Ask a board to help with fundraising and half the room hears “Go ask your friends for money.” No wonder they look at the table.
The ask matters, and I believe almost anyone can learn to make one. But the ask is one moment in a long relationship, and it is rarely the moment where a board member is most useful. Before a gift come the introduction, the first visit, the tour, and the story that makes someone lean in. After it come the thank-you, the update, and the call that says “I saw what your gift did.” Every one of those steps needs people, and most of them don’t require anyone to say a dollar figure out loud.
When a board treats fundraising as one task (asking), the few members who like asking carry everything and the rest feel like failures. When it treats fundraising as a cycle with many roles, everyone has a job they can do well. The menu below is how I’d make that concrete.
How the menu works
Each trustee picks a few items for the year, at least one from each of two or more sections. The development lead and the board chair review the choices, fill any gaps, and put the commitments in writing, with names and target dates. At each board meeting, the development lead reports progress in a few minutes, and trustees who completed something get thanked in front of their peers.
Two ground rules keep it honest.
Every trustee still gives. The menu is about the work beyond a personal gift, not a substitute for one. A gift of whatever size is meaningful to that trustee is the starting point, and it is what lets the board say “every one of us gives” when they invite others.
Staff does the prep. No trustee should have to invent a script, find an address, or wonder what happened after their call. Staff provides lists, talking points, and a simple way to report back. The trustee brings the relationship and the time.
Opening doors
This is where most new donors come from: people your board already knows.
Make introductions. Share the names of a few people who might care about the work, and tell staff why. Even a list of five is valuable.
Bring a guest. Invite one or two people to a program, a performance, a class visit, or an open house.
Host a small gathering. Open your home or office for an evening of conversation with your leader. Staff plans the content; you set the table. No ask required.
Connect to a workplace. Find out whether your employer offers matching gifts, volunteer grants, or sponsorships, and introduce staff to the right person.
Telling the story
A trustee’s own reason for serving is one of the most persuasive things your organization has.
Write your why. Draft three or four sentences on why you serve and why you give. Staff can use it in an appeal, a newsletter, or the website.
Speak at an event. Give a brief welcome or a short personal reflection at a gathering.
Share online. Post about the organization on your own social media a few times a year, in your own words.
Be a reference. Agree to take a call from a prospective donor, family, or partner who wants to hear from someone on the board.
Thanking
Gratitude from a volunteer leader lands differently from gratitude from staff, because nobody pays the trustee to say it.
Make thank-you calls. Call a short list of recent donors to say thank you, with no ask attached. Fifteen minutes can cover several calls.
Write notes. Add a personal line to staff-prepared thank-you letters, or write a few short notes yourself.
Greet at events. Take a turn at the door, welcome donors by name, and introduce them to each other.
Stewardship
Keeping donors close between gifts is where relationships grow.
Adopt a few donors. Take three to five donors for the year. Check in once or twice, invite them to something, and let staff know what you learn.
Join a visit. Accompany a staff member on a donor visit, mostly to listen and to share why you serve.
Report back. Tell a donor, in person or by phone, what their gift made possible. Staff will give you the details.
Asking, when you’re ready
This section stays on the menu so the people who are ready can choose it.
Join an ask. Go with staff or a fellow trustee on a solicitation, in a supporting role.
Make an ask. Invite someone you know to give, with staff preparing the amount, the case, and the follow-up.
Lead a challenge. Offer or help secure a matching gift that motivates others.
The Board Fundraising Menu
Print this, hand it out at a board meeting, and collect it before people leave the room.
Name. ______________________ Year. ______________
Check at least three items from at least two sections. Add a number or a date where it helps.
Opening doors
- ☐ Share ___ names of people who might care, with a note on each
- ☐ Bring ___ guests to a program, tour, or event
- ☐ Host a small gathering (preferred season: ______)
- ☐ Introduce staff to my workplace’s giving or matching program
Telling the story
- ☐ Write my three-sentence “why I serve” for staff to use
- ☐ Speak briefly at an event
- ☐ Share the organization on my own social media ___ times this year
- ☐ Serve as a reference for prospective donors or partners
Thanking
- ☐ Make ___ thank-you calls to recent donors
- ☐ Write or sign ___ personal thank-you notes
- ☐ Greet guests at ___ events
Stewardship
- ☐ Adopt ___ donors for the year
- ☐ Join a staff member on ___ donor visits
- ☐ Tell ___ donors what their gift made possible
Asking, when I’m ready
- ☐ Join an ask in a supporting role
- ☐ Make ___ asks with staff support
- ☐ Help lead or secure a matching challenge
What I’d like from staff to do this well. ______________________
Best way to reach me. ______________________
My personal gift this year. ☐ Made ☐ Pledged ☐ Planning to give by ______
Making it stick
A menu only works if someone follows up. Put each trustee’s choices in a simple shared tracker, send a short reminder before each board meeting, and celebrate completed items out loud. At the end of the year, look at which items people chose most and least, and use that to plan next year’s training. You may find the board that “hates fundraising” has been doing quite a lot of it.
If you want help building the menu into your board’s expectations, training, and recruitment, that’s part of our Board Training and Governance work.
– Mary-Ellen
Featured photo: Photo by Priscilla Du Preez on Unsplash.
