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Board Fundraising Toolkit

Published: Last updated: Reviewed: Sources: boardsource.org afpfep.org

TLDR

Most nonprofit boards underperform on fundraising not because members are unwilling but because expectations are unclear, asks are not assigned, and no one supports the awkward parts of the conversation. This toolkit covers give/get policies, prospect identification, ask scripts, and quarterly accountability. Use it to convert a passive board into an engaged fundraising team.

Why Boards Underperform on Fundraising

The most common pattern in mid-sized nonprofits: a 12-person board, two members who actively raise money, three who give but do not ask, and seven who attend meetings and contribute expertise but not dollars. Total board fundraising rarely exceeds 5 percent of revenue. Leadership accepts the dynamic because changing it feels confrontational.

This pattern is not a recruiting failure or a willingness failure. It is a structural failure. The board never agreed to a written fundraising expectation. New members were not told what they were signing up for. There is no quarterly mechanism to make commitments visible. The Executive Director carries the awkwardness of asking individual members to do more.

This toolkit fixes the structure. It will not turn an academic into a major gift closer. It will turn a willing-but-untrained board member into someone who consistently opens doors, makes thank-you calls, and contributes to fundraising results.

Section 1: The Give/Get Policy

A give/get policy is a written expectation that every board member will personally give and personally raise (get) defined amounts each year. Without it, fundraising lives in the gray zone where everyone hopes someone else will step up.

Sample policy language

Each board member commits to a personally significant annual gift of at least $X, in addition to raising $Y through introductions, asks, sponsorships, or other fundraising activity. The combined give/get expectation is $Z annually. The policy applies to all board members and is reviewed annually by the Governance Committee.

Setting the number

Three inputs:

  1. Organizational fundraising goal. What is your annual private contributed revenue target?
  2. Board contribution share. What share should the board be responsible for? Sector benchmarks suggest 10 to 25 percent of private revenue from the board and their networks.
  3. Board financial capacity. What is the realistic distribution of giving capacity across current members?

Divide goal — share by board size to get the average per-member target. Round to a credible number. Adjust for variation: the policy is a floor, not a ceiling.

Common levels

  • Small organizations ($500K to $1M revenue): $1,000 to $2,500 give/get per member
  • Mid-sized ($1M to $5M): $2,500 to $10,000 give/get per member
  • Larger ($5M to $10M): $10,000 to $25,000 give/get per member

Implementation

  • Adopt the policy at a board meeting with a vote.
  • Include it in the recruitment process for all new members.
  • Build it into the annual self-assessment.
  • Report progress quarterly. Public accountability moves the number more than any other intervention.

Board Fundraising Toolkit

Practical templates and conversation guides to engage nonprofit board members in fundraising - give/get policy, prospect lists, and ask scripts. Delivered by email.

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Frequently asked

Frequently Asked Questions

Yes, with a defined minimum and the option of a personally significant gift. Board giving is the first signal funders look at when assessing organizational commitment. Many foundations will not consider a proposal from a board where less than 100 percent give annually.
A written expectation that each board member will give a defined amount and raise (get) an additional amount through their network each year. Mid-sized nonprofits typically set combined give/get between $2,500 and $25,000 depending on board composition.
Look at your fundraising goal, divide a meaningful share (often 10 to 20 percent) by board size, and round to a credible number. Pressure-test against board financial capacity. Set it high enough to matter, low enough that all members can credibly meet it.
Most board members are not refusing - they are scared and untrained. The toolkit's ask scripts and warm introduction templates remove the parts they fear. Pair every reluctant board member with a staff member for the first ask.
Board fundraising is one tributary into the major gifts program. Every prospect a board member identifies should enter the major gift pipeline, even if the board member is not the closer. See the major gift cultivation guide.
Quarterly. Each member commits to a small set of actions per quarter (introductions, thank-you calls, asks). Annual goals without quarterly checkpoints almost never get met.

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