Why Your Non-Profit Board Won't Fundraise

This session flips the script on board fundraising. We will name the real reason boards avoid the work (it is not apathy, it is fear) and walk through a simple framework for turning hesitant board members into confident, willing partners in raising money. You will leave with language to use with your own board, a clear next step you can implement this week, and a fresh way to think about what "board fundraising" actually looks like in practice.

Whether your board is brand new to fundraising or stuck in old patterns that are not working, this session meets you where you are and gives you a path forward.

Learning Objectives

At the end of this session, participants will be able to:

1. Identify the real barrier behind board fundraising resistance, and explain why treating it as a mindset problem (not a character flaw) changes the entire approach.

2. Distinguish between "crockpot" fundraising (relational, long-term) and "microwave" fundraising (transactional, event-driven), and explain why the crockpot approach builds more sustainable donor relationships.

3. Apply the REAL Framework (Reframe, Engage, Ask, Learn) to map out low-pressure entry points for board members who currently do nothing toward fundraising.

4. Walk away with one specific, low-stakes fundraising task to assign a board member this week, along with the language to make the ask feel natural rather than forced.

About the Speaker:

Jessica Cloud, CFRE, is a fundraising consultant, trainer, and founder of Real Deal Fundraising. She works with nonprofit leaders and boards who are tired of working hard without a structure that makes the effort add up. Her approach is practical, direct, and grounded in real experience working inside fundraising teams at organizations of all sizes.
Her track record speaks for itself. At Starr King School for the Ministry, she led a 10-year increase in giving that more than doubled overall fundraising totals (up 134%) and boosted unrestricted giving by over 140%. Earlier in her career at The University of Southern Mississippi Foundation, she increased total dollars raised by more than 300% in a single year. Over three years, she grew the first-time donor base by 285% and tripled the number of annual donors – from about 3,000 to over 8,000. She also launched USM’s first faculty-staff giving campaign, raising employee participation from 10% to 32% in just three months.
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Jessica holds a master’s degree in English Literature and is a Certified Fund Raising Executive (CFRE). She’s a sought-after speaker and trainer whose sessions blend hard-won lessons with humor and encouragement – leaving her audiences both inspired and equipped to take their next step. When she’s not working with fundraisers, she’s writing poetry, watching documentaries, or traveling with her husband and two kids.