Board Member Fundraising Involvement

Your board members open doors. Your fundraisers walk through them. A donor was giving $50,000 annually to a nonprofit. We knew he had significant capacity and passion for the mission, but we couldn't get a meeting with him to deepen the relationship. We tried everything to get a meeting: emails, letters, skywriting “Call me?” over his house. Nothing worked. Then we put a list of our top prospects in front of the board. A board member saw the name of the donor we were trying to meet with and said, “I know him. I think I can help.” She called him and shared why she gives her time and money to the organization. She shared why this mission matters to her. The donor agreed to meet with us. The board member joined the development team for a series of meetings with the donor. When the time was right, we asked him for $5 million. The board member was at the meeting but did not do the ask. That came from the development team. The donor said yes. Without this board member, that gift would have never happened. She shared her story. She opened the door. The development team walked through it. If your board stalls at the ask or freezes when asked to help raise money, there is another way. Board members can help fundraise, but they need direction and a simple strategy, and they don’t need to be the one asking for money. Fundraisers are experts at holding the strategy, managing timing, structuring the ask, and stewarding the relationship. Unresolved lane confusion between board and staff kills momentum. Most board members are not trained solicitors. But they can be your trust builders. Your connectors. Your testimonials. When you clarify those lanes, board members make more moves. Staff can do their jobs better. And donors feel it. Board members do not need to be closers to be powerful in fundraising. They need a clear role, a strategic list, and permission to lead with their own story.

Your board says they want more major gifts. So you give them a list of prospects. They freeze. Not because they don’t care. Not because they’re unwilling. But because we keep handing them tasks instead of roles. A nonprofit I worked with was frustrated. “The board won’t help fundraise,” the CEO said. When we looked closer, here’s what the board had been given: A list of 40 names A vague ask to “open doors” No clarity on what success looked like So we changed one thing. We stopped asking board members to fundraise and started asking them to be themselves—with structure. Each board member got: 2–3 people they already knew well One specific action (thank-you call, intro email, host coffee) Exact language they could use A clear outcome (“introduce,” not “ask”) No solicitation required. Within six months: More donor conversations happened Staff had warmer, faster paths to major gift meetings Board confidence went up—and resistance went down Boards don’t avoid fundraising because they’re disengaged. They avoid it because we’ve made it vague, awkward, and high-risk. Clarity lowers fear. Specificity creates movement. Stop asking boards to raise money. Start inviting them to play a clear, human role in relationships. That’s where momentum starts.

“I can’t get my board to help with fundraising.” I hear this often from nonprofit leaders. Most board members aren’t refusing to fundraise. They’re unsure how to contribute in a way that matters. We recruit accomplished people, then hand them fuzzy expectations like “help with fundraising” or “open doors.” They sit through budgets and staff reports while their real strengths go untapped. Here’s a simple way to unlock them. Give clear roles that match strengths: ⭐ Connector: makes warm introductions; others do the follow-up ⭐ Host: opens their home or office; staff makes the case ⭐ Storyteller: shares mission moments; team handles logistics ⭐ Validator: lends credibility in 1:1 meetings or panels ⭐ Asker: comfortable making direct gift requests If you’re building or re-engaging a board, start by mapping each member: What type of contributor are they? Why did they say yes to this mission? What energizes them? Then assign a specific, meaningful role. When board members know exactly how they can help, they show up. Board fundraising works when we match individual strengths to specific opportunities, not when we expect one size to fit all. If this is useful, save it for your next board agenda and share with your chair. #NonprofitLeadership #NonprofitBoards #Fundraising #Development #BoardGovernance

𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗯𝗼𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝗶𝘀𝗻’𝘁 𝗱𝗼𝗱𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗳𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗿𝗮𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗿𝗲𝗾𝘂𝗲𝘀𝘁𝘀. 𝗧𝗵𝗲𝘆’𝗿𝗲 𝗱𝗼𝗱𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗸 𝗳𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗿𝗮𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝘀. For many nonprofit board members, the idea of “reaching out to their network” triggers discomfort. Not because they don’t believe in the mission - but because, to them: Outreach = Asking friends for money. But what most organizations need first from their board is not a donation request. It’s an introduction. ➡️ A quick conversation to share why they’re excited about the mission. ➡️ A pulse check to see if the contact might be interested in learning more. ➡️ And if there’s a spark, a warm handoff to the right staff person - major gifts, development, or corporate partnerships - to take it from there. Here’s how fundraisers can make this work: 🔹 𝗥𝗲𝗳𝗿𝗮𝗺𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗮𝘀𝗸: Don’t say, “Can you ask your contact for a gift?” Instead: “Would you be willing to share what excites you about our mission and see if they'd like to meet our team?” 🔹𝗣𝗿𝗼𝘃𝗶𝗱𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗲𝘅𝘁: Share 1–2 sentences board members can use. Make it conversational, not canned. (“I’ve gotten involved with an organization doing incredible work in [area]. Thought it might be worth a quick intro if it sparks your interest.”) 🔹 𝗠𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝗶𝘁 𝗹𝗼𝘄-𝗽𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘀𝘂𝗿𝗲: Emphasize that the goal is exploration, not solicitation. Let the development team guide the next steps, when appropriate. 🔹 𝗛𝗶𝗴𝗵𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗿𝗶𝗽𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝗲𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗰𝘁: A simple intro can unlock significant support - not just financial, but connections, visibility, and community impact. At the end of the day, board members joined because they care. Helping them see that introductions are an extension of their passion - not a pitch - can put them at ease. What’s worked for you in encouraging board engagement in donor or partner outreach? #fundraising #nonprofits #nonprofitboards P.S. An exercise I just went through with one of my clients, after we identified potentially aligned businesses to reach out to, was to research the board of directors for each of those companies and compile a list of names and bios that the Executive Director could share with the nonprofit board simply to see if there were any connections.

Nonprofit Executive Directors -- you've got to help your Board help you. Even the most high-functioning, engaged Board can't intuit your needs or help you in a vacuum. Some ideas to try: 💡 In your monthly operational updates, include a specific ask of specific committees, the whole board, and/or specific board members (one that is in line with their duties and responsibilities, of course). 💡Ask individual Board members where their sweet spot is when it comes to networking and fundraising -- maybe it's tabling at events, writing thank you cards, taking donors out for coffee, or even cold calling-on local potential brand sponsors -- and then give them the tools they need to succeed (training, donor pitch decks, social media toolkits, email templates, etc.) 💡When you encounter a major challenge, don't just try to muscle through it on your own -- tell the Board how they can help. Asking for help is part of strong leadership. And in the midst of all the 💩 coming out of the White House right now, a team effort is more important than ever. 💡Be open and transparent in your 1:1s with the Board Chair -- create a thought partnership with them. Hire a coach for joint coaching if this relationship needs strengthening or reinvigorating. 💡Be very clear and honest about what needs more budgetary investment, where you may have to go significantly over budget on expenses, etc. -- they cannot properly fulfill their duties or support you if you're always trying to paint a rosy picture to "keep them happy". 💡Aim to have a 1:1 with each Board member twice per year. Getting to know them (and they you) will better help you harness each other's strengths and interests and shore up each other's blind spots. 💡Thank your Board members regularly and authentically for their time and efforts, and tell them what is working and what have been the effects of their work. This will strengthen your relationship with them and help them better understand (and strategize on their own) where to invest their time and $$$.

