While we typically talk about the core features of having a digital platform designed to streamline and enhance the governance and operations, with this blog we are excited to highlight the ways a nonprofit board portal can play a significant role in enhancing board involvement in fundraising efforts. 

This is an area where we on the BellesBoard team have wanted to make an impact for quite some time — and now we are thrilled to announce a new partnership (and product integration!) with Blackbaud Raiser’s Edge NXT that’s tying it all together!

Blackbaud is the world’s leading software platform for social good. BellesBoard seamlessly integrates with Blackbaud Raiser’s Edge NXT to provide an AI-powered fundraising coach for your board members.

Here’s how your board portal can support your organization’s fundraising efforts:

1. Access to (Curated) Donor Information: BellesBoard provides board members with secure access to donor information directly from RE NXT, including donor histories, giving patterns, and contact details. This enables board members to better understand the donor base and identify potential major donors or supporters. Development staff can now “assign” board members to particular prospects.
2. Real-Time Fundraising Updates: Board members can use the portal to access real-time fundraising updates, such as campaign progress, donation totals, and fundraising goals. Having this information readily available keeps board members informed and engaged in fundraising initiatives.
3. Resource Sharing: The portal can serve as a repository for fundraising resources, including grant proposals, fundraising plans, and marketing materials. Board members can access these resources to help promote fundraising activities, solicit donations, and support grant applications.
4. Communication and Collaboration: BellesBoard facilitates communication and collaboration among board members and fundraising teams. Board members can participate in discussions, offer insights, and provide guidance to fundraising staff, helping to align fundraising efforts with the organization’s mission and goals.
5. Donor Stewardship: Board members can use the portal to stay updated on donor stewardship efforts. They can review thank-you letters, acknowledgments, and reports on how donor contributions are making an impact. This can help board members personally engage with donors and express gratitude for their support.
6. Setting Fundraising Goals: The portal can be used to set and track fundraising goals, allowing board members to monitor progress and adjust strategies as needed. This ensures that the board remains actively involved in shaping fundraising priorities and strategies. Track it all directly from your RE NXT Actions!
7. Transparency: Transparency is essential in fundraising. A board portal can help maintain transparency by providing access to financial reports, budgets, and fundraising performance metrics. Board members can use this data to ask informed questions and make data-driven decisions related to fundraising.
8. Board Fundraising Committees: Many nonprofits have fundraising committees within their boards. A board portal can serve as a valuable platform for these committees to coordinate their efforts, share information, and track progress toward fundraising goals.
9. Training and Education: The portal can host training materials and resources related to fundraising techniques, donor cultivation, and ethical fundraising practices. This is where our AI-Powered Fundraising Coach comes in!
10. Task Management: Board portals often include task management and assignment features, which can be used to delegate fundraising-related responsibilities and track progress on specific fundraising initiatives.

In summary, a nonprofit board portal can help board members become more engaged in fundraising efforts by providing them with access to information, resources, and tools that support fundraising activities.

This increased involvement can lead to more effective fundraising campaigns and better collaboration between the board and the fundraising team.

Stay tuned to learn more about how we’re supporting this through our partnership with Raiser’s Edge NXT!

One of the features frequently mentioned in testimonials praising BellesBoard is the ease and convenience provided by our product. Much of this is due to the portal being available at every users’ fingertips. The BellesBoard mobile app seamlessly converts the desktop view into a mobile one, and allows any user to access all their information from their cell-phone. 

We know our users are busy people, often on the run from conferences to meetings or commuting to and from the office. Oftentimes, it is inconvenient to pull out a laptop in flight, on the train, or in the back of a cab. Nonetheless, some matters are pressing and need to be dealt with regardless of the environment. With the BellesBoard mobile app, the stress of attempting to access the materials from your computer [while on the go] is gone! Simply unlock your phone and open your BellesBoard app to get access to your board-related information and documents.. 

There are multiple digital portals currently on the market. Despite the high profile of these competitors, BellesBoard is showing impressive growth in the marketplace as it remains the more economical option, while never depriving users of features, ease, or accessibility. For those seeking our premium plan, BellesBoard remains less than $200 per month. There are alternative portals to BellesBoard that, although quality products, are three times this cost. The price point of these platforms keeps them unaffordable for nonprofit organizations with small to mid-sized budgets. Furthermore, many of these products do not yet offer some of BellesBoard’s most beloved features, particularly the mobile app. 

