How to Ask Your Board Members to Help with Marketing
Hi friends!
It’s no secret that nonprofits are busy, understaffed, and juggling a billion things at once.
When you’re struggling to keep up with everything on your plate, something has to give.
And, in my experience… that “something” is usually marketing.
Now, don’t get me wrong: I know you know marketing is important.
But the reality is that so many nonprofit organizations simply don’t have the time to do it.
So, what do you do?
Well, since the best solution is usually the simplest…
And that means it’s time to ask for help.
The problem with asking for “help”
“Help” is a very vague word, and there are lots of ways that getting help isn’t helpful.
For example, involving a board member with a social media video can be helpful…
Unless it also comes with extra rounds of approvals, and a ton of back-and-forth that actually takes longer than just doing it yourself.
So, if you want to get help from your board that’s actually helpful, here’s how to do it.
✅ Be specific with your ask
Generic asks like “help with social media” or “support with event promotions” leave a lot of room for interpretation (or misinterpretation).
The best way to make sure you get help in exactly the way you need it is to:
- Be very specific in how you ask, and
- Make it as simple as humanly possible.
Here are some ways to hit both points with your ask for help:
- “Can you invite a friend to this event (share the registration link)?”
- “Can you share this post (insert the link) on your own social media?”
- “Can you drop off these flyers (give them the flyers) to this local business?”
✅ Include a timeframe and/or deadline
As a nonprofit employee yourself, you know how hard it can be to make time for additional tasks — especially ones that aren’t your own.
So, when you ask a board member for help with something, make sure they know when it’s “due,” whether that’s:
- “Before our next meeting”
- “By the end of the week”
- “In the next two weeks”
Not only does that give them a deadline to work with, but it also allows them to assess whether they can hit your deadline (and respectfully decline if not).
✅ Have clear expectations (and share them)
When you hear “reach out to someone” or “share this,” what does that mean to you?
Chances are, the way you’d approach these tasks is unique to you — and your board members probably have an approach that’s unique to them.
The best way to mitigate the differences in process and interpretation is to set clear expectations from the get-go, including:
- Any processes/procedures they have to follow
- Any non-negotiable preferences like style, tone of voice, etc.
- Tips, tricks, or advice that can help them meet your expectations
The clearer you are on what you need help with, the more likely you are to actually get help in the way that you need it.
✅ Schedule a follow up
Make sure your ask for help doesn’t fall through the cracks.
Schedule a follow-up meeting, ask for progress updates, or make time in an existing board meeting to ensure all the t’s are crossed and i’s are dotted.
Asking for help can be tough…
But trying to do everything on your own is tougher.
Don’t be afraid to ask for help, play to your board members’ strengths, and use the community you have.
After all, making a difference really does take a village.
Catrina
P.S. Need support outlining expectations or getting much-needed processes in place for your board? Reply to this email and let’s schedule a call!
