Board Responsibilities for Erie Gives

As a nonprofit leader, you know your board best! You know what strengths and connections your board members bring to the table, to help further your organization’s mission and have a stronger impact on your community. During Erie Gives, you’ll need support and assistance from your board members to make it an all-around success, which is why we developed this list of tasks your board could help with!

Sample Erie Gives Board Responsibilities

This guide outlines the following tasks:

Community Partnerships & Outreach

Your board likely has several members who serve as important and active members of your community. Whether it’s a connection to local businesses or the ability to acquire sponsored or matching gifts, you’ll want to utilize these board members to help build a solid foundation for your Erie Gives campaign.

Tasks for these board members could include:

  • Reaching out to local businesses for potential partnerships: Partnerships can range from sharing your Erie Gives page on social media, in-kind donations for day-of events, or utilizing what’s special about your community to promote the big day!
  • Acquiring sponsors for matching gifts or incentives: Erie Gives is a great opportunity to entice your donors to have a greater impact on your organization and your community by offering donation matches! Having some extra funds for Erie Gives to use as incentives for your donors can really motivate them to participate and further their impact.
  • Local promotion throughout the community: There are lots of creative ways you can engage with your community to promote Erie Gives! From flyers to road signs, this is a great opportunity to use the connections of your board to utilize local promotional opportunities.

Press & Promotion

Make sure your donors are aware of Erie Gives and don’t miss out on the big day by utilizing your board members to help spread the word! While your staff members and volunteers will also be working on marketing and promoting this event, your board members can play a crucial role in educating those who otherwise may not have seen your messaging.

Tasks for these board members could include:

  • Getting the word out about Erie Gives: Your board can play a huge role in getting the word out about Erie Gives. Whether it’s distributing flyers throughout your community or simply talking about it with their network both online and offline, encouraging your board members to promote Erie Gives will result in more connections and more donations for your organization on the big day!
  • Acting as Social Media Champions for your organization: With online giving, social media can play a crucial role in your success. The problem with social media is that you can spend all day crafting up perfectly engaging posts, but they aren’t going to really have an impact if nobody sees them! People are more likely to read and click on a post that their friend shares, as opposed to a generic ask from an organization. Have your board members get active on social media, supporting your campaign, sharing your Erie Gives page, and getting the word out about why your mission is so important to them and your community. Provide them with this social media guide that they can use to help promote your organization before, during, and even after the big day!
  • Share their board story: Each of your board members is serving your organization for a reason. They care about your mission, your impact, and the community and people you serve. Having your board share why they are proud to be a part of your organization has the power to show your supporters and potential donors how your organization is rooted in the passion of those people helping to further your mission. Both you and your board members can use their stories (with their permission of course) in letters, emails, social media posts and beyond! True stories that highlight the impact of your organization and power of your mission can go a long way!

Donor Outreach & Follow Up

Letting all of your donors and supporters know about Erie Gives can be challenging. You’re going to want to send them emails, social media posts, and maybe even a direct mail appeal to get their attention and gain their support. Letting donors know that their impact is being celebrated is a great way to get them excited about the big day!

Tasks for these board members could include:

  • Host a calling bank: Did you know that by simply giving your past donors a call to thank them for their support and letting them know about the day, they’re more likely to show their support again? Your board members probably already make calls to big donors, but for Erie Gives no donor is too small to let them know about the big event and how to see your mission in action! Check out our sample calling scripts for templates your board members can use to engage with your supporters and encourage them to be a part of the fun during Erie Gives!
  • Personal letters to bigger donors: Before the big day, you should give your big donors some recognition, and let them know about Erie Gives while you’re doing it! Whether it’s by way of a personal letter, note, email, or even a phone call - let your donors know how they have made an impact on your organization and your community, and invite them to see that impact in action during Erie Gives. They will not only appreciate the recognition, but will be more likely to support your organization during Erie Gives.
  • Ask for Erie Gives Commitments to Donate: Before Erie Gives you can invite your supporters to make a commitment to donate to support your organization on August 13th! Using free photo editing tools like Canva, you can create a custom social share image for your organization’s Erie Gives pledges, so they can let their network know before the day that they will proudly be supporting your organization. This is also a great way to “secure” gifts before Erie Gives that will have a greater impact on the big day!

Peer-to-Peer Fundraisers

Even if your board members aren’t required to make a contribution to serve your organization, they should never turn down an opportunity to support your mission and fundraise on your behalf. Acting as a peer-to-peer fundraiser, each board member can rally around your mission and collect donations as an ambassador and ally for your organization.

Tasks for these board members could include:

  • Create fundraisers on behalf of your organization: Your board members (as well as any other key supporters) can create their own personal fundraising pages to share out with their network to support your organization during Erie Gives. Sharing their personal stories of why they support your cause is a great way to inspire additional donors. Check out this Peer-to-Peer Fundraising Toolkit for more tips, tools, and resources!
  • Host a FUNdraisers party: Invite your board members, volunteers, and supporters to come together to learn about how they can rally around your cause during Erie Gives. All you need are some light refreshments and a few computers to get everyone set up with their own personal fundraising page.