The mobile app is essential for BellesBoard’s users as it ensures that all their information and data is at their fingertips. Another of BellesBoard’s most popular features is the reminder. When a deadline for your signature is approaching, BellesBoard will send you alerts until the signature has been received. This helps maintain organizational compliance. Alternately, reminders pop up to let Board members know a meeting is coming up. With the app, you can sign documents and meet deadlines from your phone. And, you will see helpful meeting reminders, resulting in better attendance at committee and full Board meetings. Receiving notifications on your mobile as opposed to pop-ups on your laptop are better in acting as reminders. 

Communication has never been easier than with BellesBoard’s mobile app. Use the chat feature to maintain contact with your team or committee. With all users already uploaded into the system, you need not add contacts nor write out full length emails. You can maintain a steady level of communication, ensuring questions are received and answered in a timely manner is essential to functional business. 

Provide your busy Board members with the tools they need to be engaged and successful. Try BellesBoard and our convenient mobile app.

The team at BellesBoard knows and understands how busy those in the nonprofit sphere are. Board members and leadership team members juggle multiple tasks and wear many hats. With limited time, the need for easy-to-use, efficient tools is a must. At BellesBoard we are acutely aware of the time and effort needed to roll out a new digital portal. When transferring to BellesBoard, we want the process to be as seamless as possible. Let us bear the weight of transition. 

1. We build your database. One of the more frequent concerns we hear about when converting from paper to digital, or transferring from one platform to another, is having to start from the ground up. At BellesBoard, we provide you with a foundation right from the start. Your database will be structured to best suit your organization’s needs and can be further enhanced as you get comfortable with the product. Having a pre-made database available immediately means you can begin to upload and organize your documents with no delay. Business does not need to stall to make the move to BellesBoard.
2. We walk you through it. There is no need to fear a misstep in the transfer process. A BellesBoard representative can drop in on your board meeting for a live (virtual) introductory overview or, depending on your preference, we can host a separate virtual session (with your board members) that you can record and have for reference. BellesBoard will take you through the process, step by step. If you have a question, our support staff will be there to answer and clarify. This establishes the BellesBoard team member as a point of support rather than a nonprofit staffer having to take on even more responsibility.
3. We train admins. To ensure smooth sailing and significant comfort with the product, BellesBoard teaches your company’s assigned administrator(s) in how to best navigate the portal. Everyone responsible for maintaining the portal will receive the appropriate education to ensure a strong level of proficiency. While BellesBoard remains accessible to answer any questions you or your organization may have in the future, you can feel secure that your portal’s admin knows how to navigate the product. 
4. Train the trainer. Your admin will be able to readily provide training to each end user in your organization. Comfort with BellesBoard is essential to every organization’s success with the platform. With your trainer properly trained, he/she will be able to walk each assigned user through the various modules. As they gain insight and a needed level of proficiency with the program, users will become active users and, likely, more engaged members of the Board.
5. We are available for ongoing questions and briefings. As new functions like e-Signature, Availability Polling, and Grants Tracking/Management are rolled out and presented to you and your organization, we are happy to provide training on these services. We are committed to ensuring your admins are familiar with all features of BellesBoard. Thus, as new features are developed, we want your admins to know further training is available to them. Questions, as always, are encouraged. 

BellesBoard is dedicated to a quick and easy transition into our product. We seek to provide our users with the skills to succeed through our product. The stress of a conversion or uploading process is cumbersome and unnecessary. For the success you and your company deserve, we have put our proven safeguards. Our hard work will ensure your seamless process.

In 2004, Raymond Mohler, Jr. founded The Little Saint Nick Foundation with the intention of reducing the “fear, anxiety, and isolation” children experience while spending significant amounts of time in hospitals. Mohler Jr. himself suffered a rare, childhood hip disorder that resulted in long stretches spent hospitalized. He remembers the stress this time caused him and his family. Ever since, it has been his mission to help alleviate these feelings of anxiety in other children. Today, as the Founder, Chair and CEO of Little St. Nick Foundation, he sits down with a BellesBoard staff member to discuss how our product helps him in his mission. 

Leading up to his organization’s subscription to BellesBoard, LSNF developed in the way many growing organizations do. First, friends and family were brought into support the burgeoning idea. Next, new faces joined in and got involved. From this point, LSNF underwent rapid growth. It became clear that significant structural infrastructure needed to be fashioned. In 2020, the board decided a board portal was a key element to move forward. 

Mohler Jr. reached out to his trusted accountant for any information he could share. It was from his accountant that Ray first heard about BellesBoard. From there, he met with Frank and Christine, co-founders of BellesBoard, who walked him through how to use their product. The ease of use, comprehensiveness, and quality customer service were three major stand outs to him. 

