Building A Fundraising Committee

𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗯𝗼𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝗶𝘀𝗻’𝘁 𝗱𝗼𝗱𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗳𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗿𝗮𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗿𝗲𝗾𝘂𝗲𝘀𝘁𝘀. 𝗧𝗵𝗲𝘆’𝗿𝗲 𝗱𝗼𝗱𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗸 𝗳𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗿𝗮𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝘀. For many nonprofit board members, the idea of “reaching out to their network” triggers discomfort. Not because they don’t believe in the mission - but because, to them: Outreach = Asking friends for money. But what most organizations need first from their board is not a donation request. It’s an introduction. ➡️ A quick conversation to share why they’re excited about the mission. ➡️ A pulse check to see if the contact might be interested in learning more. ➡️ And if there’s a spark, a warm handoff to the right staff person - major gifts, development, or corporate partnerships - to take it from there. Here’s how fundraisers can make this work: 🔹 𝗥𝗲𝗳𝗿𝗮𝗺𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗮𝘀𝗸: Don’t say, “Can you ask your contact for a gift?” Instead: “Would you be willing to share what excites you about our mission and see if they'd like to meet our team?” 🔹𝗣𝗿𝗼𝘃𝗶𝗱𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗲𝘅𝘁: Share 1–2 sentences board members can use. Make it conversational, not canned. (“I’ve gotten involved with an organization doing incredible work in [area]. Thought it might be worth a quick intro if it sparks your interest.”) 🔹 𝗠𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝗶𝘁 𝗹𝗼𝘄-𝗽𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘀𝘂𝗿𝗲: Emphasize that the goal is exploration, not solicitation. Let the development team guide the next steps, when appropriate. 🔹 𝗛𝗶𝗴𝗵𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗿𝗶𝗽𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝗲𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗰𝘁: A simple intro can unlock significant support - not just financial, but connections, visibility, and community impact. At the end of the day, board members joined because they care. Helping them see that introductions are an extension of their passion - not a pitch - can put them at ease. What’s worked for you in encouraging board engagement in donor or partner outreach? #fundraising #nonprofits #nonprofitboards P.S. An exercise I just went through with one of my clients, after we identified potentially aligned businesses to reach out to, was to research the board of directors for each of those companies and compile a list of names and bios that the Executive Director could share with the nonprofit board simply to see if there were any connections.

There are kinds of fundraising help that are worse than none at all. “Our board doesn’t fundraise.” I hear this from frustrated staff a lot, and while some are asking board members for exactly what they want, more often I find power dynamics prevent staff from speaking up. Word of caution, though, if you don’t ask, you might not get, or even worse, you might very well get all the wrong things for all the right reasons (board members wanting to help but not knowing how). So to board members reading this, let me fill in some blanks for you. If you want to help staff fundraise, do NOT: -         Forward articles about random rich people or companies you do not know with the suggestion, “You should ask them.” -         Push for staff to devote hours to “community nights” or the like where restaurants/ stores/sports venues give paltry percentages of profits in exchange for heavy promotion -         Meet in committees to plan fundraising activities that staff will have to undertake without first tapping staff for their expertise on best practices and insights into their audiences, and engaging them in discussion about capacity and effectiveness DO reach out to staff and say: -         I don’t think I know anyone who could give, but here is a list of the companies, groups, clubs, alumni associations, etc. that I am a part of. Are there any introductions you want me to make? -         Is there an invitation, pitch, or other form of ask that you would like me to circulate to my network? -         Is there a list of staff or donors you would like me to call and thank or write notes to? -         Would you like me to host something? -         What can I do that would be most helpful to you? And, of course, set up your recurring monthly gift without being asked. To any development folks out there, what would you add 

Asking board members to "just give or get $X" solves 0% of your fundraising problems. 8 better approaches that actually work: 1. Stop treating all board members the same: Create individualized engagement plans based on skills and networks 2. Replace "give/get" with "engage/connect": Measure relationship-building activities, not just dollars 3. Provide specific language for outreach: Most board members don't know what to say 4. Create "fundraising light" opportunities: Host small gatherings, make introductions, share content 5. Celebrate relationship milestones, not just gifts: New meetings and meaningful connections deserve recognition 6. Train on storytelling, not solicitation: Compelling stories open more doors than direct asks 7. Make it competitive (in a healthy way): Gamify outreach activities with team challenges 8. Share specific stories of impact: Give them emotional ammunition for conversations What's working with your board fundraising efforts?

Advice from a fundraising guru (not me!). Historically I will tell donors all about our impacts and the progress we are planning to make and then I hope for the best. But in a recent conversation, I went completely the other way. A friend told me to engage in active listening. So I met with a donor and I learned how she got into food systems (she was "seeing the connections between conventional farming and the decline of health and communities"). I asked why she had funded us (“because you seem like you’re actually making the change happen; because you’re getting to the root cause”) We dove into how our approach could support her goals (not just what we’ve accomplished, but what success would look like). It was really heartening because it helped me understand that, probably millions of people have the same goals—transforming the food system, restoring the climate, improving nutrient density and resilience. But there had been a disconnect. And the simple reframing:  “I hear you. Let’s solve it” was a profoundly different "conversation" from:  “Zero Foodprint can transform the food system, restore the climate and improve nutrient density and resilience." Because the latter isn’t even a "conversation." Instead of explaining Collective Regeneration, I listened. And learned "this person is looking for a way to actually regenerate" (but didn’t use that phrase)." It reminded me that our work is a community of practice, based on conversation and partnership with donors to enact shared goals. Instead of telling them Zero Foodprint has a way to directly and proactively regenerate, it took slowing down so that it just naturally became clear that, together, WE had a way to regenerate. 

Most trustees want to help with fundraising. They just don't know how. Here’s how I work with clients to make it happen. 👇 STEP 1: Identify who is a good match Not every board member will be right for this. Identify who on the board is a connector or has networks worth exploring. STEP 2: Set up a coffee meeting Short meetings with one or two or even a handful of trustees Make it personal: Offer the opportunity to meet by explaining why they are the perfect person to discuss this with, no one wants a generic invite STEP 3: Prepare all the materials Be able to articulate very succinctly: -What are the plans for this area of fundraising -What you need from them to be successful (have a few different options) -What would be the immediate next steps STEP 4: Ask insight questions Understand who they are and what role they would like to play How best could we work together to bring your networks closer to our cause? What level of involvement would you like to have? Have you done anything similar for another organisation and if yes, what did that experience look like? What hesitations do you have about being involved in this? What would you need to see or hear from us to open up your networks? STEP 5: Match the options and confirm Based on the answers to the insight questions, match an option for involvement I want to be closely involved → great, once we’ve identified some names, we would love for you to make an introduction and come along to the first meeting I know no one but I am happy to help → lovely, can you write and sign a cover letter for a proposal we are sending to x foundation TAKEAWAY Trustees need to be treated like donors. Match the right opportunity to who they are and how they would like to engage P.S. I've just found out that this week is Trustees' Week in the UK. Thanks Steve Allman for the head's up. So I'm sharing posts focused on trustee engagement in fundraising. Found this useful? Share it with a colleague or peer.