How Healthy Is Your Nonprofit Board?

BoardSource Leading with Intent research consistently identifies five characteristics of healthy nonprofit boards: meaningful diversity across skills, demographics, and lived experience reflecting represented community; 80%+ meeting attendance with engaged between-meeting participation; 100% board giving with active fundraising involvement; documented roles plus effective meetings producing decisions; and structured succession plus board development through orientation, training, and self-evaluation.

BoardSource research consistently shows median US nonprofit board size at 11-15 members, with smaller boards (5-9) common for startup or small-budget nonprofits and larger boards (15-25) common for mid-to-large nonprofits with multiple committees. The right size depends on skill mix needed, committee structure, and the trade-off between engagement (smaller boards typically more engaged) and capacity (larger boards typically more diverse and connected).

BoardSource research shows median nonprofit board meeting cadence at quarterly (4-6 meetings annually), with committees meeting on different cadences between board meetings. Some boards meet monthly during launch phase or campaign periods; some mature boards meet quarterly with strong committee structure. The right cadence depends on operational complexity, committee structure, and member engagement; the cadence should produce decisions and forward momentum without consuming member capacity unnecessarily.

BoardSource and AFP research consistently show 100% board giving as a foundational signal to major donors and grant funders; boards without 100% giving lose credibility in fundraising conversations regardless of strategy or staff quality. The expectation should be documented in board agreements with a stated giving floor or stretch-gift expectation; specific dollar amounts vary by organizational scale and board member capacity.

Most people finish the nonprofit board governance assessment in five to eight minutes when they answer from instinct. Allow longer if you want to pause and think about each question, but in practice the first answer that comes to mind is usually the most accurate on nonprofit board governance. The assessment is robust to one or two uncertain answers because it weighs the overall pattern.

Fundraising Effectiveness Project and AFP industry research consistently identify five foundations for sustained nonprofit fundraising: a documented case for support with measurable outcomes, donor data managed in a CRM rather than scattered spreadsheets, active board involvement including 100% board giving, dedicated fundraising staff capacity, and an existing donor base to steward and grow from.

National Council of Nonprofits and IRS guidance consistently identify five readiness signals: a specific mission with clear target population (not just a cause area), validated need showing the gap is real and not already filled by other organizations, a committed founding team of 2-3 plus board of 5-9, funding plan covering at least the first 18 months, and willingness to navigate the 501(c)(3) incorporation and IRS application process.

A capital campaign is a structured fundraising effort to raise substantial funds for a specific transformative project (new facility, endowment, major program expansion, equipment purchase) within a defined timeframe (typically 2-5 years).

NTEN Nonprofit Technology Trends research consistently identifies donor CRM adoption triggers at 200+ active donors with growth, dedicated fundraising staff capable of fully using the CRM, complex reporting needs (board, grants, donor segmentation), or major pain points (lost donors, missed renewals, scattered data).

Fundraising Effectiveness Project annual reports consistently show US nonprofit first-year donor retention below 50% (typically 40-50% across the sector), with overall donor retention at 45-50%.