How to Engage Your Board Fundraising: Three Magic Words
- kit644
- 23 hours ago
- 4 min read
If you want to know how to engage your nonprofit board in fundraising, start with three words: Revenue. Growth. Strategy.
Notice what’s missing? The word ‘fundraising.’ And no, that’s not a mistake!
This simple shift in language can completely change how your board participates in conversations about your organization’s financial future.
Drop the ‘Fundraising’ from ‘Board Fundraising’…initially
You know that scene from the movie ‘The Social Network’? Justin Timberlake delivers the famous line: ‘Drop the ‘The’...just…Facebook.’
That’s what you need to channel when it comes to fundraising. Not just using the word, but getting out of the fundraiser’s mindset so you can clearly see your board’s mindset.
Why Engagement for Board Fundraising Is So Hard
Most boards are not made up of fundraising professionals. Board members often come from corporate leadership, finance, law, technology, or government. They bring strategic thinking, governance expertise, and financial oversight to your organization.
But fundraising is not part of their professional vocabulary.
When many board members hear the word fundraising, they immediately picture asking friends for money or making uncomfortable calls. Even when they believe deeply in your mission, the word “fundraising” can trigger discomfort, often grounded in the ambiguity of what's expected of them.
As Fundraising professionals, we know that the Fundraising cycle involves so much more than the ask. The majority of our efforts are in building relationships, and bringing folks closer to our mission. That’s what ultimately makes solicitation successful. Most Board members don’t see this big picture, and they certainly can't envision the six phases of the Fundraising Cycle.
Your board members can be your nonprofit’s biggest ambassadors and advocates which inherently place them in strategic roles within the Fundraising Cycle. But you've got to start speaking the same language. (Hint: Best if you start with the one they're fluent in.)
Why “Revenue Growth” is Better Than ‘Fundraising’ to a Board
Before Sari founded Donor Boom, she was in the for-profit business. After working at Hallmark Cards, Clorox, Leapfrog, and co-founding Conformer Products, she found that one of her biggest strengths in the nonprofit sector was her ability to code-switch between the for-profit and nonprofit world, and bring the two closer together.
Many of your board members don’t speak nonprofit language and don’t understand fundraising fundamentals. Even if they receive board training, the fundraising basics may not penetrate into understanding.
Unlike Sari, they probably didn’t undergo fundraising education and training, become CFRE-certified, or start a data-driven fundraising firm for nonprofits.
When you shift the conversation from fundraising to nonprofit revenue growth, the topic becomes strategic and familiar. It plays to THEIR strengths. They likely spend their days consumed by revenue and by growth in their environments.
That’s a conversation boards are far more prepared (and often eager) to have. This reframing is one of the most effective ways to increase board engagement in fundraising.
Other Ways to Speak Board Language
Revenue Growth Strategy is truly a magical phrase when it comes to speaking with your board. But that is one of many things you can do to speak a board member’s language and put everyone on equal footing.
Start With a Revenue Dashboard
If you want your board to engage in fundraising strategy, give them clear, strategic data. Trust us- our Donor Data Analysis is our number one service for a reason.
A simple revenue dashboard is one of the most effective tools for engaging your board. Instead of presenting isolated fundraising updates, show the full revenue picture.
Your dashboard should highlight your revenue mix- the percentage of total revenue coming from individual giving, earned revenue, grants, government funding, corporate partnerships, and events. This represents risk diversification as well which your board is tasked with managing.
Seeing the full picture helps board members understand risk, opportunity, and sustainability. It transforms fundraising into a conversation about growth.
*Include Earned Revenue in the Conversation
Earned revenue is one of the most underdeveloped sources of stable, unrestricted funding in many nonprofits. Including it in your dashboard reinforces that revenue strategy is broader than fundraising alone and helps boards think holistically about financial sustainability.
Show Three-Year Revenue Trends
Single-year snapshots rarely tell the full story.
Without context, board members cannot easily determine whether results are strong, weak, or simply cyclical. This makes meaningful engagement difficult.
Three-year trends provide the context boards need. They reveal patterns, highlight risk, and make opportunities easier to understand.
And it puts everyone on the same page! No matter who they are or how long they’ve been on the board, they should be able to see how the nonprofit has been performing.
Use Language That Builds Confidence in Board Fundraising
Language shapes participation. Have you ever tried to join a new workout class only to realize everyone else around you already knows the combos, the lingo, the music, and fun nicknames? That’s not always an easy class to join.
Try using “revenue” and “fundraising” interchangeably in board conversations. Talk about “individual donor revenue” instead of “fundraising results,” or a “revenue growth strategy” instead of a “fundraising plan.”
This subtle shift helps board members feel more comfortable joining the conversation and reduces the emotional barrier many associate with fundraising.
The Fundraising Question You Want Your Board to Ask
When boards see the data clearly and in familiar terms, something powerful happens. Instead of avoiding the topic, they begin to lean in. They understand the strategy. They see the organization’s financial picture.
And they start asking the question every nonprofit leader hopes to hear: “How can we help achieve our revenue goals?”
That question marks a turning point in board engagement in fundraising.
Revenue. Growth. Strategy.
Engaging your board in fundraising doesn’t always require new tactics or major changes. Sometimes it starts with a shift in language.
When you frame fundraising as revenue growth, present clear data, and speak your board’s language, you create the conditions for stronger engagement and shared ownership of your organization’s financial future.
And that’s where sustainable revenue growth begins.
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