Why Board Engagement is Essential for Individual Fundraising Success

I’m writing a book on the internal operations of nonprofit fundraising with my great friend Jackson Cooper. The focus of the book is on individual giving and how to lead within your organization to have a well-functioning fundraising program. We’re working on the second draft, so I’m immersed in the current conversations around fundraising. It certainly is an interesting time to be writing about fundraising, given the upheaval in government funding and the shifting priorities of foundation and corporate funding. Individual fundraising, while making up the majority of contributed funds for nonprofits, is even more important now.

This week on my website, I’ll work through a few different topics that are on the front burner in fundraising. Let’s start with how boards and professional staff work together.

Boards, staff, and fundraising: start with governance

As government funding becomes less predictable and institutional giving shifts with cultural and economic tides, nonprofits are under growing pressure to secure individual gifts. In this climate, a well-functioning partnership between staff and board isn’t a “nice to have” — it’s essential. And yet, many nonprofits still struggle to connect the dots between effective board governance and successful individual fundraising.

This disconnect doesn’t come from lack of care or commitment. Boards and staff are often deeply invested in their missions. But without clear communication and trust, they can easily fall out of sync — especially when it comes to roles and responsibilities in fundraising.

A high functioning fundraising partnership between board and staff starts with good governance. As articulated in this insightful post by Lisa Z. Greer, a donor who has written extensively on the major donor’s perspective on nonprofit management and fundraising, the board’s core responsibility is to ensure the organization’s long-term stability and success — not to manage its day-to-day operations. When boards overstep into staff territory, it creates confusion and inefficiency. But when governance is strong — when boards focus on strategy, oversight, and resource development — they create the conditions for fundraising to thrive. Individual giving, especially at higher levels, depends on board members being visible, credible, and connected. That kind of leadership is only possible when the board understands its role and trusts the staff to execute.

Who’s Responsible for What?

One of the most common and understandable sources of confusion is who “owns” fundraising. Staff members are on the front lines: cultivating mid-level donors, writing grant proposals, managing CRM systems, and executing campaigns. From the outside, it might appear they have it covered. And as Lisa discusses, some boards and some staffs work that way, limiting the amount that can be raised.

When it comes to unlocking major gifts, corporate partnerships, or relationships with legacy foundations, staff can’t go it alone. Board members often have the networks and peer credibility that open doors — and carry the kind of influence that motivates high-capacity donors to lean in. These relationships can’t be accessed through emails or events alone. They require trust.

Why Boards Hesitate

It’s equally important to understand where board hesitancy comes from. When board members are asked to make introductions or attend donor meetings, they’re often putting their reputations — business and personal — on the line. They need to feel fully confident in the organization’s leadership, fundraising strategy, and ability to steward sensitive relationships well.

Sometimes, in trying to build that confidence, boards get too deep into staff-level work: questioning tactics, rewriting donor letters, or second-guessing decisions. This kind of micromanagement is rarely intentional. It’s a signal that they’re unsure whether their involvement will be effective — or safe. Board members, especially passionate and well-connected board members, can hold back leveraging their contacts out of concern for how their relationships would be handled.

What It Takes to Work Well Together

During my time as an executive director of a theater, I saw both sides of this dynamic. Our staff was dedicated, capable, and creative in how we pursued funding. But there were donors we couldn’t access without our board’s active participation.

Prioritizing communication and trust was what made the board-staff partnership work well. We shared information openly — even the hard or sensitive stuff. We respected confidentiality. And we made space for board and staff members to express concerns without fear of judgment, an essential step before working towards problem solving. We had a culture where everyone understood their role, felt safe showing up for each other, and could work in concert towards the organization’s fundraising goals.

What Nonprofits Should Do Now

As the landscape of funding changes, this kind of alignment between staff and board isn’t optional — it’s strategic. Here’s where to start:

• Clarify roles: Make it explicit who is responsible for what in fundraising — and where staff and board must collaborate.
• Build trust: Give board members visibility into plans, language, and processes. Reassure them that their relationships will be honored and handled with care.
• Create structure: Establish a regular cadence for development updates and specific opportunities for board participation.
• Name the value: Remind board members that their presence, voice, and credibility are powerful tools that staff simply can’t replicate.

Ultimately, board engagement is not just about writing a check or showing up at a gala. It’s about sharing responsibility for the future of the organization — especially when it comes to individual giving.

But the foundation is this: individual giving grows when boards and staff work together with clarity, trust, and shared commitment. Without that, even the best strategies will fall short.

This week’s series will continue exploring other dimensions of fundraising in today’s climate – stay tuned.