Your board was fired up back in the Fall. Now it’s January. You’re bogged down in minutiae as you hassle over the financials; anticipate planning next year’s budget; discuss what went wrong with the gala.
How do you turn this working board into a board of ambassadors?
By engaging them in the process. Not the process of BEING an ambassador — the process of TURNING THEMSELVES into ambassadors.
At an upcoming board meeting, schedule at least 30 minutes for this exercise.
Have the board break into pairs, and for 5 minutes, share with each other: What particularly inspired you about our organization in the past year? What made you proud to be part of this cause?
Notice how animated the group is? How hard it is to get them to stop talking at the end of the five minutes? Point that out to the board. Share a few of the stories to the group.
The next step is crucial.
Instead of telling them to use those same stories to talk to others, ASK THEM THESE QUESTIONS. Encourage members to answer them themselves.
Scribe the answers so all can see:
- Who would you like to know those stories, and why?
- What’s important to these people? What’s on THEIR minds?
- Which part of the stories will appeal to which people?
- Where do these people hang out? Church? Rotary? Fundraising events? Legislative Hall?
- What steps can we, as board members, take to make sure they really hear our stories?
Once you get down to the actual steps that they can take, start asking individuals if they’ll take on each of the steps. Jane, you said that the Jones Foundation really cares about after school art, and you know one of the trustees through church. Your story is great. Would you be able to reach out to her in the next month, and tell her your story? Roberto, you said that Representative Glassman holds a weekly breakfast meeting at the coffee shop. Would you attend the next one and tell him your story?
Give them a fact sheet, so they’re supported, but give them permission to not know answers – that gives them and you an opportunity to follow-up with the answer.
Give each board member a call a week or two later, and hear how the outreach worked. Send a note to the entire board sharing the successful stories.
Engage your board in the process of becoming ambassadors. You’ve given them a chance to remember great things about your organization. You’ve brought them together to consider who is important to your organization and how best to reach them. They’ve each contributed to the specific task you’ve asked them to take on.
Engagement isn’t something that is only directed outward. Allow your board members to build on their own excitement, and create their own roles as ambassadors.