Empowering Your Board: Leadership Training Strategies for Board Members
July 15, 2025
The nonprofit sector is a massive and vital part of the modern economy. In the United States alone, it contributes over $1.4 trillion annually, accounting for roughly 5.2% of the nation’s entire GDP.
This essential work is fueled by tremendous generosity. Last year, Americans gave an estimated $592.5 billion to charitable causes, demonstrating a powerful, collective commitment to supporting missions that make a difference.
For anyone new to the world of charity, or even for seasoned team members looking for a refresher, understanding the foundational structure of these organizations is key. This “Charity 101” guide explores two of the most important pillars of any nonprofit: Fundraising Events (the critical fuel for operations) and the Board of Directors (the governing body that guides the vision).
The “Fun” in Fundraising: What Are Events and Why Do We Hold Them?
The “What”: More Than Just a Party
It’s easy to think of a fundraising event as just a gala, golf tournament, or auction. But it’s much more than that. An event is a powerful tool to achieve two critical goals at once:
- Raise critical funds to power our mission.
- Raise vital awareness by sharing our story with new people.
Events are often the main way our community can physically gather and connect with our mission. They are how we find new donors and, just as importantly, how we thank our existing ones.
The “Why”: The Impact of a Successful Event
The money raised at our annual event, for example, doesn’t just fund a program; it covers the cost of one-on-one tutoring for 30 students for a full year. This is where donors, both new and old, can experience the mission, not just read about it.
These events are critical. Statistics show that about 33% of donors prefer to attend in-person fundraising events [3]. Furthermore, a huge portion of all charitable giving is concentrated at the end of the year, with some reports showing nonprofits can raise between 24% and 47% of their entire online revenue in November and December alone [4].
Case Study in Action: The ALS Ice Bucket Challenge
Remember the “Ice Bucket Challenge” from 2014? That was a fundraising event! It wasn’t a fancy gala, but it used the exact same principles.
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- The “What”: A simple, viral social media challenge where people dumped ice water on their heads, shared a video, and nominated friends to do the same or donate.
- The Impact: The results were staggering. In just eight weeks, the ALS Association raised $115 million [5]. Globally, the campaign raised over $220 million [6].
- The Takeaway: This wasn’t just “awareness.” Those funds were transformative. The ALS Association reported that the money directly accelerated research, leading to the discovery of new genes linked to ALS and funding the development of new, FDA-approved treatments for the disease [5, 6].
That is the power of a single, well-executed fundraising idea.
The “How”: Your Role in Making it Happen
Events don’t just happen. They are a massive team effort. Your role is essential. Here’s where you might fit in:
- Before the Event: Helping secure auction items, spreading the word, selling tickets, or preparing mailings.
- During the Event: These are the most visible roles! You might be a greeter, work at the registration and check-in desk, or serve as a “mission ambassador” just by talking to guests about why we’re all here.
- After the Event: Helping with item pickup and checkout, sending thank-you notes, or helping with data entry.
Every single role, from setting up a table to greeting a guest, is essential to hitting our fundraising goal.
The Guardians of the Mission: Who Are the Board Members?
The “Who”: Your Organization’s Top Volunteers
The second group you should know about is our Board of Directors. The Board is a group of dedicated volunteers who are legally and ethically responsible for the health and success of our organization. The most important thing to know? They are volunteers, just like you. They are not paid staff. They are passionate community members who give their time, talent, and often their own money to support this cause.
The “What”: Governance vs. Management
A great way to think about their role is “steering the ship,” not “rowing the oars.”
- Governance (The Board): High-level functions like setting the strategic direction, providing financial oversight, and ensuring ethical compliance.
- Management (Staff and Volunteers like you): The day-to-day operations required to implement the Board’s strategy.
This distinction is crucial: The Board is responsible for deciding what we do and why, while staff and volunteers are responsible for how we do it.
Their three main jobs are rooted in their Fiduciary Duties—the highest standard of trust the law places on them:
- Set the Mission (Duty of Obedience): They ensure every program and activity, including our fundraising events, is mission-centric and adheres strictly to our charitable purpose.
- Provide Oversight (Duty of Care and Loyalty): They protect our finances and ensure decisions are made in the charity’s best interest. For example, before approving a major expense like a fundraising gala, the Board must actively apply the Duty of Care by asking: “Have we performed our due diligence? Have we reviewed detailed financial projections and analyzed multiple vendor proposals to ensure the risk is prudent?” This transforms their duty from a compliance rule into a powerful strategic test.
- Be Ambassadors: They are our biggest champions in the community, helping to build the public trust that is our most critical asset.
The “Why”: Why This Matters to You
The Board ensures that all five core pillars of a thriving nonprofit are stable: People, Programs, Money, Strategy, and Narrative. The entire system is integrated: a weakness in one pillar (e.g., ineffective programs) quickly damages another (e.g., our ability to raise money).
Their commitment is total:
- They Give First: Studies show that 68% of nonprofit organizations have a policy that requires every single board member to make a personal financial contribution every year [7].
- It’s Their #1 Priority: Board members consistently rank fundraising as a top—and often most challenging—priority of their service [8].
When you see a board member at an event, know that they are there to help you succeed. As ‘Ambassadors,’ they rely on us, the staff and volunteers, to share compelling, first-hand stories about our work. You are their eyes and ears on the ground.
You’re a Part of It All
Whether you’re helping at a fundraising event or see a board member at a meeting, you are now a critical part of a large, passionate team. The mission, the events, and the leadership are all connected, and none of them work without you.
Sources
[1] Independent Sector. (2024). Health of the U.S. Nonprofit Sector. https://independentsector.org/resource/health-of-the-u-s-nonprofit-sector/
[2] AP News. (2025). “Charitable giving in 2024 was up, according to new Giving USA report.” https://apnews.com/article/giving-usa-report-charitable-giving-public-society-benefit-64dec750ce681b11bcf58152f933e7e6
[3] Qgiv. (2025). “100+ fundraising statistics to help you raise more in 2025.” https://www.qgiv.com/blog/fundraising-statistics/
[4] Neon One. (2025). “12 Year-End Giving Statistics Every Fundraiser Should Know for 2025.” Citing the M+R Benchmarks Study. https://neonone.com/resources/blog/year-end-giving-statistics/
[5] The ALS Association. (2024). “New Report Highlights Progress Made Because of ALS Ice Bucket Challenge.” https://www.als.org/stories-news/new-report-highlights-progress-made-because-als-ice-bucket-challenge
[6] ALS News Today. (2019). “Ice Bucket Challenge Greatly Aided ALS Research, Study Reports.” https://alsnewstoday.com/news/ice-bucket-challenge-dramatically-affected-als-fight/
[7] Bridgespan. (n.d.). “Board Members and Personal Contributions.” Citing a BoardSource survey. https://www.bridgespan.org/insights/board-members-personal-contributions
[8] BoardSource. (n.d.). “Leading with Intent: BoardSource Index of Nonprofit Board Practices.” https://leadingwithintent.org/