prior to items focused on fundraising and giving;
We talk instead of ask engaging questions, we share too many details, and we prioritize other topics over fundraising and giving (and often run out of meeting time). And, we wonder why our volunteers aren’t helping us with fundraising.
The meeting agenda will direct their focus. Their focus will direct their work.
This article was originally posted on Jason’s Blog in May 2023. To read more, visit www.jasonmcneal.com.
