Nonprofit Board Committees: Development Committee

Overview

Successful fundraising requires the full engagement of the board, starting with a personal commitment of support from every board member and extending to its active involvement in encouraging others to support the organization. The development committee supports the board and individual board members in their fundraising roles. Perhaps more so than other board committees, it has a combination of strategic and implementation responsibilities. This is especially true when an organization is small and does not have a fundraising or development staff. Tasked with engaging the entire board in fundraising, the committee’s members help shape development strategies and plans, monitor results against the development plan, and ensure that the organization’s fundraising program is appropriately resourced.

Questions answered in this chapter from Nonprofit Board Committees include the following:

• What are the essential roles and responsibilities of a development committee?
• How do we go about forming a development committee?
• What do we need to know about creating fundraising policies?
• What responsibilities belong to the staff, what responsibilities belong to the committee, and how do we work well together?
• How do we involve board members in fundraising and help them succeed?
• What role does the committee have in strategy and planning?
• What can the committee do to ensure that the organization is investing strategically and appropriately in its fundraising program?
•  What ethical standards apply to the committee? How do we help ensure organizational accountability?

This PDF includes the first chapter of Nonprofit Board Committees — Transforming Committee Structure — as well as the Development Committee chapter.