Boost Board Engagement: Harnessing Current Volunteer Trends
In an increasingly competitive philanthropy climate, the role of foundation boards is crucial for health care fund development success. However, in 2024, 75% of health care philanthropy executives reported dissatisfaction with board engagement in fund development.¹ To enhance engagement and elevate philanthropy success, leaders must understand board members’ preferences and rethink traditional approaches to board management.
Consider the most recent trends in volunteer behavior: formal volunteerism has seen a decline in recent years, while informal volunteerism has remained steady.² This trend reflects broader shifts in how individuals choose to engage with the causes they care about most. Volunteers today are more likely to seek out flexible, short-term opportunities that allow them to make a direct, measurable impact without the long-term commitments traditionally required by board service. These preferences have been identified among high net-worth individuals³ and across generations including baby boomers⁴ as well as Millennials and Gen Z, who prioritize cause-driven engagement over long-term organizational loyalty.⁵
To meet the evolving expectations of today’s board volunteers, leaders must examine and adjust board engagement. Here are three opportunities to shift traditional foundation board practices to align with the preferences of today’s volunteers.
Provide Clear, Measurable Goals
We activate volunteers by providing measurable goals and outcomes for each project, task force or fund development target. Board members are increasingly drawn to opportunities where they see the direct impact of their involvement. However, according to a recent survey by Boardable, 82% of boards are not actively tracking key performance indicators.⁶ For enhanced volunteer engagement in fund development, board members need clear performance metrics and expected outcomes for each focus area or project. Simply put, when board members understand the concrete results which they are helping to achieve, they feel engaged and motivated. Clear goals also help to focus efforts, ensuring all volunteers are working toward the same objective and with a shared sense of purpose.
Leverage Task Forces
Traditional foundation board committees require long-term commitments, with members expected to meet regularly and participate in ongoing projects. While this structure has its benefits, it can be a deterrent for foundation board members preferring flexibility. Instead, health care leaders can leverage task forces or ad-hoc working groups. Task forces allow volunteers to contribute to specific initiatives or projects on a short-term basis. Whether focused on a system-wide fund development campaign, a local capital project or a targeted community health initiative, task forces enable strategic volunteers to contribute meaningfully to high-priority efforts without the expectation of ongoing service; they have the potential to lead to faster decision-making and more focused outcomes.
Empower Foundation Board Members as Advocates and Ambassadors
Finally, empowering foundation board members as ambassadors and advocates for the organization should be a key strategy for all organizations. Board members have extensive networks and are well-positioned to advocate for the organization’s mission, build relationships with potential donors and create momentum toward its goals. This kind of advocacy-focused role allows foundation board members to make a significant, visible impact without the need for involvement in day-to-day operations.
Board members who are actively involved in advocacy and donor cultivation are more satisfied with their roles and are better equipped to help organizations meet their fund development goals. By empowering board members to take on ambassadorial roles, health care foundations can leverage the influence of their advocates to raise critical funds and awareness.
Board members who are actively involved in advocacy and donor cultivation are more satisfied with their roles and are better equipped to help organizations meet their fund development goals.
As health care organizations look to the future, trends in volunteerism are shifting toward greater flexibility, shorter-term commitments and a focus on direct impact. Adapting to these trends will ensure that foundation boards remain dynamic, effective and aligned with the evolving needs of health care organizations. With a focus on flexibility and results-driven engagement, foundation boards can lead successful philanthropic efforts, supporting health care organizations in delivering their mission and making a tangible impact on the communities they serve.
1 Philanthropy News Digest. (2023, November 13). Taking the pulse of today’s nonprofit leaders [Webinar]. The Chronicle of Philanthropy.
2 Bailey, M. (2024, January 15). MLK Day of Service is an American exception on volunteering. Bloomberg.
3 Luxury Institute. (2022, July). Evolving values and priorities of UHNW families [White paper].
4 Fidelity Charitable. (2024). Charitable living and the new retirement [Report].
5 The Millennial Impact Project. (2023). The Millennial Impact Report: 10 Years, Looking Back.
6 Boardable. (2019). The state of board engagement: 2019 board engagement survey results. Boardable.
About the Author: Rebecca Buxton Petho is a Senior Consultant at Accordant. You can reach her at Rebecca@AccordantHealth.com and connect with her on LinkedIn.
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