How to Engage Board Members in Fundraising

Have you noticed your board members avoiding eye contact when the subject of fundraising comes up? Most people are motivated to join a board because they are passionate about the mission, not because they love to ask for money. 

In fact, fewer than 40% of nonprofit CEOs say their boards actively fundraise. Despite fundraising reluctance—for some board members, it’s an outright refusal—you can put a strategy in place to help your board members become the best fundraisers they can be and, in the process, make great strides in meeting your mission goals. 

I have an unusual viewpoint on the subject of board fundraising. I have been both a board member and a professional fundraiser for a nonprofit, so I understand the challenge from both sides. It’s tricky to engage board members in a conversation about fundraising because technically they’re the bosses. And many are hesitant because of past experiences being on the receiving end of awkward asks. I have heard fellow board members say, “Asking for money feels icky” or they don’t want to sound like a “used car salesman.” From my experience, this reveals a gap in their skillset or lack of fundraising training, not a chronic incapacity to solicit a matching gift or monthly donation. 

Jaclyn Kramer, development director for Volunteer Lawyers for Justice and associate board member for Covenant House, urges board members to stop fearing the ask, and to instead embrace it as “joyful advocates” for the life-changing mission so dear to their hearts. When you ask, you’re not asking for yourself “but for Maria, a trafficking victim; Alan, a homeless veteran; Rover, an abandoned dog; or Aiden, a student with cancer. When you recall our mission and the joy this organization brings you, spreading the word and asking for support should not be daunting. Often, people feel as if fundraisers are beggars, yet we like to look at it as an even exchange. Donors give us funds; we give them the opportunity to change lives and make the world more just.” 

Create a Strategy for Successful Board Fundraising 

Most board members simply need a guide on how to fundraise. As part of your organization’s leadership or advancement team, you have the critical task of presenting a clear strategy and then training board members in the proven steps that will help them become confident fundraisers. 

Before that strategy can be set, however, it is important that the culture of board fundraising gains the full support of your organization’s executive director and board president. Fostering the mindset of a joyful advocate (and therefore joyful fundraiser) should be nurtured from onboarding new members forward, including having board members and the fundraising committee sign a board policy agreement. 

Having trouble getting leadership on board? Explain to them that board members can help expand your fundraising team, providing more “boots on the ground” for acquisition of new donors. This can be a winning argument because leadership should be painfully aware of the costly nature of donor acquisition. Remind leadership that board members also can help you make gains in major gifts because they are often major donors themselves and their contacts frequently fit into the profile of a major gift prospect. 

Set Expectations 

What should your board fundraising strategy include? It should contain clear expectations, realistic action steps, and attainable goals. The best way to motivate members is to give them some easy wins to start. For example, a handy one-pager for members could contain their fundraising goals, or key performance indicators (KPIs) such as: 

• # of prospects to identify 

• # of solicitation or cultivation visits to attend with a staff member 

• # of gifts or total $ donations they’re expected to give and close 

• # of personal acknowledgment letters sent to donors 

• # of thank-you calls made to donors 

Notice that not all actionable steps must be financial. Thank-you calls, showing up at an event, or facilitating personal introductions can make a difference to your fundraising operation over the long term without anyone giving an extra penny today. 

Personalize the Plan 

It is important to tailor goals for the skillset of each member. Join the executive director in a 1:1 meeting with each member to talk through annual goals and ask each member’s opinion on where they feel most comfortable offering their support. Take their career and family roles into consideration as well as demographics of age, location, etc. For example, a younger board member may not have a large network of contacts to solicit yet or be able to give a major gift themselves, but they do usually have more time. Could they host a friendraiser “house party?” Lead an online peer-to-peer fundraising campaign? Or personally solicit a group of recent event attendees to become monthly sustaining donors? 

Leverage Technology 

Last, think about ways that technology can play a role in this training. Is it possible to give board members an online dashboard to track their progress? How can they report their actions so their data can be integrated into your fundraising software to track each member’s numbers against their goals and your broader goals?  

When it is time to dive into actual fundraising, there are many methods for board members to meet their metrics and goals. Fundraising is not one-size-fits all – it has various elements well-suited to each board member’s experience, skillset, and range of connections. 

Together You Can Make It Happen 

Working together to meet your mission goals and secure financial support for your programs is a transformational step within reach of your nonprofit organization. With a little encouragement, training, and goal setting, your board can be on board to help you make it happen.  

Want to dive in deeper? Check out our How to Help Board Members Become Incredible Fundraisers whitepaper.