Service 04
Turn your board from uncertain bystanders into confident, enthusiastic fundraisers.
The Problem
Ask any executive director about their board's relationship with fundraising and you'll hear the same story: board members who agreed to help with fundraising in theory, but who find reasons not to in practice. Who feel awkward making asks. Who aren't sure what to say about the mission. Who quietly hope someone else will do it.
This isn't a character problem - it's a training and framing problem. Most board members have never been taught what fundraising actually is, why people give, or how to have a conversation with a prospective donor that doesn't feel like begging. When they learn these things, almost everything changes.
What We Cover
My board and staff training workshops cover the fundamentals of relationship-based fundraising in language that resonates with non-fundraisers. Topics include: why people give (and what research tells us about donor motivation), how to talk about your mission in a way that moves people, how to identify prospective donors in your existing network, how to make an ask without feeling like you're begging, and how to steward relationships after a gift.
I also work with executive directors and development staff on the skills that are hardest to learn on the job: how to run a major gift meeting, how to manage a donor portfolio, how to write an appeal that gets read. The workshops are interactive, practical, and grounded in your specific context.
The Outcome
The goal of this work isn't a workshop - it's a different board culture around fundraising. Board members who understand that asking is an act of respect, not imposition. Who see themselves as ambassadors for a mission they believe in, not salespeople hawking a product. Who feel confident picking up the phone, writing a personal note, or making an introduction - because they understand what it's for and why it matters.
A board that fundraises is one of the highest-leverage assets a nonprofit can have. This training is designed to unlock that asset.
"A board that sees fundraising as relationship-building with invested partners, rather than begging from disinterested strangers, is a board that actually does it."- John Jalsevac
Common Questions
Board members participate when they understand what fundraising actually involves. Most reluctance stems from a misunderstanding - many think it means cold-calling strangers for money. Training that reframes fundraising as relationship-building, explains why people give, and gives board members practical language and low-stakes ways to contribute (introductions, thank-you calls, event hosting) transforms participation rates.
Effective board training covers: why people give and what donor research tells us, how to talk about the mission in a way that moves people, how to identify prospective donors in your own network, how to make an ask without feeling like you're begging, and how to steward relationships after a gift. The best training is interactive and practical - not a lecture.
A single workshop typically runs two to three hours, standalone or as part of a board retreat. More comprehensive programs involve a series of shorter sessions spread over a few months, with practical assignments between them. The right format depends on your board's current engagement level and the gaps you're trying to close.
Yes. Development staff often learn on the job and may have significant gaps in areas like major gift cultivation, portfolio management, or donor communications. Targeted training on the skills hardest to self-teach - running a major gift meeting, writing an appeal that gets read, managing a donor pipeline - can have an outsized impact on results.
Every engagement begins the same way: with an honest discussion about your organization, your mission, and where you want to go. No pitch. No obligation.
Phone
Location
Kawartha Lakes, Ontario - Serving non-profits across Canada and the United States