The most important activity on every cultivation plan for soliciting major gifts from prospective donors is a personal meeting or visit. You will want to meet with all major gifts prospects, regardless of whether you already have a good relationship with them (board members and other volunteers), as well as those you need to meet… <a href="http://www.tripointfundraising.com/the-pre-ask-meeting-who-what-when-where-and-why/">Continue »</a>

<img class="alignright" src="http://0.tqn.com/h/nonprofit/1/3/z/F/-/-/talkingpoints.jpg" alt="Illustration of talking points." />

<p>Talking points aren't just for press conferences.

<p>When I attended my very first workshop to learn how to talk to the press, I thought that the tips were very interesting, but that I was unlikely to ever have to use them.

<p>I was so wrong about that, since my career carried me into several situations where I was indeed talking to reporters.

<p>What I didn't realize at the time either was just how useful the whole idea of talking points would be, and not just when working with the media.

<p>Of all the advice I've been given over the years, certainly "talking points" have turned out to be super valuable. You know how some things just become positive habits that you don't really have to think about but that stave off problems? Well, I have a talking points habit.

<p>Talking points are often derided, especially in the media, as robotic adherence to the "company line." And certainly they should never be that. Talking points should be your own, even if they begin with your lawyer or the PR department. When they just create "mouth pieces," they don't work.

<p>But, really. What is wrong with being prepared? And that is what talking points are really about. They are just a way to organize our thoughts and to get across the information that we want to convey even when our nerves are raw and distractions are mighty.

<p>And they shouldn't be elaborate either. A few one-word reminders written on a napkin will suffice in a pinch. The more detailed they are, the harder they are to manage. Extended talking points could have you flipping pages, looking for that wee piece of information, and generally ruining the look of cool and composed that you're after.

<p>I've used talking points in these situations:
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<li><b>Job interviews.</b> Is there anything quite as nerve challenging as a job interview? Thinking ahead and jotting down the three or four things you want to leave with your prospective employer is a way of achieving some measure of control in an otherwise uncontrollable situation. Even if you're in an informational interview or enjoying a casual "coffee shop" meeting with a potential employer, talking points can keep you out of trouble. They work well too when you are the interviewer, and the same set can do across interviews with many candidates. You know those group interviews that are so prevalent in nonprofits? Talking points will help, whether you're on the hiring committee or the one being grilled.

<br /><br /><li><b>Media interviews.</b> You don't have to be in a crisis to find yourself at one end of an interview. It could be with your own in house editor/writer of your newsletter, the events reporter at your local newspaper inquiring about your spring auction, or a blogger asking for your best tips for volunteers. Writing down the top handful of ideas you want to say will put you at ease in a situation that, because it does seem casual, might lead you into wasting everyone's time with irrelevant or disjointed information. Use them whether you're interviewed in person, on the phone, or by video chat.

<br /><br /><li><b>Board meetings.</b> Whether you are on a nonprofit board or a staff member giving a report at a board meeting, jotting down what you want to say before you get there is invaluable. Whether you're giving a presentation with a jillion power point slides, or just anticipate being asked your opinion about the latest board policy, talking points will help put you at ease. Just the process of thinking about them and jotting them down can clarify your thinking.
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<p>Talking points. I never leave home (or office) without them. The best advice I ever got.

<p>Do you use some version of talking points? When and how? What are your tips?

<p>Never heard of talking points? Here is a good explanation: <a href="http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc&zu=http://marketing.about.com/od/publicrelation1/a/talkingpoints.htm">What Are Talking Points and How Do You Write Them?</a>

<p><b>Related:</b> <a href="http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc&zu=http://nonprofit.about.com/od/nonprofitpromotion/tp/crisistips.htm">Crisis Management for Nonprofits</a> - <a href="http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc&zu=http://nonprofit.about.com/od/mediarelations/tp/issuesmanagement.htm">10 Steps to a Nonprofit Issues Management Program</a>

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

<img class="alignnone" src="http://0.tqn.com/h/nonprofit/1/3/x/F/-/-/responsibility.jpg" alt="Road sign with the word "Responsibility."" />

<p>For board members, it's simple. The buck stops here.

That's the message from David Lansdowne, author of <a href="http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc&zu=http://www.emersonandchurch.com/books/fundraisingrealities.html">Fundraising Realities Every Board Member Must Face</a>.

<p>The second edition of this popular book is now available, and it's just as wonderful as the first one. Here's my <a href="http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc&zu=http://nonprofit.about.com/od/fundraising/fr/boardfundraise.htm"> review of it</a>.

<p>If your board, like many out there, is shirking its fundraising duties, this is the book you should buy for each member. Then organize a board meeting or retreat based on it.

<p>What will your board learn?
<ul>
<li>Well, for starters, they are in good company as board members. Lansdowne estimates that out of any random group of 100 adults, seven are likely to be serving on a nonprofit board.

<p><li>They are not alone either in disliking, if not actually fearing, asking people for money. Although fear of the ask doesn't appear on the Anxiety Disorders Association of America's list of the most common phobias (remember snakes, spiders, public speaking?), Lansdowne figures the ADAA simply had a momentary lapse when they did their research, overlooking this common anxiety.

<p><li>That boards have an obligation to give and to get. Sorry, folks, but when you sign on to a nonprofit board, that's where the buck stops. The financial well being of the organization is in your hands. And people won't have much inclination to give (and that means large donors and those people holding the purse strings of foundations) if you are not the first ones writing a check.
</ul>

<p>There's a whole lot in this tiny book. And its advice is clear, straight forward, hard hitting, and helpful. Your board members will learn what asking entails, how to do it well, and how to control fear of the ask.

<p>For nonprofit leaders, just know that training your board about their fundraising obligations and exactly how to approach and convert donors will result in more and bigger donations. You'll also learn exactly how to train your board, motivate them, and how to make their asking easier and more successful.

<p>The subtitle of "Fundraising Realities" is "A 1-Hour Crash Course on Raising Major Gifts for Nonprofit Organizations." The 1-hour is reality. The book is a quick read, and you'll be grateful to Lansdowne for distilling the basics down into such easy-to-grasp concepts.

<p><b>Read more about boards and fundraising:</b>
<ul>
<li><a href="http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc&zu=http://nonprofit.about.com/b/2013/01/21/getting-sane-about-your-board-and-fundraising.htm">Getting Sane About Your Board and Fundraising</a>
<li><a href="http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc&zu=http://nonprofit.about.com/b/2012/11/28/research-turns-up-best-practices-for-board-fundraising.htm">Research Turns Up Best Practices for Board Fundraising</a>
<li><a href="http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc&zu=http://nonprofit.about.com/od/boardquestions/a/6-Questions-And-Answers-About-Your-Nonprofits-First-Board-Of-Directors.htm">Your Nonprofit's First Board of Directors</a>
</ul>

<p><i>Photo: iStockPhotos.</i>