Find Your Fundraising Voice

A Special Skill-Building Session for Your Board of Directors

Ever wonder why your board members do not fundraise? Even when they agree it is their responsibility? Even when you give them a prepared script and back-up materials? Even when you bring a therapist in to work through their fears and anxieties?

The problem may be that board members think that they don’t possess the right personality or contacts to successfully fundraise. They might believe that they have to morph into Joe Salesman or Suzi In-Your-Face. And that they need to know only very wealthy or powerful people. Truly these board members may feel that no one like them could ever be successful at fundraising.

Session Description: The Oertel Group’s interactive “Fundraising in Your Own Voice” seminar will teach board members how to successfully fundraise in ways that are natural and authentic to who they are. They will become comfortable communicating in their own voice and gain the confidence necessary to promote and advocate their organization in a relaxed yet effective manner. And they will learn that their unique qualities and experience are strengths, not limiting factors. We will also work with them to create a list of all of the people (friends, relatives, business associates, colleagues, neighbors, etc) that each board member knows and develop effective strategies for approaching these contacts on behalf of your nonprofit organization.

The Oertel Group, through their skilled facilitators and coaches, Patty Oertel and Tom Viscount, will lead your board members through this process by discussing phrasing, opening lines, methods for extending the conversation, and how to move to the next step – regardless of whether they are sending a relative more information about your nonprofit organization, asking a friend to a special event, conveying to a colleague that the Executive Director or Fundraising Chair will be calling, or asking a neighbor for an outright contribution. We will conduct an upfront survey to assess such questions as board members’ fundraising experiences, reluctances, other nonprofit commitments, current methods of describing the organization. Then through demonstration, one-on-one coaching and role-playing, we will address these issues and guide each member to find an approach that is comfortable and natural to him or her. We will conclude with a lively brain-storming session where board members will discuss potential and current donors and then create short-term and long-term fundraising goals that are realistic and achievable.

The most cost effective way The Oertel Group can assist your board of directors on these crucial issues is to structure the coaching and facilitation as a one-day session. The fee is $2,000.