Your board wants to help with fundraising. You want your board to help with fundraising. So why does it feel like you're stuck in a loop of vague promises and awkward silences every time the topic comes up?
The problem usually isn't willingness. It's structure. Most small nonprofit boards lack the governance practices that make fundraising participation clear, measurable, and (dare we say it) enjoyable. When expectations are fuzzy, even well-intentioned board members default to passivity. According to BoardSource's Leading with Intent report, only 46% of nonprofit board members rate their board's fundraising performance as "good" or better. That means more than half of boards know they're underperforming in the one area that keeps the lights on.
The good news: you don't need to overhaul your entire board to fix this. A handful of intentional governance practices can transform your board from a group that talks about fundraising into one that actually drives it.
What does "governance" have to do with fundraising?
Governance and fundraising might sound like separate worlds. Governance is bylaws, committees, and fiduciary responsibility. Fundraising is relationships, asks, and thank-you notes. But in practice, the two are deeply connected.
Strong governance creates the accountability structures that make fundraising expectations stick. Without them, your board's annual "give or get" policy is just a suggestion. With them, every board member knows exactly what's expected, when, and how their contribution fits into the bigger picture.
Think of it this way: governance is the operating system. Fundraising is one of the most important programs running on it. If the OS is buggy, the program crashes.
Here's what that looks like in practice:
- Role clarity prevents the "I thought someone else was handling that" problem
- Committee structure creates ownership over specific fundraising activities
- Regular reporting rhythms keep fundraising visible (not something that only comes up during a crisis)
- Board agreements set clear expectations before someone joins, not after
When you get the governance right, you stop having to convince your board to fundraise. The structure does that work for you.
How do you set board fundraising expectations that actually stick?
If you've ever presented a "100% board giving" goal only to watch it quietly die by March, you know the problem: expectations without structure are just wishes.
The nonprofits that get this right embed fundraising expectations into their governance documents and onboarding process. That way, every board member understands the deal before they say yes to the seat.
Put it in writing
Your board agreement (sometimes called a board contract or commitment letter) should spell out fundraising expectations in plain language. This includes:
- A personal giving expectation. This doesn't have to be a specific dollar amount. "A personally significant gift" works for organizations with board members at different financial levels. The key is that every board member gives something.
- Participation in at least one fundraising activity per year. This could be hosting a house party, making thank-you calls, attending a donor event, or helping with a campaign. Giving options reduces resistance.
- A commitment to identify and connect potential donors. Board members have networks. Governance should formalize the expectation that they'll open doors, even if staff handles the actual ask.
Written expectations set the foundation. The document itself isn't magic. What's magic is the conversation it forces during recruitment.
Onboard with intention
Most board onboarding focuses on the mission, the budget, maybe a tour of the facility. Fundraising rarely gets more than a passing mention.
Flip that. Dedicate a full session of your board orientation to fundraising: the organization's fundraising strategy, what the board's role is, how you'll track progress, and what support staff will provide. When you use a donor management platform like DonorDock, you can give new board members access to their own to-do lists tied to fundraising and walk through real dashboards showing giving trends, donor retention rates, and campaign progress. That kind of transparency builds confidence and buy-in from day one.
Review expectations annually
Don't set expectations once and forget them. Build a formal annual review into your governance calendar where the board evaluates its own fundraising performance. Did you hit your collective giving goal? Did every member participate in at least one activity? What worked and what didn't?
This review should feel supportive, not punitive. The goal is continuous improvement, not finger-pointing. But it needs to happen on a predictable schedule, documented in your meeting minutes.
What governance structures keep fundraising visible year-round?
One of the biggest board fundraising killers is the "out of sight, out of mind" problem. If fundraising only shows up on the agenda twice a year (usually in a panic before year-end), your board will treat it as an afterthought.
Build a development committee that actually develops
A development committee (or fundraising committee, or advancement committee) is the governance structure that keeps fundraising on the radar between full board meetings. But too many development committees exist in name only.
An effective development committee:
- Meets monthly or bimonthly, separate from regular board meetings
- Has a clear charter that defines its scope (annual fund, major gifts, events, donor stewardship, or all of the above)
- Includes at least one non-board member (a community volunteer, a past board member, or a major donor). This brings in fresh energy and expands your fundraising network.
