Governance vs. Fundraising: Getting Your Board to Do the Right Work

Ask a dozen development directors what they think of their boards and you’ll get a dozen different answers. Press them a bit and you’ll find a common truth – those development directors who feel most supported by their boards have board members who don’t hesitate to engage on the fundraising side.  

But wait, you might say. Isn’t that what we have a development director for? So they can do the fundraising? Isn’t the board’s role governance?  

Well, yes and no. The board’s role is to provide governance oversight. But it’s also to advance the organization – programmatically, fiscally, and with fundraising. Board members may be chosen for different reasons (professional expertise; connection with the mission; contacts in the community) but every board member should seek to help grow the organization and their own skills as part of the relationship.  

And that means getting out of comfort zones.  

Most boards aren’t “bad at fundraising” – problems and discomfort with fundraising often come down to clarity of roles and preparation. Many times, fundraising problems that surface are really board governance problems that have been festering for years. The need for clarity about roles, where and how to interact with staff, what’s too operational, and CEO / Executive guidance vs. oversight are all potential areas of concern. These have to be handled carefully, but can be navigated to bring more out of your board.  

Let’s talk about the end goal – a board that is high-functioning, helping bring in new sources of revenue, who feels invested and committed to the fundraising goals, and who sees themselves as playing an important role in advancing the organization. They feel true ownership of the development program, and know that their contributions are valued by those inside the organization.  

Ok, sounds great. So how do we get there? What do we do with a board that expects staff to just ‘run another event’ or ‘write a grant, maybe to Bill Gates or to Oprah’? Or a board that is uncomfortable with fundraising?  

Check out our webinar to take your board to the next level!