Читать книгу Effective Fundraising - F. Warren McFarlan - Страница 28

Relationships grow in complex and unexpected ways over long periods of time. In ways not always recognized in the literature, governance and development are absolutely interlinked. The cold reality is that the closer people are to the heart of an organization, the more generous some of them become. It should not matter, but the fact is, it does. Unfortunately, the larger a deliberative group is, the longer and more diffuse its discussions can become. This means garrulous donor trustees are a real burden versus those who drop off for a short nap (as long as they do not snore!). This puts a special burden on the governance committee to properly vet potential board candidates to make sure they will comfortably fit into the board activities. When there is doubt, a year's advance service on a board committee can provide useful insights.

In summary, the governance committee of the board is fundamentally responsible for spearheading the creation of a board and network of supporters, who can mobilize the resources to allow the organization's mission to become reality. This task can take years to execute. Exhibit 2.1 identifies key levers that can be activated by a governance committee to impact the development environment in an organization. The organization needs not only board members who can help bring the mission to reality, but also a CEO and board chair who share this perspective and have the skills to make it happen. Juggling this among other priorities of the organization is very hard for the governance committee. It can be particularly hard to get started, in cases where it is hard to find mission supporters, let alone affluent ones. From this perspective, geographically centralized communities, such as churches, schools, and universities, can find it much easier to attract donors than cause-oriented programs such as healthcare in homeless shelters.