After one more meeting about the budget, a board member asked a quiet question: “What are we supposed to be doing, really?”

It’s a fair question. Boards do need to make sure the mission has the money it needs. That part matters. But over time, many boards start to define support as one thing: giving money and getting money. And that leaves a lot of good people out of the picture.

What if support is bigger than that?

In BoardSource’s 2021 Leading with Intent report, 49% of nonprofit CEOs said their boards lacked people with the right connections to build trust with the communities they serve. Only 32% of boards made knowledge of that community a high priority. Only 28% prioritized members from that community.

The study has limits. It’s self-reported, it’s a snapshot in time, and it was gathered before the pandemic. Still, the pattern is worth a pause.

The question isn’t whether fundraising belongs in board work. It does. The question is whether fundraising should define everything support means.

Three ways a board can see its work

The book Governance as Leadership (Chait, Ryan and Taylor) describes three ways boards think:
• Fiduciary: Are we using our resources responsibly?
• Strategic: Where are we going, and how do we get there?
• Generative: What does this situation mean? What matters most?

Fiduciary work is essential. But a board that never leaves that mode starts turning everything into dollars. Volunteers become future donors. Relationships become fundraising leads.

In the Author’s words, “Generative” thinking asks better questions: what relationships does our mission need and how do we cultivate them?

Researchers Hillman and Dalziel call this “board capital.” It’s the knowledge, skills and experience people bring, plus the relationships they hold. Money matters. It’s just not the only kind of strength an organization has.

Four ways people stand behind a mission

These aren’t steps on a ladder. None is worth more because it leads to another. People may offer one, several, or change over time. The goal of a support community is find commonality in mission and priority.

Time. Showing up. Serving at an event, sorting donations, being there week after week. The board’s job is to make sure this isn’t treated as free labor. Give people real roles, clear expectations and a chance to see what their time made possible.

Expertise. Skills your team doesn’t have on staff. Reviewing a policy, translating materials, advising on technology, bringing lived experience to a decision. These gifts deserve the same care as a check.

Relationships. Introductions that open doors. Partners, neighbors, coalitions and people who help you listen beyond your usual circle. This isn’t about using people. It’s about treating trust as something worth building on purpose.

Financial resources. Money pays for staff, programs, buildings and stability. Tracking revenue and renewals is right and good. The trouble starts when money is the only contribution anyone pays attention to. And a smaller or occasional gift doesn’t make someone less committed.

What a board can do differently

1. Measure more than money. Keep your financial numbers. Then add a few more questions:
• Are volunteer roles clear and supported?
• Which relationships are helping us listen or partner?
• How are people sharing our work with others?
• Do supporters understand their role and see their impact?
One question to ask your executive director: “What are we learning about how people experience being involved, not just how many showed up?”

2. Give community-building an owner. Trust takes staff time, a budget and a seat in leadership conversations. It shouldn’t depend forever on a few exhausted people doing heroic work.

3. Recruit for the relationships you need. Beyond fundraising experience, look for knowledge of the community, lived experience, strong listeners and people with ties across different groups. Not every board member needs to bring all four kinds of support. But the board should know what it has, and what it’s missing.

A different board conversation

Picture it. The dashboard shows fundraising below target. The board decides to push harder on asks. That might be the right call.

But a fuller conversation also asks: Have our community relationships weakened? Do people know how to get involved? Does our staff have time to follow up? Can supporters see what their help made possible?

The goal isn’t to dodge the money question. It’s to stop assuming the number tells the whole story.

Bring this to your next board meeting

Does your board define support mostly as giving and getting money? Or do your priorities, your reporting and your budget make room for all four?

Pick one small step for 2027:
• Add one non-financial measure to your board dashboard.
• Set a community-building goal for your executive director.
• Review board recruitment against the relationships your mission needs.
Success isn’t only the total raised. It’s whether people understand their role, contribute in meaningful ways, build real relationships and see what their involvement made possible.

Research note: Figures are from BoardSource, Leading with Intent (2021; 689 CEOs and 131 board chairs). A newer 2023 edition exists with similar limits. Frameworks: Chait, Ryan and Taylor, Governance as Leadership; Hillman and Dalziel on board capital. The four ways of support and the suggestions above are Gratefully Human’s application of this research, not findings of the studies.