Building a High-Performing Nonprofit Board for More Effective Fundraising
Effective Fundraising Starts with Strong Governance
January is one of the rare moments in the nonprofit calendar when leaders finally have space to breathe. It’s when the year-end rush is over and reports are wrapping up.
Before the new year accelerates, there’s a small but powerful window to reflect. This pause is crucial for your nonprofit board.
Strong fundraising doesn’t happen in isolation. It’s built on clarity, alignment, and trust between the board and staff. To cultivate this, you need strong governance.
In other words, you can’t have solid fundraising without solid governance.
In this blog, I’ll share:
What makes high-performing boards unique
The best strategic time to focus on board governance
How board engagement directly impacts fundraising success
How to set up your organization for a strong year ahead
What’s Unique About High-Performing Boards?
One of the most common challenges I see with boards is role confusion.
When board roles aren’t clear, a few things happen:
Board members drift into operations or micromanagement
Executive Directors feel unsupported or second-guessed
Strategic conversations get crowded out by reports and updates
Fundraising expectations feel awkward, inconsistent, or they’re avoided altogether
BoardSource teaches us that governance is about direction-setting, not doing.
Provide strategic oversight
Hire and support the CEO
Ensure financial sustainability
Uphold the long-term health of the organization
Staff are responsible for:
Implementing strategy
Managing day-to-day operations
When this partnership is clear and respected, boards become far more effective. Meetings move from transactional to strategic, and fundraising becomes a shared responsibility instead of a source of tension.
When is the Best Time to Focus on Strategic Governance?
By starting the year with a few strategic questions, you’ll set your board and organization up for a more successful fundraising year ahead.
January is a powerful time to ask:
Does our board understand its governance role?
Do our meetings prioritize strategy or reporting?
Are expectations clear for both board members and staff?
You don’t need to fix everything at once. Often, naming the issue and starting the conversation is the most important step.
Reframing the Board’s Role in Fundraising for Better Results
Let’s talk about the elephant in the boardroom: fundraising.
If you’ve ever thought, “my board won’t fundraise,” you’re in good company.
Through my BoardSource training and years of experience, I’ve learned that most board members don’t dislike fundraising—they dislike uncertainty.
Gaps in fundraising happen when board members aren’t sure what’s expected of them. They don’t want to say the wrong thing or damage relationships. And often, no one’s clearly explained how they can help.
Fundraising is a shared responsibility, but that doesn’t mean every board member has to make big asks or solicit major gifts.
Board members can also contribute by:
Sharing why they care about your mission
Making introductions to potential supporters
Thanking donors and following up after gifts
Participating in cultivation conversations with staff support
Making a personally-meaningful annual gift
When you start seeing board members as relationship-builders rather than solely fundraisers, your fundraising strategy will become more effective.
And when your board feels prepared and supported, fundraising is more purposeful than scary.
Using Assessment as a Tool for Nonprofit Growth
Some of the most powerful moments in my work happen when a board and staff finally get aligned. You can feel the shift: the energy lifts, meetings are more productive, and everyone’s finally able to make confident decisions.
Healthy organizations share a few common traits:
Boards focus on strategy, oversight, and sustainability
Staff lead implementation and operations
Fundraising is understood as a shared effort
Assessment is seen as an opportunity for growth, not criticism
Trust and communication flow both ways
Boards should regularly assess themselves and the CEO, because reflection is part of responsible leadership.
If governance or board dynamics feel heavy right now, it doesn’t mean you’re failing. More often, it means your organization is growing, and that growth needs support.
How to Set Up Your Board for a Successful Year of Fundraising
If your governance needs attention, I’d love to connect. Whether you’re looking for board assessment, clearer fundraising expectations, or ways to strengthen your board–staff partnership, my team at Sprout Fundraising & Consulting can help.
Strong governance and effective fundraising go hand-in-hand. When boards function well, everything from decision-making, fundraising, leadership transitions, and long-term sustainability get easier.
I’ve spent my career doing this work alongside other nonprofit leaders, and I’m incredibly passionate about it. That’s why I completed my Certificate in Nonprofit Board Governance through BoardSource, the leading national organization dedicated to strengthening nonprofit board leadership.
BoardSource has long been my go-to resource for governance research, frameworks, and best practices, and the certificate program has helped me deepen and formalize that expertise.
Through this work, I’ve been trained in:
Modern governance trends and board responsibilities
The constructive partnership between boards and staff
Purpose-driven board leadership and integrating equity into board culture
The board-building cycle, from recruitment to assessment
Structuring high-performing meetings and committees
Building a culture of philanthropy
The board’s role in fundraising
Board and CEO assessments
Practices of exceptional boards
More importantly, I can help you apply this knowledge to your nonprofit—moving from frustration and uncertainty to achievable, clear, and confident alignment.
To learn more about board assessments, governance coaching, or engaging your board as strategic fundraising partners, schedule a free call with our team. We’ll meet you where you are and help you take the next right step.
Here’s to a thoughtful, aligned, and well-supported year ahead.
