Building A Fundraising Committee

Everyone talks about getting quick wins when you step into a new advancement executive role. I coach leaders to focus on earning trust first. Here’s how to build trust in a new leadership role—from someone who coaches chief advancement executives as they establish themselves in new roles. Many senior advancement leaders bring me in during this time to strengthen their leadership and build the trust that drives team ownership and fundraising results their institutions are counting on, while reducing the risk that comes with any big new role. Here’s where I coach them to focus: Show who you are and what matters to you. Your team wants to know the human behind the title. Ask questions that go deeper than the campaign plan. Understand the people doing the work, what’s going well, and what may hold them back from being successful. Listen with the intent to act. Notice what’s being said—and what’s left unsaid—and follow through. Extend trust early. Believe in your team even before you know them; it helps them trust you, too. Trust creates connection and credibility—and it leads to the fundraising outcomes your institution is counting on. When you step into a new leadership role, make trust your first strategy. It’s the foundation for everything you’ll successfully build together.

New to fundraising? Here's what nobody tells you: Your success won't be determined by how well you schmooze donors. It'll be determined by how well you build trust with your program team, finance staff, communications team, and organizational leadership. The best fundraisers I know? They're master relationship-builders inside their organizations first. Why? Because you can't effectively promote what you don't understand. You can't articulate impact you've never witnessed. You can't connect a donor to a program leader if that leader doesn't trust you. When program staff return your calls immediately, when finance bends over backward to get you data, when leadership lets you bring donors behind the scenes—that's not luck. That's the relational equity you've built. Start here: Spend as much time this month building internal partnerships as you do cultivating donors. Ask questions. Show genuine interest. Deliver on small promises. The fundraisers who rise fastest aren't the best askers. They're the best collaborators.

My post about the 8-figure gift resonated, and people reached out asking how we prepare board members for meetings like that. What works isn’t turning volunteers into salespeople. It’s helping board members become door openers and trust-builders. Last week, a board member who had just taken our training went to a party where someone mentioned her #nonprofit. She shared why the mission mattered to her, no pitch and no ask. Three people joined the conversation and asked how they could support. One turned out to be a philanthropist with a personal connection to the cause. She wrote to us afterwards: “I want to emphasize how helpful this training was by reminding me that I don't have to ask for money, I just need to express my own passion and connection to the cause. That has been such a relief, and I think it's already working!” When board members act from personal conviction instead of pressure, donors feel it. It shifts the conversation from persuasion to peer connection, and then trust starts to compound. Stop asking board members to: • memorize program details and elevator pitches • make the ask • contact their entire network and hope someone bites Start coaching them to: • share why they give their time and money • identify five people in their network most likely to care and give meaningfully • make warm handoffs to staff, who take it from there Board members build trust as peers in ways staff cannot. When a friend says “this matters to me,” people listen differently. The shift works because it creates internal alignment. Staff stop chasing reluctant board fundraisers, and board members stop waiting to be told what to do. Everyone starts moving toward the same goal. The Board Moves Method teaches this in bespoke half-day and full-day workshops for boards facing campaigns, revenue growth, donor meetings, and filling event tables — the moments when clarity, efficient strategy, and teamwork matter most. Katy Giron and I built the Board Moves Method because we were tired of seeing boards go through trainings where nothing changed, and tired of watching staff feel like they couldn’t get their board to help. And our training works: in follow-up surveys, 96% of board members said the training increased their confidence in fundraising for their organization. 100% found the fundraising tools, examples, and strategies extremely or very useful. We are booked through January 2026. February openings are filling now. If your board wants to learn how to build trust and open doors for your nonprofit, let’s talk. #NonprofitLeadership #Fundraising #Philanthropy #MajorGifts #BoardDevelopment

I once worked with a senior-level volunteer who said, “I know a lot of people who can give—but I’m just not comfortable asking them for money. Some of them are my neighbors. Their kids are best friends with my kids. How do I do this?” This is such a common and completely valid concern for board members. Fundraising can feel personal, awkward, even risky. But here’s the thing: Board members shouldn’t have to do it alone. When Development Directors and Boards partner—instead of working in silos—fundraising becomes less intimidating and a lot more successful. Here’s how we addressed it in 3 simple steps: ✅ 1. Co-Create a Partnership Plan We mapped out who the board member knew, what felt authentic, and where staff would step in. Together, they created a shared strategy. ✅ 2. Provide Tools, Not Pressure The Development Director offered simple scripts, a one-pager, and took on the ask. The board member’s job? Open the door and follow up with thanks. ✅ 3. Celebrate the Win When that donor gave, we didn’t just track the gift—we celebrated the teamwork that made it happen. That built confidence for future engagement. What if a board member says, “I don’t know anybody”? Reframe the question: “Who do you know who cares about our mission?”or “Who might enjoy learning about our work?” That often surfaces names they hadn’t considered. What's your tried and tested strategy to get your volunteers on board with fundraising? #NonprofitLeadership #BoardEngagement #FundraisingStrategy #DevelopmentDirectors #NonprofitBoards #MissionDriven #Philanthropy