Boards and Asking Styles: A Roadmap to Success

A STRONGER BOARD LEADS TO GREATER IMPACT Your organization cannot achieve its vision without a strong board. A strong board starts with bringing on the right people, but then it's about working together effectively, understanding leadership and board dynamics, supporting board members appropriately so you can do your best work, having you fundraise in a way that suits who you are, and more. In his second book, Brian Saber uses the Asking Styles lens to help you build your board's strength. He'll help you understand how you and your fellow board members operate individually and collectively, what strengths you bring to the table, and how to employ those to best advantage.

In these incredibly challenging times, good board leadership and resource development are more important than ever, and yet, in many ways, more difficult. COVID-19 has caused an unprecedented set of challenges in the modern nonprofit sector. Most boards cannot meet in person to conduct their work. They are left to manage the executive director remotely. Recruiting new board members is difficult for many reasons.

On the fundraising side, people are unsure about their futures and anxious about money. Meeting in person is extremely limited. There are far fewer opportunities for donors to see programs live and in action. And, for the first time, a wide range of organizations has had to trim their fundraising staffs. Under these circumstances, it's even more important to understand how the Asking Styles can help you work productively and develop your organization's resources.

If you're like most board members, you've come to your current board with very little (or no) board experience and, even if you have experience, with very little board training. The same is true for your fellow board members. The more you learn, and the more you can share with your fellow board members, the stronger you will be individually and as a team. And today that's more important than ever.