Community foundations have a distinctive opportunity to strengthen philanthropy: they can invest not only in organizations and programs, but also in the people, relationships, and practices that make charitable giving possible.
Much of a community foundation's work involves connecting resources with community needs.
Through grantmaking, donor services, and local partnerships, foundations support the organizations that provide essential programs and services.
But foundations can also help strengthen the philanthropic capacity of an entire community.
One promising approach is to invest in nonprofit board engagement.
Philanthropy Is a Community Wide Activity
Philanthropy is sometimes discussed primarily in financial terms: dollars raised, grants distributed, endowments established, and gifts secured.
These measures matter.
But philanthropy also depends on the people who build connections between communities and charitable organizations.
Nonprofit board members, volunteers, business leaders, staff, donors, and community partners all contribute to those relationships.
A community foundation that helps more people participate meaningfully in philanthropy may strengthen the ecosystem on which local nonprofits depend.
The Untapped Opportunity in Nonprofit Boards
Consider a community with 50 nonprofit organizations.
If each organization has an average of ten board members, those organizations collectively engage approximately 500 volunteer leaders.
Each member brings experiences, interests, community relationships, and a commitment to a mission.
Yet many board members remain uncertain about how to participate in fundraising.
Some assume their primary role is financial oversight. Others associate fundraising exclusively with asking friends for donations.
As a result, opportunities for gratitude, introductions, cultivation, and relationship building may go unrealized.
Helping board members understand and act upon these opportunities broadens participation across a community.
From Individual Organizations to Shared Capacity
A foundation supports nonprofit board development in several ways.
It might offer shared education, convene nonprofit leaders, facilitate peer learning, or underwrite access to practical engagement resources.
Rather than each organization independently purchasing training or creating materials, a coordinated initiative can reduce duplication and improve accessibility.
The participating nonprofits continue to manage their own development strategies and donor relationships.
The foundation's role is be to strengthen the infrastructure that supports their work.
Creating a Culture of Philanthropy Across Organizations
Imagine what happens when multiple nonprofits begin incorporating cultivation, stewardship, and community relationship building into their regular board practices.
More volunteer leaders become comfortable expressing gratitude. More introductions connect people to organizations they might not otherwise know. More community members have opportunities to learn about nonprofit missions. More organizations strengthen their ability to follow up and maintain relationships.
Over time, these practices create additional opportunities for giving and broader philanthropic participation.
The objective is not simply to increase the number of people soliciting donations.
It's to expand the number of people who understand philanthropy, participate in relationship building, and contribute to a culture of giving.
Why This Matters to Community Foundations
A foundation's capacity building investments can benefit more than one organization.
Strong nonprofit boards contribute to organizational leadership and sustainability. Better fundraising coordination helps nonprofits maintain valuable relationships. Accessible education strengthens the confidence of volunteer leaders throughout the community.
A shared initiative may also create opportunities for organizations to learn from one another.
These benefits align with the broader purpose of community foundations: strengthening the communities they serve.
What Can a Foundation-Sponsored Program Look Like?
A foundation might invite 30–50 local nonprofits to participate in a coordinated board development initiative.
Each organization receives access to education, practical participation opportunities, and appropriate staff support tools.
Participating organizations can establish their own fundraising engagement priorities, while benefiting from a shared framework.
The foundation assesses progress through aggregated information about program participation, organizational feedback, and changes in board engagement.
The approach can be designed around the needs of local nonprofits rather than imposing identical practices on every organization.
Measuring Community-Wide Results
A strong initiative evaluates more than enrollment.
Useful questions include:
How many nonprofits actively participated?
Did board members report greater fundraising confidence?
Did organizations increase appropriate stewardship and relationship-building activities?
Did staff find board engagement easier to coordinate?
Did participating organizations observe changes in donor relationships or fundraising outcomes?
The purpose is to understand whether the investment strengthens organizational capacity and philanthropic participation - not simply whether it produces more recorded activities.
How BoardSpring Can Help Community Foundations
BoardSpring offers a platform designed to connect nonprofit board fundraising education with consistent, practical engagement.
Its learning resources help board members understand philanthropy, while manageable activities support participation in donor gratitude, introductions, listening, cultivation, and relationship building.
Administrative tools help participating nonprofits coordinate activity, and foundation cohort reporting provides aggregate information about engagement.
A foundation-sponsored BoardSpring initiative offers multiple nonprofits access to a shared engagement framework, while allowing each organization to maintain its own fundraising priorities and relationships.
Community foundations have the opportunity not only to fund philanthropy, but to expand participation in it.
By helping more nonprofit board members become confident, engaged contributors, foundations can strengthen the relationships and practices that sustain charitable organizations across an entire community.
Learn more about BoardSpring at www.boardspringgroup.com.
