Archive for the "Working with Boards" Category
Three Cups of Hard Medicine
Where to start on the Three Cups of Tea controversy… If you’ve missed it, “60 Minutes” did a story on Greg Mortenson, his book, and his nonprofit, Central Asia Institute, that is a cautionary tale for the nonprofit sector. Sadly, I think there’s enough for nearly any donor, board member, or staff to pause and think about.
Tell stories. True Stories. I can’t stress enough how much I believe in stories as an effective… Read the rest- 22 April 2026
- Category: Donor Cultivation,Fundraising General,Working with Boards
- 0 Comment
- Written by: Leslie Allen
The Elephant in the Board Room
Board members and fundraising. Uh, oh! Here it comes – the deer-in-the-headlights look. Board members don’t really know what is expected of them. Staff members wish they’d just get on with it. In so many cases it doesn’t seem to be working.
I’ve been there. About eight years ago I saw an article called The Myth of the Fundraising Board. It argued that very few boards actually did fundraising, so we might as well just… Read the rest- 20 September 2025
- Category: Solicitation,Volunteers,Working with Boards
- 1 Comment
- Written by: Leslie Allen
Cross Cultural Experiences: Food and Boards are the Same Everywhere
I was recently in India working with the board of a large development organization.
It was my first time in amazing India. I was incredibly inspired by the activists I was working with, and I was completely overwhelmed with the different context in which they were operating.
And then, I heard a familiar refrain. A board member actually said, “I’ll do anything but raise money.” I was suddenly transformed back to my own reality. How… Read the rest- 30 April 2026
- Category: Face to Face Fundraising,Working with Boards
- 1 Comment
- Written by: Leslie Allen