Following LSNF’s subscription, Mohler Jr. and his board found these to be the most helpful features:

• Electronic signatures – The ability to sign essential forms online has saved time and energy. Being sent reminders of when the signature is due has helped prevent many missed deadlines.
• The App – The convenience of accessing BellesBoard on one’s phone has made the product exceptionally attractive to the LSNF. BellesBoard converts seamlessly from desktop to mobile. 
• Repository and Documentation – All the details are available at the click of a button. 
• Security – BellesBoard ensures privacy and firewalls to protect all the LSNF organization’s governance data. The ability to control access means one can also filter who sees which document(s).

Mohler Jr. says, “Technology aside, BellesBoard’s customer service has been superior to any other technology used by our organization. The availability of their support team when assistance is needed has been really meaningful.” BellesBoard is constantly working to improve their product, including their customer service. While many companies may look to minimize or eliminate customer service, BellesBoard knows the value of thoughtful, involved customer service. Ensuring users have access to ask questions and receive help is paramount to BellesBoard. 

When asked why BellesBoard is so important to LSNF, Mohler Jr. replied that having everything in one place gives a CEO or leader of any organization the time necessary to achieve their goals and complete quality work. BellesBoard provides a comprehensive, 360-degree view of all efforts within an organization, illuminating the meaningful areas. Not only is it essential to the board, but also the advisory board. 

As BellesBoard rolls out new features and updates, Mohler Jr. and LSNF are excited to incorporate and use them in the future. He is confident that as BellesBoard continues to expand, so will Little St. Nick Foundation.

Here’s to success for both!

It is essential to engage all of your board members. One of the easiest ways to do so is to offer each member their own user account on the software your organization has chosen. Every one of BellesBoard’s packages offers unlimited users who have access to both the website and mobile app. Most board software has a threshold for the number of included users. Once your board has reached its limit, there is an additional cost for the next tier or, in some cases, an increase per user. Exorbitant pricing typically leads to either a reallocation of resources or limiting access to the portal, particularly to staff leadership. BellesBoard is dedicated to helping your board seamlessly transition to online engagement, and from there, ensuring your organization can continue to grow and prosper. Active involvement on the part of your directors is foundational to such success. 

Every director having a unique user account means less hassle for the board itself. There will be no angst surrounding questions of cutting “less active” users or removing leadership staff who liaise with a board committee to cut back on costs. Board expansion need not cause anxiety about moving into a new tier of available users. Access may be given to all those who need it and done with the peace of mind that comes from knowing everyone has access to the same software to be accessed from the website, mobile app, or both. With BellesBoard, you can set your budget for the platform without fear or worry of running out our users or negatively impacting your budget.

Ensuring all directors and leadership team members are in possession of a user account will promote engagement across your various committees and in overall board work. If, for example, you have an advisory board, providing each member of that board access to the platform should result in increased activity. 

BellesBoard was designed with convenience in mind. The ease of using BellesBoard [whether on a desktop or mobile device], fingertip ready access to documents, and activity reminders ensure effective and involved. Time and again, platforms across all industries have found that accessibility is critical to participation. With a goal of regular 100% engagement, the better your organization’s planning and execution will be. 

As always, BellesBoard’s programming ensures all information and meetings can be set with custom permissions. Customize permissions for your board to ensure which individuals are given access to specific meeting information. BellesBoard offers guidance and support in establishing these settings. 

BellesBoard is designed to host all your committees and directors in one easy-to-access portal. This includes advisory boards, youth boards, high-level volunteer pools, chapter presidents, program leaders and coordinators, and key personnel. Be better positioned to capture your targeted demographics by providing these subgroups and committees access to the information specific to their work.

Make your software work for you. Be sure you can provide that software to all those who need access. And be sure that your software doesn’t ‘break the bank’. BellesBoard is the software you need to have all your information in one comprehensive and affordable platform.

Board members are busy people. In addition to having multiple responsibilities, directors do not engage on a daily, or even weekly, basis with board activity. As a result, when they do, it is important that they get their information easily and quickly. Board portals in general, and dashboards in particular, are an excellent way for directors and trustees to be informed, and increase engagement.

Board portal dashboards will make the right information available to directors when they need it. And by providing the information in a graphical format, directors can process information more quickly than looking at a spreadsheet.

