Shifting Board Culture: How to Introduce a Giving Expectation for Your Capital Campaign
By Sandra Davis, CEO & Founder of Donorly
This is part of a 5-Part Series on Board Giving and Leadership
📖 Read the previous posts:
➡️ Blog Post #1: Making It Easy — How to Ensure 100% Board Participation in Your Next Campaign
➡️ Blog Post #2: What’s Holding Your Board Back? Overcoming Resistance to Giving
➡️ Blog Post #3: Leading by Example: The Ripple Effect of Board Giving
Your nonprofit is about to launch a capital campaign. You know that 100% board participation in giving is critical when approaching major donors and foundations. But there’s a challenge—your board has never had a formal expectation for personal giving.
This is a pivotal moment. A campaign of this scale requires a culture shift, and that shift starts with board leadership.
The good news? It’s absolutely possible to establish board giving as an expectation without causing resistance or division. The key is introducing this shift as a natural evolution—one that aligns with the mission, reinforces board members’ roles as leaders, and strengthens the organization’s credibility.
It’s important to introduce the idea early in conversations about a campaign. Here’s how it worked with a client of ours. This was a small nonprofit with a volunteer working board. This board was about as hands-on as they come. They really did run the business of the organization, managed the finances, organized events, managed vendor contracts, they took the lead on just about anything relating to the business of the organization.
For years, this organization had been provided with free space from their landlord. But the space went up for sale, and once the sale was complete, the organization knew it would need to find a new home. Exploration of next steps led them to an opportunity to build a new space. They knew the community had the capacity to financially support the move, but this board had to make a culture shift in order to make this happen, and quick. It was no longer enough to volunteer their time and expertise, they needed to take the lead on giving.
At first this was a surprise to them. But collectively, with the board President leading the way, they came to the realization that their giving was a sign of leadership to the rest of the community, a sign that they felt confident about this next bold step, and they came forward as a group to support the project at 100% participation.
Here’s how to bring your board along on this journey.
Start with Key Board Leaders
Before rolling out the expectation to the full board, begin by securing support from key leaders: the board chair, the fundraising committee chair, and long-standing members who hold influence.
If these individuals are committed to board giving, they can advocate for it as a shared responsibility rather than an administrative directive. Their leadership will set the tone for others.
Ask board leaders to make their gifts first. This allows them to speak authentically about their commitment and lead by example when presenting the expectation to the rest of the board.
I’ve seen this play out in truly powerful ways. Especially with board leaders who have capacity to make leadership gifts. When those leaders come in early with a transformational gift—a gift that the organization has never seen before—it inspires others who have that capacity, and it makes their fellow board members, and the whole community, think differently about the organization.
Years ago, when I was working in-house on a capital campaign we were having trouble getting traction on the silent phase. Then one of our board members made a commitment to give the biggest gift the organization had ever seen of $15 million. Not long after that, another board member committed to the second biggest gift the organization has ever secured at $5 million. That second gift would not have happened at that level without the first one. And it set the tone. The remaining members of the board gave more generously as a result.
Reframe Board Giving as a Leadership Responsibility
For boards without a history of personal giving, the expectation may come as a surprise. Some members may view it as an obligation rather than an opportunity. That’s why reframing the conversation is essential.
Position board giving as:
✅ A vote of confidence – 100% board participation signals to external donors that the campaign has been vetted and is strongly supported internally.
✅ An invitation, not a burden – The goal isn’t equal giving; it’s equal commitment. This is very important. Every board member should contribute at a level that is personally meaningful.
✅ A best practice in nonprofit leadership – Major donors and institutional funders often consider board participation a key trust signal before making their own commitments.
At the next board meeting, prepare leadership with messaging like this:
"As we embark on this campaign, we’re asking every board member to make a personally meaningful gift. Many funders look at board giving as a measure of strength and unity, and full board participation will help us secure major donations. It’s important that we stand together in support of this project and our mission. Board giving sends a powerful message.”
This approach emphasizes unity, impact, and leadership.
Offer Flexible Ways to Participate
One of the biggest barriers to 100% participation is the assumption that board giving means making a large one-time cash contribution. Not every board member has the same capacity to give at a high level, but there are multiple ways to make participation accessible:
Multi-Year Pledges: Allow members to spread their gift over time.
Employer Matching Programs: Encourage members to check if their companies offer matching donations.
In-Kind Contributions: If appropriate for your organization, allow members to contribute in non-monetary ways that still hold value.
Most importantly, emphasize that a personally meaningful gift looks different for everyone. What matters is participation.
Normalize Board Giving as a Standard Practice
A capital campaign should be the catalyst for a long-term shift—not just a one-time requirement. Moving forward, make giving a standard part of board service.
Action Step: Put It in Writing
Update board agreements to include a clear giving expectation:
"We ask all board members to make an annual financial contribution that is personally meaningful to them on an annual basis, and an additional contribution for all board-approved capital, comprehensive, or endowment campaigns. This commitment demonstrates leadership and inspires donor confidence."
New board members should enter their roles with clear expectations—no surprises. Transparency from the start ensures that future campaigns won’t require another cultural shift; giving will already be embedded in the board’s DNA.
Celebrate 100% Participation
Once your board reaches full participation, share the milestone, both internally and externally. This recognition reinforces a culture of giving and serves as a powerful fundraising tool.
Internally: Acknowledge the board’s collective leadership and commitment. A simple moment of celebration and thank-you at a meeting or an email recognizing their contributions can go a long way.
Externally: Use board giving as a credibility signal in donor conversations. Example messaging:
"We’re proud to share that 100% of our board members have personally invested in this campaign, demonstrating their deep commitment to our mission."
Publicly celebrating this achievement strengthens donor confidence and encourages others to give.
A Stronger, More Invested Board
Shifting board culture takes intentionality and leadership, but the result is a more engaged, mission-driven board, where expectations are clear for everyone. When every member personally invests in your campaign, they become more effective advocates, fundraisers, and champions for the cause, and their commitment has an outsized overall impact on the campaign.
