Get Your Board Raising Money

Your board wants to help, but it doesn't raise money. This kit gives every board member a fundraising job they can do well, and keeps fundraising moving between meetings.

When you finish, you will have every board member giving at a level that is meaningful to them, a written fundraising commitment from each member, and a fundraising role for everyone, from thanking donors to opening doors. You will also have a tracker that shows who has done what and a ten-minute fundraising segment for every board meeting.

Who it is for

It is built for small nonprofits where the executive director or a single staff member carries fundraising and the board wants to help but does not know how. It works for boards of any size, from three members up.

What you get

• 01 Start Here Guide (PDF, 6 pages) - The approach in five stages, an eight-week timeline, the five fundraising roles, a start-to-finish example and answers to common questions.
• 02 Board Fundraising Tracker (Excel) - Room for 40 board members and 300 activities. It tracks roles, gifts, pledges and commitments, names each member's next step and shows board giving participation.
• 03 Board Fundraising Roles (Word) - Five roles with a card and script for each, a self-assessment and a 15-minute meeting script to introduce them.
• 04 Board Giving Campaign (Word) - The chair's letter, one-on-one follow-up, a pledge form, a reminder, thank-you notes and a report to the board.
• 05 The Fundraising Commitment Conversation (Word) - A 30-minute conversation guide, a one-page commitment form and a plan for new members.
• 06 Meeting Agendas and Fundraising Segments (Word) - A ten-minute fundraising segment, an agenda template, a year of segment themes and a board thank-you call session with call sheets.

The files are numbered in the order you use them. File 01, the Start Here Guide, opens with three steps you can finish in your first 15 minutes.

How it works

The board chair and executive director agree on the plan, then introduce five fundraising roles at a board meeting. Thankers call donors, ambassadors share the story, door openers make introductions, hosts hold small gatherings and askers join staff on visits. The chair runs a board giving campaign while holding a short commitment conversation with each member, and every meeting after that includes a ten-minute fundraising segment. You pay once, download the files right away and replace the bracketed placeholders with your own details.

Who made this

Chris Boerner, a strategist who has advised companies, health systems and nonprofits since 2013 and has led nonprofit fundraising work as a board member and capital campaign leader. More about Small Shop Playbooks