Board governance dashboards generally are of two types – financial and program-related. Examples of financial dashboards are a balance sheet, profit and loss statement, days in cash (how long funds would be available if no new revenue was generated), and Program Service percentage (percentage of funds that go towards the organization’s mission versus general and administrative expenses).

Some examples of program-related dashboards will illustrate the number of people served by your organization year over year. In a healthcare facility, useful dashboards might be: number of clinic visits, emergency room visits, and hospital admissions for the last three years. A food-pantry could track number of meals served over a specified time period.

To further increase the benefit of dashboards, directors should have access to this information on any device desktop or mobile app. 

We could not write a blog about the benefit of illustrations providing easy to process information without including a few examples:

In summary, to increase board engagement and enable busy directors to process mission-related information quickly, make sure your organization provides them with graphical representations of financial and program-related data.

BellesBoard has a wide variety of clients using our product. Despite this diversity, we have recently become aware of a common thread among many of our customers – their use of spreadsheets. For example, one nonprofit is a high school that manages many donor relationships among its alumni. Another organization, also a nonprofit, applies for many grants as part of its revenue stream, enabling it to fulfill its mission. Yet, a third customer relies on several special and programmatic events throughout the year as touchpoints to connect with its constituents and supporters.

These organizations are vastly different in their missions and operations. Yet they share a key operational element. They each use spreadsheets to manage the information related to the aforementioned functions. While this is certainly a step in the right direction, each organization has reached the natural limit of electronic spreadsheets.

Limitations

Spreadsheets work well enough when there is only one person managing and/or accessing the information. It is not, however, multiple-user friendly. The average digital spreadsheet is not programmed for effective sharing or updating of information. More than one user accessing a spreadsheet can, and often does, lead to buffering or restarts.

In recent months, there has been an increase in articles documenting the phenomenon of spreadsheets “blundering” or “breaking fairly easily.” Further, as a spreadsheet expands, there is greater room for human error that, inevitably, may glitch the program.

Security is also a major concern when sharing sensitive information. Ensuring that only appropriate persons are assigned access to these spreadsheets is essential.

How BellesBoard Can Help!

In our early conversations with all of the organizations listed they cited “upgrading” to BellesBoard as an avenue to combat these challenges in working with spreadsheets. BellesBoard’s programming allows for and encourages collaborative efforts within spreadsheets while guaranteeing safety. BellesBoard’s nightly backups also provide peace of mind as no data will be lost.

BellesBoard makes the transition from traditional spreadsheets to its platform easy and stress-free. Whether you were using other digital programs or physical, paper spreadsheets, converting them into our software is a smooth process.

You can customize and organize any or all of your spreadsheets within the portal and mobile app so that they are fingertip-ready at any time and any place. Managing your data has never been easier!

If you are with an organization that relies on spreadsheets to manage crucial information, consider taking a demo with BellesBoard. You’ll be delighted at how it can improve managing your donors, grants, events, calendars, meetings, and committee and board rosters.

A better way is only a call away.

BellesBoard, the Nonprofit Sector Strategies (NSS) Board Portal, is the brainchild of the two company founders, Christine Deska and Frank Orzo. Deska brings years of experience in strategic planning, fundraising, and development within the nonprofit sector. Frank’s expertise lies in information technology and software platforms. Combined, they have a comprehensive understanding of the needs of CEO’s, Executive Directors, boards of directors, and management teams to ensure strong communication and growth for agencies and organizations.

Why The Team ‘Gets It’

It’s no wonder that the team at NSS came to the realization that their success in providing the most comprehensive, easy-to-use, and reasonably priced board portal was, in fact, only part of what they could offer nonprofits. The team set to work on the BellesBoard Mission Impact System, a series of tools that, in conjunction with the board portal, enables organizations to recover staff time by eliminating unnecessary tasks, and then assists in redeploying those resources into mission-impact activities. While some of the tools are in the development and building stages, several are available for immediate deployment at your organization. Let’s look at some of them now.

As organizations grow and mature, they realize the importance of strategic planning.  At BellesBoard, the goal is for their clients to align the BellesBoard portal with their strategic plan. For clients who have already conducted a strategic plan, several add-on modules are available or in development to complement the board portal for even more organizational effectiveness. These are: the Grant Management Module, Donor Management Module, and the Strategic Plan Impact Module and Impact Report.

Meet the Modules

The Grant Management Module (available) enables an organization to store documents, include notes [that are maintained chronologically], and store profile information on foundation prospects and applications.

The Donor Management Module (available) works in conjunction with your current donor management software, regardless of which one you’ve chosen, highlighting key information about specific donors the CEO/ED and board need to track.