- Reports to the full board at every meeting with specific metrics, not vague updates
Note: Development committees focus on strategy and relationship-building, not event logistics. If your committee spends every meeting planning the gala centerpieces, it's not a governance body. It's a party-planning committee.
Put fundraising on every board agenda
This one is simple but transformative. Add a standing "fundraising update" item to every board meeting agenda. Even five minutes of data sharing keeps fundraising front and center.
What should that update include? Real numbers. Not a narrative about how things are "going well." Share:
- Year-to-date giving vs. goal (with a visual like a thermometer or bar chart)
- Donor retention rate compared to last year
- Number of new donors acquired this quarter
- Board giving progress toward your collective goal
Tools like DonorDock's reporting dashboards make pulling these numbers painless. You can generate a board-ready report in minutes and share it on screen during the meeting. When board members see the data regularly, fundraising stops feeling abstract and starts feeling like something they can influence. Features like the ActionBoard can even surface specific follow-up tasks, so board members leave each meeting with a clear next step.
Use a consent agenda to protect fundraising time
If your board meetings regularly run long on operational minutiae, fundraising gets squeezed out. A consent agenda bundles routine items (approving minutes, accepting reports, standard motions) into a single vote at the top of the meeting. That frees up time for strategic conversation, including fundraising.
This is a governance best practice that directly improves fundraising outcomes by giving it the airtime it deserves.
How do you build a board pipeline that prioritizes fundraising capacity?
Governance doesn't just shape how your current board behaves. It shapes who joins in the first place.
Create a board matrix
A board matrix is a simple grid that maps your current board members against the skills, demographics, connections, and capacities your organization needs. It's a governance tool that prevents "we recruit whoever we know" syndrome.
Your matrix should include columns for:
- Fundraising experience (has the member made asks before? Do they have donor networks?)
- Giving capacity (can they make a leadership-level gift?)
- Professional skills (finance, legal, marketing, HR)
- Community connections (access to new donor pools, corporate partners, or civic leaders)
- Demographics (does your board reflect the community you serve?)
When you have a matrix, you recruit with intention. Instead of filling seats, you're filling gaps. And if your biggest gap is fundraising capacity, you know exactly what to look for in your next recruit.
Formalize a nominations process
Ad hoc board recruitment ("Hey, do you want to join our board?") is how organizations end up with boards that are heavy on friendly faces and light on fundraising firepower.
A formal nominations or governance committee should:
- Maintain a prospect list of potential board candidates year-round, not just when a seat opens
- Vet candidates against the board matrix before extending invitations
- Conduct interviews that include direct conversation about fundraising expectations
- Recommend candidates to the full board with a written rationale for why each person strengthens the group
This process takes more time upfront. But it saves you years of frustration with board members who "didn't realize fundraising was part of the deal."
Set term limits (and enforce them)
Term limits are one of the simplest governance tools available, and one of the most underused.
Why? Because term limits create natural opportunities to refresh your board's fundraising capacity. They prevent "legacy" members from occupying seats indefinitely while contributing less over time. And they give you a graceful way to transition board members who aren't meeting expectations.
Two consecutive three-year terms (with the option to return after a one-year break) is a common and effective structure. It gives board members enough time to get up to speed and make an impact, but keeps the pipeline moving.
Putting it all together
Strong governance and strong fundraising aren't separate goals. They're the same goal, expressed through different actions. When your board has clear expectations, functioning committees, regular data visibility, and intentional recruitment practices, fundraising stops being the thing everyone avoids and starts being the thing everyone owns.
You don't need a perfect board to start. Pick one practice from this article, whether it's writing a board agreement, creating a matrix, or adding fundraising to every agenda, and implement it at your next meeting. Small structural changes compound over time.
If you're looking for a way to give your board the data visibility and reporting they need to stay engaged, DonorDock makes it simple. Real-time dashboards, donor retention tracking, and a clean interface that even your least tech-savvy board member can navigate. See it in action.
For more on building an engaged, fundraising-ready board, check out our related article: How do you build a board that actually has your back?
