The Board Member Role—Nuance in Understanding
A recent Chronicle of Philanthropy article, “How to Turn Board Members Into Confident Fundraisers,” by Ben Gose, provides practical recommendations for getting nonprofit board members more involved in fundraising. I agree with most of the premise. Board members should understand fundraising expectations, receive ongoing education, participate in donor development, use their relationships, and be accountable for their involvement.
There is one significant area where I disagree with conventional thinking: In organizations with professional fundraising staff, I generally do not want board members asking donors for money. (I would note that for organization that are completely volunteer led with no professional fundraising person/team, the Board must be engaged with soliciting philanthropic support). That does not mean board members should stay away from fundraising. I want exactly the opposite.
Board members can be among an organization’s most valuable fundraising resources. They can identify prospective donors, make introductions, provide intelligence about relationships, attend donor meetings, tell their personal story about the organization, host gatherings, thank donors, and help deepen relationships.
The Chronicle article makes an especially good point about pairing board members with development professionals. One expert quoted in the article explains that board members can help pave the way for gifts, while recognizing that many lack the knowledge and skills necessary to finalize them.
That distinction matters.
One of my concerns about asking board members to solicit gifts is that they can unintentionally make the conversation transactional. A board member may ask someone for $10,000 because $10,000 feels like a significant gift to the board member. Or $25,000. Or $100,000. The amount can be based more on the board member’s comfort level than the donor’s capacity, interests, philanthropic priorities, or potential.
The conversation becomes: “Will you give us $25,000?” That question can actually limit the gift and the relationship.
A professional fundraiser should be approaching the conversation differently. What does the donor care about? What change does the donor want to create? Why does this particular mission matter to them? What would be meaningful to accomplish? How can the organization help the donor fulfill that philanthropic passion?
These conversations take time. They require listening, judgment, patience, preparation, and an understanding of how donors make significant philanthropic decisions. Eventually, the conversation may lead to a gift. But the amount should emerge from an understanding of the donor rather than from what someone sitting across the table feels comfortable asking for.
That difference can be the difference between a transactional gift and a transformational relationship.
Fundraising is a profession. Professional fundraisers spend their careers learning how to understand donor motivation, evaluate capacity, recognize signals, manage timing, connect donor interests with organizational priorities, and navigate complex gift conversations. Experience matters. Judgment matters. Knowing when to ask, what to ask, and when not to ask matters.
This is why the combination of a board member and professional fundraiser can be so effective.
The board member brings credibility, relationships, community knowledge, personal commitment, and access. In many cases, the board member is the reason the donor agreed to have the conversation in the first place. The professional fundraiser brings the experience and discipline necessary to understand the donor, develop the relationship, and manage the philanthropic conversation.
Put those two people together and something powerful can happen.
There is an obvious exception. In very small nonprofits without professional fundraising staff, board members may have to make gift requests. Someone has to assume that responsibility. In those organizations, training and preparation become even more critical.
But when an organization has invested in professional fundraising staff, use that expertise.
Board members should open doors. They should build relationships. They should tell stories. They should listen. They should provide credibility. They should thank donors. They should help create opportunities for meaningful philanthropic conversations.
Then pair them with a professional fundraiser who knows how to turn those opportunities into long term donor relationships.
That is where the magic can happen.
