The Role of the Christian School Board in Fundraising 

By Ruston Pierce
Fundraising and Capital Campaign Manager| Fortify Foundation

This article is an excerpt from a larger board training.  Please contact Fortify Foundation if you would like to schedule the complete, free board training. 

In any Christian school the school board exists for three roles:   

1. Responsibility for upholding the mission of the school 
2. Fiduciary responsibility of the school 
3. Strategic advancement of the mission of the school 

For the purpose of this article, we will focus on the fiduciary responsibility of the school.  It’s common for school boards to think fiduciary responsibility is oversight of the budget.  This is just part of their role.  Schools typically have two revenue streams, tuition and fundraising.  School boards cannot do much to grow tuition so they must be involved in growing fundraising.   

The Christian school board should start by answering some key questions about fundraising. Does the school have good processes in place to track fundraising practices and donors? What is the school’s annual giving calendar and how does the board member fit into it practically? Does the school have an annual fund? If so, what does it do, and can each board member effectively communicate its’ purpose? 

All these questions are critical for the school board to not only be able to answer but also understand their role within each answer. Board members must be onboarded to understand how they fit into the fundraising process.  Every person should bring affluence or influence to the table.  They are each uniquely blessed with the ability to either support the school financially in a meaningful way or are willing to help find others who can.  Supporting the mission should be a key priority for every board member so it must be a priority in the vetting of potential board members and early communications with them.  

It is important that every board member supports the school financially.  I don’t believe there is a set amount or expectation a school should have on the level of support.  I encourage schools to use the idea that each board member should have the school in their top three philanthropic options after their house of worship.  That mindset allows the school to recruit a diversity of board members without ostracizing any specific group or demographic within the school. 

It is important to help board members who might be hesitant about the fundraising process to overcome their fears.  Board training on how to engage others and make an ask toward the mission is an important training for the school to provide.  If the school is unable to provide it from their existing staff, then a third party can be engaged to provide this crucial training.  This should be an annual training, so board members understand the expectation of their involvement in asking for others to support the school.  “I just can’t do it” or “That’s not my personality” cannot be acceptable phrases for our board members. 

If your board needs training on their role in the fundraising process, Fortify would love to provide this free service.  Board training often feels obligatory or monotonous so it’s good to add some board training where the individual sees practical examples of how they fit into the school.  This awareness can be a gift to disengage board members who don’t know how they can really serve the school.  It’s also a gift to the administration of the school to have individuals actively asking people in the school community to support the mission of the school.  By working together on this, boards and administrators become more effective in growing their fundraising efforts.