5 Metrics Every Nonprofit Board Director Should Master As a nonprofit CEO, I’ve witnessed how powerful a well-informed board can be. To lead with purpose, every director must go beyond governance—they must own the numbers that shape mission, trust, and momentum. |• These five metrics aren’t just indicators—they’re leadership in action. { 1. Fundraising Efficiency . Measures how cost-effectively your nonprofit raises money. A gold standard is $0.20 or less per $1 raised. . Why does it matter? Because every dollar saved is a dollar redirected to impact. - I’ve helped boards recalibrate their strategies using this metric, building donor confidence and financial integrity. { 2. Program Expense Ratio . Reflects the proportion of funds invested directly in mission work—aim for 70%+. . This is more than optics; it’s a signal of alignment between your values and your budget. - Boards that internalize this ratio steer the organization with purpose and precision. { 3. Donor Retention Rate . Tracks how many supporters return year after year. . A rate above 60% indicates trust and a compelling mission narrative. - I’ve seen firsthand how boards that prioritize relational stewardship cultivate reliable, long-term revenue. { 4. Cash Reserves . Measure how long your organization could operate without new income. . The ideal is 3–6 months. . This buffer empowers bold decisions and ensures resilience during disruptions. - A strong reserve isn’t excess—it’s strategic foresight. { 5. Volunteer Engagement . Reveals how time, not just money, fuels your mission. . Track hours and impact—10+ hours per volunteer annually signals a thriving ecosystem of shared purpose. - Boards that elevate this metric unlock new capacity and deeper community roots. | These aren’t vanity metrics—they’re a leadership compass. - Fundraising and Program ratios show stewardship. - Retention and Reserves reflect trust and foresight. - Volunteer data reveals your human capital engine. Master these, and you lead with clarity, credibility, and courage. 𝐈𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐧𝐨𝐧𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐟𝐢𝐭 𝐬𝐩𝐚𝐜𝐞, 𝐢𝐧𝐟𝐥𝐮𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 —and these five metrics are where transformation begins. Thinkers360 #NonprofitLeadership #InspiringTheBusinessWorld #Leadership #ThoughtLeadership

Nonprofits, if I had to build a modern board in 2025, here’s what I’d do (and how LinkedIn would play a central role): 1. Don’t just recruit board members. Recruit digital connectors. If your board isn’t helping you expand your reach on LinkedIn, you’re leaving money (and momentum) on the table. Stop saying: “We need help with fundraising.” Start saying: “We’re building a digital-first board to open doors to new partners, funders, and allies.” Your next major donor might already be in your board member’s LinkedIn network. They just haven’t made the intro yet. 2. Give your board a LinkedIn playbook. Most board members want to help. They just don’t know how. So make it easy: • Provide a monthly post they can share • Ask them to tag 2–3 dream partners • Use Sales Navigator to identify warm intros through their connections Your board’s network is your fastest-growing asset. Start mining it. 3. Design board roles like a growth team, not a rubber stamp committee. Want your board to unlock real value? Treat them like co-founders: • Build 90-day sprints with specific KPIs (i.e. “Get 10 warm intros to CSR leaders”) • Match roles to strategic needs: capital, partnerships, policy, or tech • Replace “give/get” with “grow/guide/generate” Boards don’t scale nonprofits. Builders do. 4. Make LinkedIn your board’s secret weapon. Every board meeting should ask: “How many strategic intros have we generated this quarter?” “What corporate or philanthropic partner should we be nurturing next?” “Who in our networks needs to see our latest win?” Let your board activate their networks, not just attend meetings. 5. A good board gives. A great board multiplies. In 2025, board members shouldn’t just donate. They should: • Connect you to CSR teams • Vouch for your mission in private conversations • Share your content to audiences that matter Your board can 10x your visibility if you show them how. 6. Culture over comfort. The best boards don’t just agree, they build. They challenge your thinking. They bring fresh ideas. They push you to go bigger. In other words, they act like founding teams. This year, don’t just recruit board members. Empower digital champions. LinkedIn isn’t just a platform, it’s your nonprofit’s growth engine. Join us at our webinar this week and I’ll teach you how to do this effectively: https://lu.ma/apmlnmz4 With purpose and impact, Mario

