<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>