Board Engagement That Raises Money
Stop hoping the board will fundraise. Give them roles they will do, and build the give-get culture without the fight.
Through the Faith-Based lens
Give-get language needs care in a congregational setting, since a board or council member's existing offertory giving already reads to them as their spiritual commitment, and a second, separate "significant gift" ask can land as double-dipping unless the distinction is explained plainly. The ambassador model fits naturally here, since parishioners inviting fellow parishioners is close to the invitation culture congregations already practice; frame it that way rather than importing corporate board language wholesale.
Continuing education
1.00 points
Volunteer Involvement · Leadership and Management
Learning objectives
- State the honest inventory of what trustees will do, from personal giving and thank-yous to introductions, hosting, and accompanied visits, and apply the match-don't-mandate principle to the board you have rather than the board you imagine.
- Build a one-page board fundraising menu of sized, specific roles, run the annual 30-minute selection conversation with each trustee, and report the tally in aggregate at every board meeting.
- Run a board ambassador program: select three to six trustees for warmth and reliability, train them in one two-hour session, match each to three to five relationships, and hold the quarterly hour that keeps it alive.
- Adopt a board giving policy built on a meaningful gift and every-trustee-every-year participation rather than a fixed minimum, secure it through a peer-led annual conversation, and report the one-line scorecard to funders and the board.
Designed for CFRE continuing education. Not yet accepted; no CFRE points can be claimed.
Lessons
- 19 min
Video lesson
What boards will and won't do
VII Multiply · Volunteer Involvement
- 16 min
Template· DOCX
The board fundraising menu
VII Multiply · Volunteer Involvement
- 18 min
Field guide· PDF
Running a board ambassador program
VI Accompany · Volunteer Involvement
- 14 min
Template· DOCX
Give-get policies that stick
IV Invite · Leadership and Management
This is members-only material.
Members get every lesson, template, and worksheet in all eight tracks, plus the support to put them to work in your shop.
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