Board members hate quid pro quo fundraising, and I don’t blame them. How intrusive to ask one’s board members to cough up their entire contact list, and how unstrategic.I recently led one of the many board trainings I conduct each year, and heard the same complaints I always hear:
- “I don’t want to ask all my friends because they’ll ask me in return.”
- “My friends are deadbeats. I’m tired of asking and not getting anywhere.”
- “My friends are cheap. They give less to my organization than I give to theirs.”
- “I’m tapped out. I’ve asked everyone I know.”
- “They have their own organizations and areas of interest. They’re not interested in mine.”
And they’re right! All these are valid reasons for them not to want to cast the net wide. They should be valid reasons for you as well.