Building trust and transparency: trustees and fundraising

In this blog, Chartered Institute of Fundraising Head of Scotland, Hazel Crombie, shares how trustees can go the extra mile to support fundraising within their organisation.

Trustees are in a unique position to transform an organisation by making sure its fundraising lines up with its purpose, values and culture. This has never been more important, as charities and donors are facing unprecedented challenges due to the cost-of-living crisis. Trustees and fundraisers need to work together to ensure their organisation’s financial sustainability by finding ways to connect with passionate supporters and inspiring them to give. Getting this right takes time and work, but our guidance Trustees and Fundraising in Scotland is a great starting point, and has a wide range of practical advice on regulations, organisational processes and fundraising strategies. Having been a fundraiser, what stood out to me as I read it was the importance of developing trusting and transparent relationships between fundraising teams and boards. Here are some of the ways to make this happen.

Make time to collaborate

Finding the best way to bring fundraisers and trustees together is key to ensuring both sides’ perspectives are accounted for. As every charity is different, how to best collaborate with trustees will vary from organisation to organisation. For larger organisations, trustees might focus on providing strategic advice at board meetings, whereas in smaller organisations they might be more hands-on, such as reaching out to contacts who could be potential donors. There is no one-size-fits-all approach, so I would recommend exploring different ways of working together until you find what’s best for you.

Trustees need to learn about fundraising

The more boards understand about different kinds of fundraising, the better. It makes it a lot easier for them to assess any associated risks and make informed decisions on where to prioritise investment. Fundraisers need to take time to teach the board about different areas of fundraising, what works best for their donors, and why. This might be quite simple for certain types of fundraising, but for others - especially new areas such as digital fundraising - there might need to be some structured sessions to upskill trustees. Some CIOF members have found that reverse mentoring sessions have really helped improve trustees’ knowledge of digital fundraising, which has led to them winning investment into innovative new projects.

Prioritise fundraisers’ wellbeing

Over the past two years, fundraisers have faced huge challenges and stepped up to give their supporters a great experience whilst generating vital income to keep services running. But in some cases, this led to unrealistic expectations from their organisations and burnout. This in turn has led to many charities struggling to fill fundraising roles. Trustees need to carefully consider how they set targets and expectations for fundraisers, and that they have sufficient resources and investment to meet them. If I became a trustee tomorrow, the first thing I would do is speak to the fundraising team, take the time understand their pressures, priorities and the support they need. Then make sure the rest of the board is aware of their successes and advocate for the organisation to invest in them. I’ll be talking about all of this, and more, in our joint Trustees and Fundraising webinar with SCVO to celebrate Trustees’ Week. On Tuesday 8 November you can hear from sector experts and fellow trustees about how fundraisers and boards can work together and find out more about the regulatory landscape in Scotland.