Stretched thin

When it comes to putting their money where their mouth is, Fairfield County nonprofits give their board members a lukewarm grade, saying many do not contribute money or solicit funds, and some not bothering to show up at fundraising events.

The Fairfield County Community Foundation”™s (FCCF) Center for Nonprofit Excellence published the findings this month from a poll of 120 nonprofit leaders. Many characterized their boards as unengaged, passive and generally ineffective in one of the most critical elements they can bring to the table ”“ fundraising.

“I think it”™s a snapshot, but it confirms what we have observed,” said Elaine Mintz, director of the Norwalk-based foundation”™s Center for Nonprofit Excellence. “Any new board member you bring on, you have to look at the skill set you have at the table and what this new person brings to the table ”¦ Having an effective board is really the driving force in making an organization successful. Anybody who is on a board should realize what their responsibilities are.”

In the study, Mintz noted that nonprofit board members are stretched thin and recruiting new board members remains difficult.

As reported earlier this month by the Fairfield County Business Journal, the Fairfield-based Foundation Source issued its own report suggesting that large numbers of private foundations enjoy regular recapitalizations from their own primary benefactors, suggesting significant commitment and engagement among those organizations.

By contrast, in the FCCF survey only 35 percent of respondents rated their board members as “excellent” or “very good” at fundraising on behalf of the organization.

Also:

Ӣ 52 percent of respondents said board members do not solicit funds on behalf of the nonprofit;

Ӣ 42 percent said board members do not identify new donors;

Ӣ 32 percent said board members do not attend fundraising events; and

Ӣ 28 percent said board members do not make a personal donation to the organization.

In response, the FCCF Center for Nonprofit Excellence is putting together a workshop this fall on improving the fundraising capacity of boards. Separately, FCCF is promoting a “Fundamentals of Fundraising” seminar taught by members of the Fairfield County chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals, beginning May 30 at Sacred Heart University.

According to the most recent AFP study, nonprofit donations had yet to recover to their pre-recession levels, but they were far better than in 2009. For every $5.35 that organizations gained in gift dollars in 2010, $5.54 was lost through donor attrition.

The first rule of board leadership in fundraising is ensuring all board members understand and accept it is their responsibility, according to an AFP book on the topic published in March. Nonprofits can help their own cause by vetting prospective board members across several criteria, including experience in fundraising campaigns; insider access to a specific industry or social group; and a general willingness to spend time tapping new resources.

It doesn”™t hurt to help new board members, AFP said, by have them solicit funds from a source representing an easy “yes” and get them seasoned before pushing onto the tougher work.

[Editor’s note: An earlier version of this story that ran online and in print incorrectly stated the organizers of AFP’s “Fundamentals of Fundraising” seminar and its topic matter.]