Nonprofits With Active Fundraising Boards More Likely to Meet Goals

“Seventy-eight percent of those surveyed ask board members to request contributions to the organization from family and friends,” said James D. Yunker, chair of the Giving USA Foundation, a member of the NRC. “That simple step is probably the single most important thing an organization can do to engage board members in fundraising. It is associated with meeting fundraising goals for all sizes of organization, proving again that fundraising is all about relationships.”

This study also debunks a common perception that board members help an organization meet its fundraising goal through their own giving. Board member gifts were required at 57 percent of the responding charitable organizations but made up 10 percent or less of total charitable receipts at a majority of every type of organization studied. Less than 20 percent of responding charitable organizations required a minimum board member gift amount.