Nonprofit Q&A
A
service of Jeane Vogel and
Fund Raising Innovations
April 2, 2004
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Here is this week’s question:
I am so frustrated
with my board. I am blamed when I get a grant rejection letter. When a grant
comes through, a board member takes credit. I need the board to assist with
solicitations and follow-up and I need them to understand grants. Help!
I really don’t understand electricity. It’s been
explained to me. I’m fairly educable. It makes sense for a minute but I still
don’t understand how the power works. So I’ve given up. It’s magic. I plug my
laptop into a wall socket and the “battery low” message goes away. I can keep
working. When a storm knocks down the power lines, I can’t.
I just accept it.
Grants, it seems, are like that to some (OK, most) board members. Grants are
magic. They come in or they don’t. Doesn’t matter. The development director is
responsible, not the board member. Nope, don’t have to know anything about it.
Too complicated anyway.
They just accept it.
So does the development staff working with the board. Almost every complaint I
hear from development directors, when they are out of earshot of their executive
director and board, starts with something like: “This board thinks I should be
some kind of miracle worker! They don’t understand the grant process, they won’t
help and they blame me when a proposal is rejected!”
Grant proposal development is collaboration -- board, program people, financial
manager and executives. Development directors too often are left to their own
devices to bring in the grant money -- and then sacrificed when they “fail.” Is
it any wonder than in some areas the average tenure of a development director is
only 18 months? Sure, development directors have the technical writing and
research skills, they understand the budget and contribute to project
development. But they cannot work in a vacuum, and that big sucking sound you
hear is probably the board.
There’s a difficult tension between the fund raising staff and the board
members. Staff can’t do their job well without board support, but board members
are not peers -- they’re more like bosses. They don’t tell the staff what to do,
but they certainly hold the staff accountable. It can be a difficult
relationship. Every development director’s nightmare board meeting is the one
when the board members start asking those impossible questions such as:
That agency down the block got a grant for $150,000! Why didn’t you get that?
What can you say? Every development director gets this question. Be prepared
with a response to keep your frustration level low and your self-esteem high.
Know your funders, know their deadlines and interests, know your competition and
know the economic climate. Help your board members understand that there are
many factors, most of which out of your control, that affect grantmaking. The
reputation of the agency, it’s grant management history, the quality of
programs, the interest of the grantor, the ability of the agency to communicate
AND fulfill its mission all are outside of the control of the development
director and have an important impact on grant making.
After a little education about the process, ask the board member if he or she
has a contact at that foundation or is willing to open doors. Remind the board
members that foundations want a relationship with the agency -- not the
development director -- and the board member is in the best position to make
that connection.
Grants are a staff job.
Big Bucks Bob has a foundation. Why don’t you call him?
We don’t know anybody in the foundation world. You handle it.
Oh, yeah. These are my favorites. Boards who are ducking their fund raising
responsibilities say these a lot. Grants are a staff job? Sure, the grant
proposal writer provides the technical work, but there has to be a team in place
to be successful. And board members must lead the team.
Board members are most helpful in providing names, opening doors, making initial
contacts and following up after a proposal has been submitted. We all know that,
right? How do we communicate that to the board? Board members often are
reluctant to take much direction from the development director -- and there’s
that built in tension again between the two roles.
The fund raising staff must have the support of the executive director and board
leadership to put an end to these questions and get board members working as
part of the development team. Ideally, the board fund raising assignments will
come from a fellow board member. Board members, as peers, can better recruit
other board members for specific tasks and follow up to make sure the jobs are
done. It’s easy for board members to lash out at the development director if
they failed at their assignment or it didn’t get done. Don’t sabotage yourself
or put yourself in that position. Board members will be more accountable to each
other if they provide the fundraising leadership.
We need a $10 million endowment. What grants are you going to get to fund it?
We have a $200,000 deficit. What grant can we get to get out of the red?
That program is going to be killed if you don’t get a grant to fund it.
Well, these really aren’t your problems, are they? Don’t let the board put them
on you. The board is responsible for the fiscal health of the agency and for
meeting the mission. They are responsible for creating the fund raising plan and
participating in the implementation.
Don’t let board members think that grants are the answer to all funding crises.
Grants should be part of the overall program, not the rescue. Events, direct
mail, program fees, earned income, individual gifts, planned giving are all
important components of the fund raising plan. The “Grants” line item should not
be the “filler” in the budget after all the other revenue has been calculated.
The balance of each revenue stream is determined by each agency, its history,
needs, and position in the community. There are no formulas that will replace
planning and teamwork.
We think you need an incentive. How about if we start giving you a percentage
of the grant instead of a salary?
Oh … my… gosh! We really don’t have to address this again, do we? Sadly, we hear
it more than we should, but it’s not surprising. Board members often come from
the business world, where incentives are common. Don’t let the board members
tempt you. When you help board members understand the accepted ethics of our
professional organizations, you will help them understand their role on the
development team.
These are hard concepts to communicate to board members. They will resist, they
will argue, they will scoff. The next time you hear a variation of one of these
comments, feel free to hand them this article and tell them to take it up with
me. I’m happy to help.
© 2002, 2004 by Jeane Vogel
and Fund Raising Innovations
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Part of this column first
appeared in the Charity Channel.com Grants and Foundations Review, Jeane Vogel,
Editor in Chief.
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