Not for profit governance series: Fundraising essentials for board members

Overview

Barrer & Co's Managing Director Sarah Barrer led a session for those Directors who are involved in the NFP sector and are interested in getting a better feel for the areas that are important for them to understand in relation to revenue generation through fundraising, including risk and policy management.

This session starts by providing context around the current state of play in regards to philanthropic giving in NZ and the impacts of the pandemic and global crisis on fundraising globally and here in NZ.

Sarah then talks through areas that NFP Board members should have some knowledge of, some of these include:

How do you best support fundraising as a governance group?
Why is fundraising an organisational wide activity?
What is your role in fundraising?
What questions should you be asking of your management team to better understand fundraising?
What is the difference between sales and fundraising?

Speaker

Sarah Barrer

Sarah has been working in the not-for-profit industry since 2008, and she has headed Barrer & Co since 2012 with a vision to support organisations to achieve their fundraising goals through developing effective strategy and relationship management.

Sarah’s driving passion is to focus on the individual needs of an organisation and work alongside the board and the staff responsible for fundraising to provide solutions within their context. To achieve this, she utilises the skills she has gained with her background working in corporate relationship management and her experience as a member of several boards – most recently Hagar International and Life Education Trust Canterbury, as well as her extensive not-for-profit specialisation.

Sarah’s fundraising philosophy is based on considered analysis and planning, enhancing stakeholder relationships, meaningful stewardship, and expectation management. Together with this, Sarah utilises traditional methodology and new and innovative ideas to create success; since the inception of Barrer & Co, she has helped 134 not-for-profit boards in the areas of strategic planning, research and analysis, capital campaigns, operational efficiency, long-term funding sustainability and increases in revenue generation.

Sarah is intent on providing support efficiently to organisations, from the top down; she has learned that consulting at governance level and having a confident and engaged board means the essentials of best practice fundraising will then naturally trickle down to the staff, volunteers and other stakeholders of the not-for-profit.This traditionally under-resourced sector has become a passionate area of interest for Sarah and her personal characteristics of resilience, transparency, honesty and perseverance have helped to form her expertise.