Are Charity Boards Ready for Tough Times Ahead?
A recent article in the Chronicle of Philanthropy (subscription required), “Are Charities Ready for Tough Times Ahead?” prompts San Francisco nonprofit attorney Gene Takagi to change the question slightly on his blog, “From a governance perspective, the question may be slightly altered to ask ‘Are Charity Boards Ready for Tough Times Ahead?’”
While the focus of Mr. Takagi’s post is not on fund raising, I was struck by the juxtaposition of his question and the answer given (to a related question about fund raising in tough times) on another blog:
A survey by The Agitator asked fundraisers to identify the “single biggest challenge your fundraising program faces in 2010,” which produced this result: “Way ahead as the #1 challenge — expressed in a variety of ways — was getting Board and senior executive buy-in, including direct participation, for more aggressive fundraising efforts.”
2010 is likely to be another challenging year for raising money. To meet those challenges, fund raisers must form strong partnerships with their chief executives and the leadership of their boards of directors. Everyone needs to be on the same page, embracing the same agenda. Or, to change metaphors, everyone must be pulling in the same direction.
(Photo of Taylor Woodrow’s Teamwork Sculpture from Wikimedia Commons.)
