A key role for any nonprofit board is ambassadorship: representing and promoting the organization throughout their networks and communities.

In today’s post – adapted from a recent webinar hosted by the Sustainability Network and co-created by my colleague Harvey McKinnon – I’m pleased to offer twenty tools and techniques you can use to:

• Strengthen your board’s communications skills.
• Help them develop their own language and stories.
• Improve their listening skills.
• Build their confidence.

Begin with tools and training

1. Give them business cards for your organization (with their own names!) Use the back of the card for your mission statement, or a list of programs, or prompts to start a conversation. If you want to have fun, make it a contest: The first board member who gives away a certain number of business cards wins a prize.

2. Provide name plates with your organization’s logo, the board member’s name, and “Board of Directors.” New rule: wear these at all your events. (As you can see, Harvey has served on quite a few boards.)

3. Mandatory ambassador training – because no one automatically knows how to do this stuff. You’ll find lots of training ideas below.

Next, help board members sharpen their stories

4. Volunteer with the organization to deepen their experience and build a personal “story bank.” They can help out at the shelter, plant trees, deliver meals, be an usher at a performance, mentor kids, and so on. Indeed, when recruiting new board members, consider your most loyal volunteers.

5. Clarify their own story. Why do they care? How do they connect with the mission?

6. Craft a personal elevator pitch, rather than asking board members to memorize the same five bullets. Help them find their own language using their own stories.

7. Prepare and share a testimonial. Testimonials can be written, audio, and/or video. They’re great for your website, newsletters, e-news, social media, podcasts, fundraising materials, news releases, and so on.

8. Learn and share five impact stories. Because every ambassador needs a variety of stories for different audiences.

Now it’s time to engage others

9. Learn and practice active listening. Effective ambassadors listen more (a LOT more) than they speak. Here’s a link to an active listening exercise you can use to train your board.

10. Ask better questions. Which questions will invite meaningful conversations … especially conversations that connect with the mission and programs of your organization?

11. Use social media to share info about your group and how people can get involved.

12. Invite their networks to learn more, attend events, volunteer, and donate.

13. Host, co-host, or attend a house party. House parties are great for cultivating, asking, and thanking donors. They’re also terrific opportunities for recruiting new volunteers.

14. Work the room. When people gather, board members can (and should) say hello, introduce themselves, ask questions, and connect guests with other guests. Learn to be a proactive, engaging, friendly host.

Create next-level ambassadors

15. Review donor lists – both your internal list and those published by peer nonprofits in their annual reports, newsletters, etc. Look for connections between board members and current and prospective donors.

16. Reach out to new communities. Your board can expand the constituency for your work.

17. Recruit new board members. Peer-to-peer is always an effective asking strategy, especially when you’re seeking new leaders.

18. Participate in donor meetings. Are your board members afraid to talk with donors? Expose them to something uncomfortable – and it becomes less uncomfortable. Go in teams. Board members can talk about why they’re involved. Staff can ask for the gift.

19. Public speaking. The number one fear in North America – yes, public speaking! – is an efficient way to reach a captive audience. Recruit board members to talk to local business networks, religious congregations, fraternal groups, your city council, and so on.

20. Designate a legacy gift for your organization … and TALK ABOUT IT. Board members are the best spokespeople for your planned giving program.

Celebrate small victories

If you’re training your current board – and also recruiting new board members with appropriate ambassador skills – this process takes time. Your goal, as the coach, is to celebrate small victories and reinforce positive behaviors.

Try this. During three or four board meetings per year, take ten minutes to go around the table (or the Zoom screen) and ask everyone to share one thing they’ve done recently to reach others and promote your organization. 

These check-ins provide a modest level of accountability. More importantly, it’s a way to honor and acknowledge their efforts. When board members hear what their peers are doing – and maybe even get excited about it – they are more likely to follow through themselves.