The Strategic Plan Impact Module (in development) will be critical for tracking each initiative and element of the plan. Programs monitored in this module can show percentage toward success, probability of achieving the goal, etc. The Strategic Plan Impact Report (in development) will provide a measure of the financial benefit, priority, and probability, over time for components of the strategic plan. It gives a visual representation of the anticipated value of each initiative and vehicle and over what window of time each is expected to ‘gain traction’ and reach goals.

What if You Haven’t Conducted a Strategic Plan?

However, the BellesBoard team realizes that creating a strategic plan takes time and, often, significant resources. Thus, we currently have in development a tool to self-direct the development of a strategic plan. Once complete, the Strategic Plan Generator will aid in conducting a  SWOT Analysis, establishing pillars of the plan, determining metrics, and, finally, preparing the finished plan. With this tool, organizations will be able to develop, facilitate, monitor, and refine their plan. With the plan in place, the other modules referenced above, along with the board portal, will aid in the organization’s heightened efficacy in serving the mission and intentional growth.

The nonprofit industry provides much needed services to the communities in which we live. In fact, our communities [and the most fragile among us living in them] would suffer greatly without the efforts of nonprofits – large and small. What is clear is that the staff and board of these organizations need tools to be the best at what they do. The NSS team is hard at work creating new tools to complement BellesBoard so that you and your board can effectively communicate, use your resources wisely, and get closer – every day – to achieving your mission. For more information, on BellesBoard or our newest modules, contact info@nonprofitsectorstrategies.com.

Once you and your Board of Directors have assessed your need for an online portal, the logical questions that follow circle around how to select a portal that best meets the needs of your organization, supports good governance practices and helps maintain compliance requirements. 

There are several questions to ask and answer that will lead you to your decision. The following are the most important questions to consider:

Is it Secure?

Your portal should be a secure platform, where board members can sign documents, communicate with ease, review materials, and more. Further, based on your organization’s required level of security, you may require multi-factor authentication for login or other security enhancements. Verify that the portals you are considering can give you, your Board, and your leadership team peace of mind as it relates to the work of the Board and its committees. If you’re considering BellesBoard as your board portal, you can feel comfortable that your documents and communications are safely housed.

Is it Easy to Use?

Your portal should be easy to access and easy to use. Whether your Board is comprised of tech-savvy professionals or those just developing their computer skills, your portal will not get the use you envision if it is too complex. The developers at BellesBoard understand the need to make the end user experience a friendly one. Your Board and leadership team will be fluent in the product in no time at all. With the companion mobile app, your users will be prompted to check for updates with regularity, a boon for board engagement.

Does it Have the Needed Features?

A board portal should include useful features to enable your users to communicate and collaborte effectively — and stay informed of all relevant governance updates and notifications. BellesBoard is a feature-rich platform with modules for meetings and event, calendars, tasks, documents, committees, and Board rosters, along with customizable dashboards to highlight your organization’s key metrics and support board member ambassadorship. All of these features are readily usable on the full website and mobile app. The tasks module also includes additional functionality such as 1) online voting, 2) electronic signature integration with SignNow, and 3) Doodle-like availability polling.

What if We Need Assistance? 

Quality customer service is crucial. Unanswered questions can stymie your efforts and poor customer service simply leave a bad taste in any customer’s mouth. That’s why the team at BellesBoard makes customer support a priority from day one. All clients come to understand that working with BellesBoard means working with a partner. The goal is for every user to feel comfortable and easily access important governance information once they log in to the portal or mobile app. 

Let’s Not Forget the Budget…How Much Will it Cost?

No matter how wonderful a product is, if it is outside the budget, it is beyond the reach of the organization. That’s why the founders of BellesBoard created a platform that small to mid-sized organizations can afford and view as a strategic investment into the work of the nonprofit. And with free trial options, you can see if it is for you without risk. All BellesBoard pricing packages are under $200 per month and only require a three-month commitment.

Is it Easy to Get Started?

Nonprofit leaders are all wearing multiple hats, so it is vital that transitioning to a board portal be a seamless, easy, and straightforward process. The team at BellesBoard makes this a top priority. Nonprofits have a dedicated point of contact who will build their platform, provide live administrator training, board member training (if needed) and be an ongoing support resource as needed.

Check out the competition. Compare security, ease of use, features, customer support, and price. Ask to take a ‘test drive’. Then give BellesBoard a call (or schedule a chat) and compare.

BellesBoard, your nonprofit Board management tool made easy.