<img class="alignright" src="http://0.tqn.com/h/nonprofit/1/3/D/G/-/-/loveletter.jpg" alt="A love letter with a rose." />

<p>There is a lot of wailing and gnashing of teeth when it comes to the subject of nonprofit boards. And it's true that many nonprofits have woefully inadequate boards that don't understand their fundraising duties nor even want to engage in helping with fundraising.

<p>This month's Nonprofit Blog Carnival host, Erik Anderson of Donor Dreams, <a href="http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc&zu=http://donordreams.wordpress.com/2013/04/30/nonprofit-blog-carnival-dear-board-volunteers/">challenged us to write a letter to our board members</a> (or a fictional board) that expressed all that we ever wanted to say...good or bad...to them.

<p>I am lucky. The boards I've worked with have been pretty terrific, especially that first one when I was new to nonprofit work and was still learning the rules of staff/board relationships.

<p>I have decided to put my gratitude into a love letter to that board for teaching me so much.
<p><!--more-->
<p>Dear Board,

<p>After many years, I'm writing to tell you how much I learned from you. The lessons have stayed with me my entire career, and when I was in tough situations later, I often have recalled you with great affection. Here's what I'm grateful for:

<p>--for understanding the relationship between board and staff and for following proper protocol. You worked so well with all of us who staffed your board meetings, committee meetings, retreats, and events. You never crossed the line by micro-managing, or forgetting that we reported to the ED; and you always respected our time and place within the organization.

<p>--for being willing to get up very early for those committee meetings. Loved that restaurant where we met, and I appreciated your attention to the materials that I sent out in advance. I prepared like I was giving a TED Talk, and you listened, participated, offered suggestions as well as contacts and introductions when needed.

<p>--for recruiting the best minds around for our board. You took your recruiting duties seriously and either took your turn serving on the recruitment committee or was always willing to feed information to those who were on it. As a result, we had some of the best community and croporate leaders on our board with a myriad of skills and expertise. Thank you too for finding the best on-the-ground volunteers that we had and bringing them onto the board.

<p>--for your unfailing courtesy even when one of us, the staff, stumbled in our reports, and for asking intelligent questions. You set a high standard through your own meticulous attendance at meetings and your diligent preparation for them. As staff, we all rose to the occasion and brought you our best work.

<p>--for your pride in the organization and willingness to open doors, make introductions, and ask your contacts, friends, and family to support us.

<p>--for your generosity. Even though we had no minimum gift requirements for board members, you understood your fiduciary responsibilities fully and gave generously year after year without needing nudges or reminders.

<p>--for getting along among yourselves. I don't rememer any infighting, backbiting, or political maneuvers. You probed, questioned, and challenged each other, but always with grace and good will. When one board member became overly critical or even slightly abusive, you handled it yourselves without drama.

<p>--for always being willing to back us up when the chips were down, publicly and privately. And for always making time for us when we needed it outside of regularly scheduled meetings. It made handling our crises so much easier, knowing that you trusted us and were willing to share your expertise when it was needed.

<p>--finally, thank you for finding, recruiting, and grooming two of the best board presidents I've ever worked with. They were rock stars, luminaries in the community, articulate about our organization's mission, and totally gracious and easy to work with.

<p>Forgive me for taking so long to say thanks. At the time I thought all boards would be like you. I took you for granted. But I learned eventually just how lucky I was and what an exemplary board you truly were. As Dr. Seuss said, "You'll miss the best things if you keep your eyes shut." Fortunately, my eyes are now wide open.

<p>Your admirer forever....


<p>What do you want to say to board members? Write your letter and submit it to the Carnival. <a href="http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc&zu=http://donordreams.wordpress.com/2013/04/30/nonprofit-blog-carnival-dear-board-volunteers/">Here are the details</a>.

<p>You will also want to see the <a href="http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc&zu=http://donordreams.wordpress.com/">series of letters</a> that Erik has been running all month.

<p><i>Photo: Barry Marcus/Getty Images</i>

<p><b>About.com Nonprofit Charitable Orgs Newsletter</b>
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<img class="alignnone" src="http://0.tqn.com/h/nonprofit/1/H/E/G/-/-/olderamericansmonth2.jpg" alt="Older American's Month photo and slogan for 2013." />
<p>May is <a href="http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc&zu=http://www.olderamericansmonth.acl.gov/">Older Americans Month</a> (its 50th anniversary!), a great time to thank your older donors and volunteers, and to simply appreciate the rich diversity that older people bring to our organizations.

<p>This year's slogan for the month-long celebration of older people is "Unleash the Power of Age." How will you do that? Check out the official website (sponsored by U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the Administration for Community Living) for lots of ideas that you can jump into immediately.

<p>Volunteerism is one of the hallmarks of aging. People simply do more of it as they age. Plus, volunteering is steadily becoming more popular for this age group as we learn about its benefits to our physical and mental health.

<p><a href="http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc&zu=http://www.aarp.org/">AARP</a>, the premiere advocacy organization for older Americans, has become an ardent promoter of volunteeism among older people. AARP, which does significant surveying, found that volunteering is becoming steadily <a href-"http://www.aarp.org/politics-society/advocacy/info-01-2013/older-adults-are-big-on-volunteering.html">more popular</a>, In 2003 62% of older adults volunteered. That number rose to 69% in 2009, and in 2012 stood at 76%.

