How to Get Your Board to Say Yes to Fundraising

Most boards (and let’s be honest, many nonprofit employees) avoid talking about fundraising. Not because they don’t care, but because somewhere along the way, "fundraising" got translated into "cold-call your friends and beg them for money. And frankly, if I thought this was fundraising, I’d be staring at my coffee mug avoiding eye contact too.

The good news is: fundraising engagement is not a personality trait some board members have, and others don't. It’s a skill you can build up. 

Based on a recent webinar I hosted with Beth Ellen Holimon, find our top strategies to get your board to say YES to fundraising.

1. Approach fundraising like it’s about more than just asking for money

This mindset shift changes everything. As you may know, fundraising support starts long before anyone asks for a dollar. It starts with people simply knowing your organization exists.

Think of it as four overlapping tasks you can ask your board to help with:

1. Awareness: making sure people in their networks know who you are

2. Community-building: bringing people into your community so they feel connected before they're asked for anything

3. Direct support: donations, sponsorships, in-kind gifts, whatever form that takes

4. Stewardship: building real relationships with the donors you already have

   
   

That last one is a secret weapon, because it doesn’t feel like fundraising but has a huge ROI. A board that's genuinely engaged in stewardship (sending a thank-you note, picking up the phone, showing up on socials) signals to donors that your organization is well-governed and worth trusting. And here's the great part: when board members focus on relationship-building instead of asking, donors often start wanting to give.

Once your board understands fundraising as relationship-building rather than a sales pitch, the resistance usually starts to soften. But before we get TOO excited, let’s remember that some board members still won’t be ready (or willing) to jump in all at once. That's where adapting your approach to their stage of engagement becomes crucial.

2. Meet your Board members where they are: The 4 stages of engagement

Not every board member is going to walk in ready to ask a major donor for five figures on day 1, and that's fine. Developing fundraising confidence looks a lot like human development. There are stages, and, despite how much we’d like things to be fast, forcing things to go faster doesn't really work. 

The best way you can encourage your board members to start fundraising is to offer them options that meet them where they are in their fundraising journey. The more actions they take, the easier it will be for them to be engaged in your overall fundraising.

The 4 stages of board engagement:

Baby steps

Low effort, low risk.The goal is just to build some momentum through actions that don’t trigger mental friction. It could be things like inviting their own connections to follow your organization on LinkedIn or Facebook. Turning on post notifications so they never miss something to engage with. Adding "Board Member" to your organization to their LinkedIn experience.

These actions are easy, non-threatening and verifiable. None of this feels like fundraising to your board members, but it's building the visibility and credibility that everything else depends on. This is an easy task that can be done during a meeting!

Teenage steps

Starting to get out there

This is where personality enters the picture. Instead of just sharing your posts, board members start adding their own voice: why they joined the board, what moves them about the mission, a personal story if they have one. 

This is also where they can start experimenting with small, specific asks. "Can you invite three people to this campaign?" works far better than "help us fundraise."

Adult steps

Confident and enthusiastic to be involved

When board members are comfortable enough to support prospecting, they are ready to start thinking through who in their network might be a good fit for a sponsorship, a grant connection, or a major gift conversation. 

This is also where they start actively participating in campaigns. Maybe they share a ticket sale with family, or ask who in their circle might sponsor a table. Stewardship habits like handwritten notes and personal thank-yous start to feel second-nature action, rather than performative ones.

Mature steps

I don’t do fundraising, I AM fundraising.

When people have been fundraising for long enough, it becomes a part of them. They are ready to review letters of interest through the lens of their own professional expertise or even to represent your organization at events. 

At this point, they could be having coffee with a major donor on your behalf. This is the level every board eventually could reach, but only if the earlier steps weren't skipped.

One important reminder here: all of these actions are important in a thorough fundraising strategy. Just because your board has reached the mature-stage work, it doesn’t mean they should stop doing the baby steps.

Build and celebrate all four into your structure, not just the shiny ones.

3. Onboard Board Members with individualized, self-set goals

‘’Let’s set a team goal and have every board member sign a general agreement.’’Please don’t do that. That’s where most boards get stuck. When we try to save time and energy by finding a one-size-fits-all, nobody really feels accountable to anything, because nothing is truly theirs.

The fix is an individualized agreement. That board members fill it in themselves.We all hate being told what to do. Self-initiated goals are more effective than being told "you will attend 90% of meetings and raise $5,000."

Board members should be able to decide what they can realistically commit to.That might include:

• How many meetings they'll attend

• Which committee they'll sit on

• How many events they'll show up for

• What ambassadorship looks like for them specifically

• What fundraising actions they're willing to take on, whether that's thank-you notes, introductions, or direct asks

This isn't just good practice; it's an equity standard.

A board member working two jobs and raising kids can still meaningfully contribute, just at a different scale than someone with more flexibility. Letting people define their own "meaningful contribution," whether that's measured in dollars, hours, or introductions, ensures you're not quietly excluding anyone from real participation.

This should be a conversation, not just another paperwork issue

Walk through it together. Make it feel like a promise between people, not a form. Ideally, you should do this right after a short training on what board fundraising actually looks like (we can facilitate that 😉). People commit to more when they've just seen how doable it is.

This conversation should also start before someone joins your board, not after. 

If fundraising participation is going to be part of the role, say so clearly during recruitment. Make it a normal condition of service, not a surprise in month three.

4. Set expectations and follow up all year

An individualized agreement only works if someone actually looks at it again.

Two things make this work:

Quarterly reporting

Have board members report on their own progress against their own commitments. A short form works fine. Seeing "I committed to 10 introductions, I've made 0" is more motivating than a vague thought like "I probably should have done more". 

Comparing progress across the whole board adds a little healthy momentum too. Nobody wants to be the only bar on the chart still at zero.

The quarterly call

A short, 15-minute check-in from the board chair or development lead, every quarter, no exceptions. 

Thank them for what they've done. Ask if they need help finishing the rest. 

This is not a guilt-trip call, it's a "how can we support you" call, and it should happen before the quarter ends, while there's still time to actually help.

Beth Ellen Holimon hosts regular “Board Buzz” chats where you can learn more.

Check out upcoming events here.

Takeaway: Meet your board where they are and build fundraising into a habit

Getting your board to fundraise is easier when you encourage them to take actions that feel doable and realistic to them.

The key to sustainable fundraising is to make it a year-long habit rather than something that happens once a year. 

If your board needs a low-lift way to start building stewardship habits that support your fundraising efforts, Donor Lingo is a great way to get started. Donor Lingo is free and guides you through 30 days of baby-step stewardship actions.

You can learn more about Donor Lingo here

Want to get your board excited about participating in fundraising?

We offer group training that focuses on activating board members to participate in fundraising. For more information, inquire here