There are hundreds of organizations whose board members are representatives of nonprofits that have joined together for the benefits that a coalition of organizations can bring. Houses of worship that want a presence on college campuses and that are aligned theologically will form an ecumenical “campus ministry” that may represent several denominations and traditions, and the board will be made up of representatives of the faith groups involved. Almost every state has a coalition against domestic violence, for which directors of local domestic violence or sexual assault prevention programs serve as board members. Like‐minded organizations often form coalitions around efforts, such as advocating for governmental policies, that will benefit all the groups' constituents. Sharing resources, working collaboratively, developing joint projects, and seeking to expand the reach of the work will all be done best by a coalition.

Most regional associations and national organizations draw most of their board of directors from the member organizations.

There are obvious advantages to this formation of the board. A regional or national organization whose mission is to strengthen local organizations as well as raise overall visibility for an issue will be best governed by those most affected by the decisions made. A board or staff member of a local chapter will be in the best position to represent the concerns of the local organization to a regional or national group. This person will also well understand the need for a regional or national umbrella, engendering a commitment to the coalition as well. Ideally, this person will be the most qualified to make policy and help plan for the coalition as well as to translate the work of the coalition as a whole to local member organizations.

A coalition is generally made up of separate freestanding organizations that come together for a purpose. This is different from a national organization with local chapters, but the fundraising challenges are similar. In a professionally staffed coalition, the executive director or development director works with board members whose primary loyalties and main fundraising commitments lie with the organizations they represent. Sometimes coalition board members have not actually chosen to serve; they may be appointed by their organization, and such service may be a part of their job description. In that case, with a job that is often more than full‐time, tasks related to coalition board service can receive short shrift. Getting such a board to raise money requires patience, perseverance, and a degree of maneuvering. However, it can be done.

EXAMINE THE PROBLEM

The first step is to examine the problem. Evaluate the excuses coalition board members offer for not being able to raise money. Most will say they can't participate in fundraising because they must raise money for their own organization. They will say that they can't ask the same people to give money to the umbrella group as well as to the local group, and they will claim that the local work has much more immediate appeal to donors. Next, they will point out that fundraising strategies other than face‐to‐face asking are difficult for a coalition to carry out. Special events, for example, require a local presence to generate interest in the event. Online appeals are not a good way to market an umbrella group because its structure and services are too complicated to explain. Local representatives are also reluctant to provide names of possible donors.

The reality of fundraising is that some individual donors, foundations, or corporations prefer to give locally; others have no preference and will give locally, regionally, and nationally; and still others would rather be part of a regional or national strategy. Further, as we have noted before, the vast majority of donors give to several organizations, so the notion that if they support the local chapter they will not give to the state organization is not true. The only way to know if a donor to a local organization would also give to the regional association is to ask them.

Local organizations are in the best position to identify sources of funding that are based in their communities but that might be equally if not more interested in regional or national work. Those sources should be solicited for the umbrella group. Sometimes a donor who contributes to an umbrella organization will, in fact, be more interested in supporting local work. The coalition should let all its donors know of all the local affiliates. Further, some donors will give to the local group and to the larger coalition, understanding the importance of both organizations to the overall cause being served.

Another common excuse coalition board members cite is that they don't have time to raise money for the coalition in addition to all their other responsibilities for both the umbrella board and their local group. This is a legitimate problem; however, these same people will spend hours debating personnel issues, discussing policy and program problems, and poring over the budget to see what can be cut. By shaving a few minutes off of each of those tasks, they would have some time for fundraising.

To be frank, you will fight an uphill and pointless battle if you spend all your time trying to get executive directors or active board members of local groups to raise money for the coalition or umbrella group. It is better to spend time recruiting and developing other board members who understand why the coalition itself is important and who will focus on raising money for that entity.

SOME SOLUTIONS

Here are some ways to solve coalition fundraising problems. First, consider reserving three slots on the coalition board for at‐large members—people who are not associated with any of the coalition's member organizations. These people might be former staff or former board members of the local chapters, but ideally, they are people who prefer to work at a regional or national level. Their primary loyalty should be to the coalition, and their primary task should be fundraising. They can take part in all other discussions and decisions of the board if they want, or they can be part of a separate fundraising committee. When they are recruited they understand that raising money is going to be the main task they perform for this organization.

Second, when you recruit representatives from local entities to be on the umbrella board, try to move away from asking executive directors. Others can represent the local organization well, such as a former staff person or a board member. These people will have more time to devote to the umbrella board.

One social justice federated fund requests that member groups send as their representative someone who “does not have major responsibility for the health and well‐being of the local organization.” Its board is active in fundraising, and board members do not have the problem of divided loyalties. They are clear that they represent their local organization, yet their primary task is to promote the umbrella organization. Further, they understand that they work best for their local group by being part of a strong umbrella organization.

Third, coalitions perform a vital service for their members and need to create some kind of income stream, such as a dues structure, that reflects the value of the work they are doing. Paying dues reinforces the idea that at least part of the budget of the coalition needs to be produced by the board representatives of the local organizations. It also reinforces the importance of the coalition's work. Dues can be structured so that groups with larger budgets pay more than smaller affiliates, but dues should constitute at least 20% of the income of the coalition.

Working closely with individual board members, lobbying with member groups for the most appropriate people to be nominated, and creating an organizational culture in which everyone participates in fundraising will enable an umbrella organization to get maximum use of its board for fundraising. The following case study provides one example of a successful coalition's fundraising effort.