Whenever I train boards on fundraising, I start with a simple activity.
I hand everyone a piece of origami paper and ask them to make a boat that floats.
Almost immediately, someone asks for instructions and I say, “This is the instruction.”
They start folding. Some look around the room to see what everyone else is doing. A few ask again if I’m sure there aren’t more instructions. There’s plenty of laughter, a little frustration, and every once in a while there is someone who somehow knows exactly how to make an origami boat that actually floats.
The rest of us struggle together.
Too often, this is exactly how we ask our boards to participate in fundraising.
“Help us fundraise.”
“Leverage your network.”
“Bring in donors.”
“Everyone on the board should be fundraising.”
Those requests sound clear until you stop and ask one simple question.
What do we actually mean by this?
We hand board members an ambiguous responsibility and assume they’ll figure it out. We assume they understand fundraising, or at least understand what we mean when we ask them to do it.
Fundraising is layered. Just like creating an origami boat. There are many steps to being successful. The steps aren’t actually that hard but, you do need to know how they work together to be able to successful create a boat that floats.
Making the ask is only one part of the work.
Long before your nonprofit receives a gift, someone has taken the time to listen, build trust, understand what matters to that person, communicate the organization’s impact, and connect that impact to something the donor already cares about.
When a gift is made, the relationship continues through thoughtful stewardship.
None of this is new.
Yet when we talk with our boards, we often skip over everything that comes before and after the ask. We simply tell them to help raise money.
We don’t always explain who they’re trying to reach, what role they play in the process, or how their relationships can support the organization’s fundraising efforts.
Then we’re surprised when fundraising becomes uncomfortable or inconsistent.
There’s plenty of debate about whether fundraising is the board’s job. Some people believe it isn’t. Others believe it’s one of the board’s primary responsibilities.
Regardless, if you want your board involved in fundraising, you must give them a clear pathway to participation.
Sometimes that pathway is straightforward.
- Sell 12 tickets to the gala.
- Invite your employer to sponsor the event.
- Sell 10 raffle tickets.
Those are clear requests. But they are transactional and they usually don’t lead to recurring support.
Transactional gifts are only one piece of a healthy fundraising program.
If you’re lucky, you have a board member who naturally brings in gifts. They’re well connected, comfortable talking about money, and have a network of people who are ready to support the causes they believe in.
That’s wonderful.
It also isn’t an effective fundraising strategy.
When fundraising lives with one board member instead of within the organization, the relationships and revenue often leave when that person’s board service ends.
Most board members aren’t trying to become professional fundraisers.
They’re trying to understand how they can contribute.
That’s where clarity matters.
If you’re wondering how to better engage your board in fundraising, here are three places I’d start.
1. Ask them to check for employer matching
Many companies match charitable donations made by their employees.
Since your board members already give financially, this is one of the easiest ways to increase their impact.
It also creates a natural opportunity for conversations at work about the organization they serve and how others can get involved.
2. Help them tell their “why”
Every board member has a reason they joined your board.
Maybe they’ve experienced the issue personally.
Maybe someone they love has.
Maybe they simply believe deeply in the way your organization approaches its work.
If they are open to sharing their connection to your mission, that builds the foundation to effective fundraising.
People are far more likely to become curious about your organization when they understand why someone they know cares enough to volunteer their time.
Give your board members space to discover and practice telling that story in their own words.
3. Show them who already supports your work
One of the most common things I hear is, “Think about who you know.”
That’s another ambiguous ask.
Instead, help your board understand who already gives to your organization.
What do our donors have in common?
How did they first become connected to our work?
What does our donor data tell us?
This isn’t about limiting who can give.
It’s about helping your board recognize the people who are most likely to care.
No matter how broad your mission is, everyone is not your donor.
Your current supporters likely have something in common. They may live in the communities you serve, have personal experience with the issue, care deeply about your mission, or have values that align with your work. The data will tell you far more than assumptions ever will.
When board members understand who is already drawn to your organization, they have a much clearer place to begin.
Instead of asking themselves, “Who do I know who has money?” they begin asking, “Who do I know who already cares about this issue?”
I want to leave you with one final thought.
Before your board members are fundraisers, they are ambassadors for your mission.
An ambassador represents, supports, and helps build connections to an organization, cause, or community.
Have you given your board members what they need to:
- Speak knowledgeably about the organization?
- Help others understand the mission and the work?
- Build relationships and make introductions?
- Connect the organization to new people, partners, and opportunities?
- Show up as trusted representatives of your organization?
If you answered no to any of those questions, start there.
Don’t assume you know what they need. Ask them.
Ask what would help them talk about your work with more confidence.
Ask what they wish they understood better.
Ask what makes it difficult to introduce someone to your organization.
Ask what would help them represent your mission more confidently in their own circles.
The answer may be different for every board member.
One person may need clearer language about your programs. Another may need better impact data. Someone else may need to practice telling their story or understand who your organization serves.
If we want board members to be ambassadors, we have to understand what each person needs to do that well.
Don’t hand them a piece of paper and ask them to build a boat that floats.
Give them the tools. Give them clarity. Make space for engagement.
Then watch what they are able to build.