Nonprofit Adviser

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Maintaining fundraising momentum, especially during years when the economy is volatile, is one of the biggest pitfalls of a capital campaign, but you have a secret weapon: your board of directors.

In a new article, several capital-campaign veterans advise leaders to tap into trustees’ individual strengths to stay on pace during a multiyear drive. After an exciting launch and the resulting introductions and meetings and gifts, make sure you have a long-term plan in place to keep the energy up, Libby Sander writes.

Ashleigh de Villiers, president of De La Salle North Catholic High School, helped guide its $26 million capital campaign several years ago as vice president for advancement at the school in Portland, Ore. Once the campaign settled into a rhythm, she planned for when every member of the board’s nine-person campaign committee would have their chance to shine. There’s an arc to a multiyear effort, she says, and different phases require specific strengths. Aside from the board chair, she adds, “very few people were operating at a high level the entire time.”

For more ideas on how to build camaraderie and tap into your board’s talents, read 8 Ways Your Board Can Drive Momentum in a Capital Campaign. For even more insight on boards and capital campaigns, check out How Small Nonprofits Can Run a Strong Capital Campaign: 8 Tips, and watch our webinar How to Get Your Board to Raise Money, available on demand.

Warmly,

M.J. Prest
Senior Editor, Advice

Think beyond traditional succession planning. Sherreta Harrison and Raymond Jetson, who co-lead the Baton Rouge community organization MetroMorphosis, reject the mentor-mentee paradigm, in which an older executive grooms a protégé to take their place. Instead, the pair have an intergenerational partnership in which they share the helm. Harrison says: “One of the first shifts that was necessary for me — and this would be the case for any younger or less experienced person — is to really remember that you’re not here to replace. You are here to build on and to build with.” Read more about their unique dynamic in Inside the Leadership Success of a Millennial and Boomer Who Share the CEO Seat.

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