Non-Profit Boards
Board members want to help, but oftentimes don’t feel comfortable with fundraising or understand how to simply build connections with new donors. Sometimes, they just need help creating a solid plan for meaningful donor engagement that is steeped in best practices, or practical, actional tools that will help them lead in creating a culture of philanthropy or live out their unique role during a campaign. The art of Bold Asking® was never more important as non-profits serving deserving communities and the common good are stretched and called upon as never before. Non-profits desperately need engaged, knowledgeable, and well-equipped board members who are ready to lead with passion and partner with the CEO and development team.
Whether you’re a healthcare organization, educational, social service, or arts organization, we’re here to help you raise transformational gifts!
The Bold Asking® coaching program builds knowledge and skills, provides practical yet impactful tools and comfortably shapes each board member’s distinct, powerful, and even joyful role in their organization’s noble cause.
A variety of education and training opportunities are offered for boards, including one-time retreats, a series of workshops, and small-group training. On-going coaching is also available for board or campaign chairs and may include the executive leader and chief development officer.
Workshops
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A pre-assessment of the organization’s fundraising operation and board’s role is conducted prior to the workshop. The workshop is customized based on the findings and agreed objectives.
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Description and Objectives:
Creating an organization-wide Culture of Philanthropy in which transformational giving thrives
Board member roles in philanthropy and fundamental concepts
Understanding effective leader and partnership roles with the executive and development staff to support major giving
Creating your “Signature Language” and tools to support donor introductions and conversations
Group exercises
Toolkits to support board members’ conversations, roles, and outreach
Role-playing to practice and receive real-time feedback
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Description and Objectives:
Reinforce Workshop One concepts
The major gift cycle and the board members’ roles in each phase
Concepts that support relationship building for philanthropy
Partnership tools that elevate major gift fundraising
Learn effective donor conversations with your “Signature Language”
Create inventories for meaningful donor engagement unique to your organization
Establish benchmarks for assessing progress
More toolkits and donor conversation scripts
Small group exercise and role-playing to practice new concepts and receive real-time feedback
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Description and Objectives:
Utilizing the concepts from previous workshops, practice and reinforce donor conversations, “using your Signature Language” and new skills
Revisit the toolkit that takes the guesswork out of donor conversations
Utilize real-life scenarios of opportunities and challenges facing your organization for small group discussions and problem-solving and role-playing
Review lessons learned and how to move forward
Agree on actionable items to keep the board’s work moving forward
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One-on-One coaching to put the new skills, toolkits and education into practice. Coaching is provided for the Chief Development Officer, CEO and/or board leader for a three to six-month period.
For boards and executive leaders, we offer a series of highly interactive workshop experiences. Each workshop includes resource toolkits that take away the guesswork and are filled with individual and small group exercises, and role playing. Best delivered in-person, workshops may also be delivered virtually in shortened versions. Workshops will be shaped to your organization and your board’s unique needs.
Small Group Training For Boards & Executives
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Description and Objectives:
Effective use of the CEO, board members and development staff to close successful campaign gifts
How campaign asking is different from annual giving asks
How to effectively tell your story
Speaking from Big Vision and why it matters in campaigns
What drives big gifts and giving from assets
Overcoming objections
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Description and Objectives:
How does inflation and/or recessions impact giving historically?
How donors giving patterns change
The importance of gifts of assets, Donor Advised Funds, IRA charitable distributions, and planned gifts
The power of stewardship and how to use it
Addressing what’s really on donors’ minds during times of crisis and downturn
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Description and Objectives:
What’s the difference between transactional giving and transformational giving?
The psychology of giving and why it matters in transformational giving
Know your organization’s Big Vision, how to message it, and use story-telling
How funding priorities fit into Big Vision
What motivates transformational gifts and how to boldly ask for them
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Description and Objectives:
The science of ritual and how you can use it in fundraising!
The elements of rituals and why they are important
Practical tips:
Where to start when you’re preparing to speak with a prospect
Overcoming your discomfort with asking for gifts
Using rituals to prepare for successful donor visits
Role-playing with partners with real-time feedback to perfect your practice
Small group trainings are shorter intensives on select topics that deepen volunteers’ skills, confidence and participation in fundraising. All sessions are interactive and incorporate small group exercises and role-playing
Workshops 1, 2 and 3 are a prerequisites to small group trainings
Healthcare Specific Workshops
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Description and Objectives:
This session will de-mystifying major gift fundraising in the hospital setting and provide how-tos in becoming an effective, comfortable partner in creating powerful, transformational gifts.
Role-playing and interactive small group discussions are integrated throughout the session.
Participants will leave with new skills, insights, and a toolkit for how they can be effective partners with the development team, institutional leaders, and board members.
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Description and Objectives:
This highly interactive introduction to major gift and grateful patient fundraising is designed for the hospital or hospital foundation boards and C-Suite leaders to elevate their understanding, roles, and participation as powerful leaders and partners in major gift fundraising.
The board and C-suite leadership in building a culture of philanthropy that supports major gift relationships.
The session includes role-playing, small group exercises, and practical toolkits for creating meaningful giving
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Description and Objectives:
Designed for everyone in your health care team, from the board or campaign volunteers to the C-suite, the development team, and the physician and nursing staff
This interactive session takes a deep dive into understanding and harnessing the unique power of gratitude and empathy in creating a culture and environment that fosters grateful patient and family giving.
We explore appropriate roles for each member of the team, how to develop powerful partnerships that support major gift relationships, and practical steps for working together.
The session includes small group exercises, a toolkit to support patient-donor conversations, and role-playing.
Specialized workshops are offered for those in hospital and health care settings. Workshops are customized for each clients’ unique circumstances. We will address special issues, challenges and unique opportunities.
“When we began our fundraising campaign, most of us were well-intentioned but new to the art of sharing our story and in making “the ask” in our conversation with our friends, family and others regarding our campaign and the new Children's Hospital. The passion and the belief in our project was there, but the knowledge and skill of how to say what needed to be said to engage our prospects was something that we needed help with. With coaching in the “art of Bold Asking,” we became comfortable and most importantly confident in the fundraising process and learned thoughtful and effective tools which helped us convey excitement about our project and master the art of "The Ask.” We experienced great success as a result and even enjoy being involved in the campaign!"
James R Parker, CFP®, CRPC®, Vice President and Financial Advisor, Morgan Stanley and Foundation Board Member, Williamson Medical Center
Contact us
Susan Holt, President and Senior Consultant
401 Bowling Avenue Unit 1
Nashville, TN 37205
615-423-0675
susan@visionphilanthropy.com
Christy Passmore, Senior Advisor
