Why Democracy Matters in Non-Profit Decision Making

Using the democratic process when making important group decisions is a necessary for non-profits that want to secure the necessary funding, donors, and new board members.

Certain non-profits have very strict rules about who can make financial or logistical decisions for the entire organization, and often times, going through all these different fundraising facilitators can leave organizations vulnerable to audits and loss of grant opportunity.

Many non-profit fundraisers experience these common roadblocks or hindrances when trying to increase donations for their charitable work.

The most common donor communication obstacles 

Donor relationship management is such a huge part of the non-profit workload, it usually requires the help of  full-time staff support along with any number of the thousands of donor management software tools available.

In days past, most non-profit organizations would reach out to donors during key fundraising periods only, a trend that has since been left by the wayside in favor of building more personal (and thereby, profitable) connections with the individuals who financially support them.

Despite the increase knowledge about managing donor relationships, 77% of US non-profits report losing donors after their first gift.

To help retain your most important supporters, consider creating a committee who’s sole responsibility is to make decisions related to donor retention. By giving this committee the power to consult with each other, review current fundraising status, and vote on the tactics they believe will keep donors giving, your non-profit has a better opportunity to manage these desirable relationships.

1. Not establishing a fundraising culture from the top down

Is your board involved in your non-profit’s biggest fundraising discussions?

Do they hold any weight on your ability to raise funds, secure grants or do donor outreach?

If you answered yes to either of these, then you can already see the value of including your board members in major fundraising decisions.

Your board should be your organization’s number one supporter, and they should be actively helping to raise funds and secure big donors, but that doesn’t mean you have to leave them out of the small details either!

To do:

Consider holding board votes to get their insight and value on all these things funded related by using a fast, simple and reliable online election tool.

This can help your organization both increase efficiency and productivity in just a simple steps, and it helps drive much needed participation from your executive board!

2. Not Presenting the Full Picture

When planning a gala, new fundraising campaign or special giving initiative, it’s important that everyone impacted by your organization has a clear idea of your goals and desired outcomes.

Most non-profits have expert marketers, event planners, and fundraisers who can help them rake in big bucks from donors and grants, but often times board members, organizational staff and the people they serve are not on the same page about the tactics used to get there.

To do:

Taking a democratic approach could mean sending community fundraising ballots to your non-profit members and patrons in order to gather ideas and feedback on upcoming campaigns.

It could also be a small non-profit deciding to nominate a Fundraising Chair in order to scale their success as they grow.

What's the point?

The point is, when non-profit organizations prioritize collaboration in fundraising, the better the outcomes they can expect to see.

Whether you’re looking to reach 100% board participation for your donors, or you’re planning to amend your non-profit’s fundraising bylaws, eBallot is here and ready with virtual or hybrid election solutions for your organization. Tour our platform today to learn more!

eBallot has online voting solutions for corporate, organizational, association, HOA, union, education or university elections, contact Sales at help@eballot.com or start a live chat to get your election running today.