A six-year study of 100+ nonprofits found give-or-get policies produce zero difference in board giving. Zero. Marts & Lundy tracked this across New York City organizations for six years. Boards with formal dollar minimums didn't give more than boards without them. Like many of you, I used to think give-or-get was a reasonable accountability tool. Then I looked at what incentivizes higher board giving: Comprehensive onboarding. Clear role expectations. And board recruitment criteria that goes beyond "who do we already know." That last one matters. 96% of boards recruit exclusively through personal networks. Which means one generation of wealthy, mostly white board members reproduces the next.  Give-or-get doesn't fix that. It reinforces it. It says: the price of governance is a dollar amount. Not lived experience. Not community knowledge. Not the time, expertise, and relationships that people without wealth bring to the table. Here's what you can do instead: → Replace dollar minimums with a written engagement agreement reviewed annually — covering advocacy, storytelling, community connections, AND giving at a personally meaningful level  → Start onboarding before the first meeting, not during it. Pair new members with a board buddy for their first six months  → Add one question to every board recruitment conversation: "What is your connection to the community we serve?" If they can't answer that, they are not the problem. The recruitment process is. The shift from "how much can you give?" to "how can you contribute?" isn't lowering your standards. It's broadening them. 💬 What's one thing you ask members to contribute that has nothing to do with money? (And if the answer is "nothing”, start there!) PS: If you want to activate your board, download our 30-Day Board Fundraising Challenge, linked in the comments.

Your board isn't bad at fundraising. You're training them wrong. Your board members didn't join to fundraise. They joined to make impact. When we turn fundraising into a dreaded obligation rather than showing it as a powerful way to advance your mission, we create our own barriers. Three training mistakes holding your board back: 1️⃣ Starting with the ask instead of impact. We hand over fundraising goals without equipping our boards with compelling transformation stories. This makes every conversation feel transactional and forced. 2️⃣ Not providing clear impact stories Board members who can't articulate how a $10K gift creates real community change will never feel confident having donor conversations. They need specific examples, not generic talking points. 3️⃣ Making fundraising separate from mission When fundraising becomes just another agenda item, we've already lost. It should be woven into every discussion about mission advancement. Your best board members already believe deeply in your work. They see the impact. They're passionate about the mission. The problem isn't their willingness to help, it's our approach to engaging them. Transform their approach by: • Opening every board meeting with a mission moment • Providing 2-3 clear, compelling stories they can share naturally • Showing fundraising as mission acceleration • Matching roles to individual strengths and networks Your board members are mission champions first. When they see fundraising as a way to multiply impact rather than an obligation, everything changes.

The #1 reason someone gives is who asks. That’s something that CONSTANTLY gets overlooked in major gift fundraising. We spend a lot of time thinking about: The case. The ask amount. The timing. The pledge structure. The follow-up. All of that does matter. But sometimes the biggest needle-moving variable is much simpler: Who is sitting in the room when the conversation happens? A staff member can absolutely make a strong ask alone. Sometimes that is the right move. But if the potential donor has a trusted relationship with a board member, past donor, physician, volunteer, business leader, former patient family, or community connector, leaving that person out of the conversation can make the ask colder than it needs to be. The right person in the room changes the entire dynamic of the meeting. They bring credibility before the case is even presented. They lower the donor’s guard and make the conversation more collaberative They can say things staff often cannot say as naturally: “I gave because I believe in this.” “I’ve seen the impact of this firsthand.” “This organization is worth investing in.” “You should seriously consider joining me to be part of this.” That lands differently when it comes from a peer, a friend, or someone the donor already trusts. This does NOT mean the connector has to do all the talking. In many cases, they should not. The staff member still needs to guide the conversation, explain the opportunity, frame the gift, and make sure the next step is clear. But the connector creates the bridge. And if that connector is also a donor, that is the best possible circumstance. Because now the ask is not coming from someone who simply wants support. It is coming alongside someone who has already made their own commitment and wants to bring others into the fold. That is significant. Before your next major gift ask, ask yourself: Who does this donor already trust? And is that person a current donor? Who could open the conversation in a warmer way? Who has given already and can speak with credibility? Who would make this feel less like a “pitch” and more like an invitation? Sometimes the difference between a cold ask and a strong ask is one person. Just make sure you bring the right one.