“We have a good, committed board, but we just can’t get them to fundraise.”

“Our board is committed and willing, but we need help understanding our role.”

And so goes the perennial dialectic among development professionals and board members: Organizations think they are clear in setting hoped-for objectives and asking for help. Volunteers want to help, but don’t know how to engage.

Does this sound familiar within your organization? What can you do to clear the lines of communication to help volunteers connect with your needs in a way that moves your organization forward?

Are you making general pleas to everyone generally (and no one specifically) for help running a special event, asking for members of solicitation teams, recruiting new leadership, etc., as a regular (and ineffective) part of your volunteer meetings? Or are you asking in a way that allows the volunteer to act?

In fundraising, we know that a personal visit with a specific ask is the most effective way to solicit gifts. Are you thinking about how we use this best practice to help board members, campaign steering committee members and other fundraising volunteers engage?

You might start by considering some excellent pointers from my colleague, Rita Galowich of Fund Inc., on ways to more effectively work with board members and other volunteers. Here’s a link to her article, Maximizing Your Board Members’ Time.