With a little creativity and the right support, every board member can be a stellar fundraiser. In fact, we recently brainstormed 31 board fundraising opportunities  to give board members several options to choose from.

1. Make your own gift first
2. Call lapsed donors and ask them to renew
3. Draft and send hand-written solicitation notes to lapsed donors not responding to your calls
4. Make your holiday party a fundraiser
5. Ask your company to match your gift
6. Then ask your boss to match your gift
7. Ask your congregation to host a spaghetti dinner
8. Solicit local Rotary, Kiwanis, and Lions clubs
9. Ask your realtor to donate right after buying or selling your home
10. Ask your car dealer to give (especially if you purchased several cars from the same dealer)
11. Ask friends and family to make donations in your honor instead of buying birthday gifts
12. Give to the organization instead of buying  birthday gifts for your friends
13. Ask friends to buy fundraising event tickets
14. Ask friends to donate art, vacation home rentals, or services to the event’s auction
15. Organize a group of friends to raise funds for a tangible item the organization needs (a van, new playground equipment, etc)
16. Ask religious friends to give financial savings from their Lenten sacrifice, Yom Kippur fasting, or Ramadan fasting
17. Review the current donor list to see if you know someone who could give more if asked
18. Ask your favorite restaurant to donate a portion of a weekday night’s proceeds
19. Then fill every table that night and ask the restaurant to make it a weekly promotion
20. When a friend asks how they can return the favor of an introduction or a helping hand, suggest that they make a donation
21. Ask your banker for introductions to people who care about your cause and might become major donors
22. Then ask your insurance agent, accountant, and financial planner  for introductions
23. Ask the lawyer drafting your will to suggest the charity to others
24. Invite your closest friends to have breakfast with you at the charity and solicit them
25. Invite your city council member to buy a table at the event/foursome at the golf tournament
26. Then call your state and Federal legislators to ask they also buy a table or foursome
27. Create a personal Facebook campaign
28. Make your next 5k, marathon, or triathlon a fundraising opportunity by asking for pledges
29. Invite the executive director to speak at your workplace during the United Way appeal or Combined Federal Campaign
30. See if your company has a “dollars for doers” program that will give $250 – $1,000 in honor of your volunteer efforts
31. Give your friends piggy-banks and ask them to donate their change for the next six months

​Customize this list for your organization, and ask board members to commit to the fundraising activities that feel right for them and their personal networks.