Leading by Example: The Ripple Effect of Board Giving
By Sandra Davis, CEO & Founder of Donorly
This is Blog Post #3 in our 5-part series on board giving and leadership. In this series, we explore why board participation is critical to nonprofit fundraising success. Explore how to build a board culture where giving is an expectation, not an exception.
📖 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
When a nonprofit embarks on a major fundraising campaign, lead donors and grantmakers often ask one critical question:
"Has the board given?"
And they ask for a simple reason: board members are the insiders. They have spent months—sometimes years—planning for the campaign, reviewing financial projections, and making big decisions about the organization's future. They have the clearest view of both the opportunity and the risks.
If the people closest to the campaign aren’t all in, why should anyone else be?
100% board participation in giving is a signal of confidence, unity, and commitment. When every board member makes a personally meaningful contribution, it sends a powerful message to the broader donor community:
We believe in this vision.
We trust this leadership team to execute it.
We are standing behind this campaign with our own financial commitment.
This ripple effect of board giving influences major donors, funders, and the entire nonprofit ecosystem.
It even can have a huge impact on the board itself.
I worked recently with a well-respected nonprofit on their launch of a capital campaign. This is a board where giving is already part of the culture, and they had several internal conversations about the expectation that each board member would be asked to make a meaningful contribution above and beyond their individual giving. They were ready, they knew that 100% board participation was the expectation, and they were prepared to meet the challenge.
We set a goal for the board, based on capacity, past giving, and what we had learned from early conversations. As it turns out, not only did they collectively meet the goal, but they collectively committed more than double that goal!
They surprised themselves, and it really spurred them on with a lot of energy for the next phases of the campaign!
Board Giving as a Trust Signal
A board’s primary responsibility is to ensure an organization’s long-term sustainability. Board members ask tough questions, provide oversight, and assess financial risks. When they all give, they are making a collective statement to the outside world:
"We have done our due diligence." The board has scrutinized the plan and believes the organization is ready to take this step.
"We trust our leadership team." Board members are putting their own financial resources behind the people responsible for executing the vision.
"We stand together." A fully committed board signals internal alignment, reassuring donors that the organization is strong and prepared for success.
The alternative is far riskier. A board that does not reach 100% participation raises silent but significant doubts:
Does the board lack confidence in the plan?
Are there internal disagreements about the campaign’s viability?
If the board isn’t fully committed, why should I be?
A unified board eliminates these concerns before they ever surface.
The Influence on Major Donors and Funders
For major donors and institutional funders, board giving is a make-or-break trust signal. Some foundations even require 100% board participation before considering a grant. And many high-net-worth donors won’t even enter the conversation until they know the board is fully invested.
Imagine two different scenarios when a donor asks about board participation:
✅ "We have 100% participation. Every board member has invested in this campaign because we believe in its impact."
❌ "Most of our board has given."
Even if participation is high, anything less than 100% invites questions. If some board members aren’t giving, a major donor may assume there’s an issue they don’t yet see and hesitate to invest themselves.
Creating a Culture of 100% Board Giving
Many boards struggle to reach full participation because members feel uncertain about expectations. Or they worry that their gift won’t be “big enough” to matter. But the key is participation, not dollar amount.
Here’s how organizations can create a culture where 100% board giving is the norm:
Make Giving an Expectation from the Start
Every board member should know from day one that financial participation is a core responsibility, and that for any future capital campaigns, there will be an additional expectation.
If a conversation about personally meaningful financial commitment would turn a candidate away, they may not be the right fit.
Leverage Peer Leadership
The board chair and development committee members should lead by example, speaking openly about their own giving.
Peer-to-peer encouragement often makes the biggest impact in securing commitments.
Frame Giving as a Collective Commitment
Board giving is about demonstrating shared confidence in the organization’s future, not individual transactions.
“This is a group commitment to show the world that we stand behind this campaign.”
Celebrate 100% Participation
Once full board participation is reached, celebrate it with the board and staff, and with those donors who you know want to hear it.
Public recognition strengthens donor confidence and reinforces the expectation for future board cycles.
This Is Leadership
In a nutshell, 100% board giving is leadership. When board members give, they are making a statement to the wider community.
We believe in this mission.
We stand together.
We invite you to join us in making this vision a reality.
A committed board is a campaign’s strongest asset. The more aligned, engaged, and confident the board is, the stronger the campaign—and the greater the impact.