<p>Why? One reason is that volunteering just keeps older people in the pink. A recent <a href="http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc&zu=http://volunteer.ca/content/volunteering-and-older-adults-final-report">study by Volunteer Canada</a> incorporated much of the research on this topic from recent years and found that volunteering does these things for older people:
<ul>
<li>improves physical functioning
<li>enhances emotional health
<li>provides social advantages, and
<li>is good for brain health.
</ul>

<p>All of those factors are turning out to be key to longevity, and not just existing but living an energetic and engaged life well into old age.

<p>So what are you doing to recruit, engage, and grow your nonprofit or charity with the help of older people?

<p>Here are some resources about older adults and volunteering:

<ul>
<li><a href="http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc&zu=http://nonprofit.about.com/b/2012/05/09/older-people-rule-in-may.htm">Last year's info about Older American's Month</a>
<li><a href="http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc&zu=http://nonprofit.about.com/od/fundraising/a/6-Tips-For-Reaching-Baby-Boomers-As-They-Turn-65.htm">6 Tips for How Nonprofits Can Reach Baby Boomers as They Turn 65</a>
<li><a href="http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc&zu=http://www.encore.org/">How Encore.org Encourages Older Americans to Give Back</a>
<li><a href="http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc&zu=http://www.aarp.org/giving-back/volunteering/experience-corps.html?cmp=RDRCT-EXPE_SEPT09_011&?intcmp=DSO-SEARCH-AARPSUGG">Experience Corps, AARP, and How Older People Help With Literacy</a>
<li><a href="http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc&zu=http://www.census.gov/newsroom/releases/archives/facts_for_features_special_editions/cb13-ff07.html">Facts about Older Americans from the Census Bureau</a>
</ul>
<p><i>Image: Courtesy of U.S. Department of Health and Human Services</i>

<p><b>About.com Nonprofit Charitable Orgs Newsletter</b>
<br />Sign up for my <a href="http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc&zu=http://nonprofit.about.com/gi/pages/stay.htm#rs">free email newsletter</a> and keep up to date with the latest nonprofit news, trends and tips.

<img class="alignnone" src="http://0.tqn.com/h/nonprofit/1/H/B/G/-/-/How-Benevolent-Works---Imgur.jpg" alt="Diagram showing how Benevolent works." />

<p><a href="http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc&zu=http://www.benevolent.net/index.html">Benevolent's</a> mission is simple. Help people who just need a modest helping hand to dig out of a tough spot. And do it through online crowdfunding.

<p>There are so many crowdfunding sites that have sprung up in recent years that it is truly daunting to keep up, but this one caught my attention almost instantly.

<p>So what's so special about it?
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<p><b>Its Relevancy.</b> Everyday now we hear about the long-term unemployed, about families in need, and ordinary people who have fallen on hard times through no fault of their own. Benevolent offers a simple way to help individuals, not an organization, for a reasonable cost.

<p><b>Its Backstory.</b> Benevolent was launched in 2011 by <a href="http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc&zu=http://www.linkedin.com/pub/megan-kashner/6/956/30b">Megan Kashner</a>, a social worker and experienced nonprofit professional in Chicago, who grasped the power of crowdfunding and of focusing on one individual and one specific need. Kashner's pilot program raised more than $35,000 for more than 70 people in just 15 months.

<p><b>Its Safety.</b> People like to give to people, but they want to make sure that their donations are safe. That's why Benevolent works with nonprofits who have to "vouch" for an individual and verify that their need is legitimate and reasonable. The money goes to the nonprofit and then to the person. Benevolent says that the average donation at the site is $50 and the average need is $470.

<p><b>Its Backers.</b> Kashner was invited to present her idea at last year's <a href="http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc&zu=http://www.whitehouse.gov/webform/white-house-forum-philanthropic-innovation-september-20th">White House Forum on Philanthropy Innovation</a>. The keynote speaker was Jean Case of the <a href="http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc&zu=http://casefoundation.org/">Case Foundation</a> and she liked Benevolent, calling it one of the best programs presented.

<p>Now, Benevolent has received $285,000 in grants from two major foundations, the <a href="http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc&zu=http://www.knightfoundation.org/">John S. and James L Knight Foundation</a> and the Marjorie S. Fisher Fund of the Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan. The new money will help fund the expansion of Benevolent into three new cities, Detroit, Charlotte, North Carolina, and San Jose/Silicon Valley.

<p><b>Its Simplicity.</b> Online, potential donors see profiles of people in need with a very specific request. For instance one man needs to get his car repaired so he can go to his new job; a woman needs a computer so she can work from home even though she is disabled; and a mother with a two-year old needs some furniture for their apartment.

<p>Needs tend to be just a few hundred dollars at most, and donors can make small contributions. The website is simple, almost austere, but it works well. One person's story at a time, one simple need, amount needed, progress toward completion. Click, fill out simple form, done.


<p>Having proved its worth in Chicago, now the organization is set to expand. The three new cities were chosen because their low income residents face some unique challenges.

<p>For instance in Detroit, the median houshold income decreased more than a third in recent years and half of the city's household have to manage with less than $25,000 annual incomes.

<p>In San Jose, the properous tech industry has brought in a tide of transient workers who often work for low wages while living in an area with one of the highest cost of living rates in the country.

<p>In Charlotte, census figures show that the percentage of families in poverty has nearly doubled between 2000 and 2010.

<p>I like this crowdfunding site very much. As one of its new funders, Mrs Fisher of the Marjorie S. Fisher Fund, said, "This is not charity, it is neighbors helping neighbors."

<p>Benevolent feels that way to me too. That's why I gave.

<p><i>Photo: Courtesy of Benevolent</i>.