Your Board Isn't Lazy. They're Just Untrained.

If you've ever sat in a board meeting watching everyone stare at their laps the second the word "fundraising" comes up, I want you to know something: it's not personal, and it's not laziness. Your board members didn't join to be your ATM or your telemarketing department. They joined because they believe in your mission. Somewhere between "yes, I'll join your board" and "please call five donors this month," something broke down, and I promise you it wasn't their character.

It was training. Or the lack of it.

I wrote How To Get Your Nonprofit Board To Fundraise because I got tired of watching brilliant, mission-driven leaders  burn themselves out doing 90% of the fundraising while their boards sat on the sidelines feeling guilty and useless. That guilt doesn't raise money. Confidence does. And confidence is a skill you can teach.

Here's what I've learned after a decade of training boards across the country, and what's inside the book.

Your board isn't dodging fundraising. They're dodging failure.

Most board members have never been taught how to ask for money. They've never seen a script, never practiced an elevator pitch, never been told what a "warm ask" even looks like. So when you hand them a list of names and say "just reach out," you're not giving them a task. You're handing them a fear.

The fix isn't a sterner memo at your next board meeting. It's education. Show your board what your organization's financial reality actually looks like, show them where the gaps are, and show them exactly what closing those gaps requires from them. People show up for problems they understand.

Stop asking. Start inviting.

There's a subtle but massive difference between asking someone to fundraise and inviting them into a role they can actually see themselves succeeding at. In the book, I walk through how to reframe board fundraising responsibilities so they feel less like an obligation and more like an opportunity to represent something they already care about.

This is also where a clear Give AND Get policy earns its keep. When expectations are spelled out in writing before someone joins your board, you skip the awkward mid-year ambush entirely. Everyone knows what "on board" actually means.

Hand them a toolkit, not a guilt trip

You cannot expect board members to fundraise with nothing but good intentions. They need scripts for donor calls. They need thank you note templates. They need a simple, repeatable process so fundraising doesn't feel like reinventing the wheel every single ask.

How To Get Your Nonprofit Board To Fundraise comes with the actual tools: donor call scripts, elevator pitch templates, social media content ideas, and a board fundraising toolkit your members can pick up and use immediately. No blank page. No guesswork. Just a system that works even for the board member who swears they "aren't a fundraising person."

Build a culture, not a campaign

A single training session will get you a short-term bump. A fundraising culture is what actually changes your organization long term. That means fundraising shows up in board job descriptions, in how you run meetings, in how you celebrate wins, and in how new board members are onboarded from day one. The book walks through how to build that culture step by step, so this isn't a fire drill you run once a year around your gala.

What's inside the book

How To Get Your Nonprofit Board To Fundraise covers:

• Why boards avoid fundraising, and the real fix (it's not a stricter policy)
• How to educate your board on your organization's financial needs without putting anyone to sleep
• Practical engagement strategies that meet board members where they are
• A full board fundraising toolkit, including scripts, templates, and social media tools
• How to build fundraising into your board culture for the long haul

If you're a nonprofit leader who is exhausted from carrying your organization's fundraising alone, or a Development Director trying to get your board off the sidelines, this book was written for you.

Your board wants to help. They just need someone to show them how.

Get your copy of How To Get Your Nonprofit Board To Fundraise on Amazon.