If your board goes silent the moment fundraising comes up, this nonprofit fundraising podcast episode is for you. Learn how to help your board members find their story, build real confidence, and actually show up for the mission.

Most boards aren't lazy. They're unprepared. There's a difference. And once you understand that difference, everything changes.

Christal Cherry has spent 20 plus years working at the intersection of nonprofit fundraising and board governance. She's worked with grassroots organizations, hospitals, foundations, libraries, and everything in between. In this conversation, she breaks down why boards disengage, how storytelling unlocks confidence, and what consistent board development looks like week to week. If you lead a nonprofit or serve on a board, this one is going to hit.

Checklist:

• Does your board know their own story?
• Are you giving board members tools or just expectations?
• Is accountability built into your board culture?
• Are you doing consistent bite-sized board training?
• Do your board members feel prepared to make an ask?

By the end, you'll know how to:

• Unlock your board members' personal connection to the mission
• Use storytelling to replace fear with confidence and purpose
• Reframe fundraising as an invitation, not an imposition
• Build consistent board development into every single meeting
• Create a culture statement that sets the tone for how your board shows up
• Use simple accountability practices that feel supportive, not threatening
• Onboard new board members in a way that actually prepares them to lead

About Christal Cherry:

Christal Cherry is a nonprofit board development consultant, speaker, and coach with more than 20 years of experience in fundraising and governance. She works at the intersection of board leadership and fundraising strategy, helping organizations of all sizes build boards that are engaged, accountable, and mission-driven. Her clients include grassroots nonprofits, university foundations, hospitals, and libraries. She is also the chair of a nonprofit board herself, which means she practices what she preaches every single day.

Learn more at theboardpro.com

📌 Resources Mentioned

• theboardpro.com — Christal Cherry's home base for board development resources, consulting, and speaking
• WellTold Nonprofit Storytelling Conference — April 30th in Fargo: welltoldconference.com
• We Are For Good Podcast — where Max and Christal first connected through a mutual speaker, John McCoy
• Christal Cherry on LinkedIn: search Christal Cherry
• The Board Pro on Facebook and Substack

🔔 Stay Connected

If this episode gave you something to think about, subscribe so you never miss a conversation. New episodes drop regularly and every one is built for nonprofit leaders who want to lead with more clarity, more story, and more purpose.

Follow Tellwell on LinkedIn and visit wetellwell.com to learn more about how we help nonprofits tell stories that move people to give.

📣 About Tellwell: The Podcast

Tellwell: The Podcast is hosted by Max Kringen and brought to you by Tellwell, a strategic storytelling agency for nonprofits. Each episode features honest, practical conversations with fundraisers, consultants, board leaders, and mission-driven thinkers who are doing the work. If you lead a nonprofit, s

A one-day gathering for nonprofit leaders ready to tell stories that move people to action. Join us at The Magic Factory at Brewhalla for hands-on sessions with master storytellers, practical frameworks you can use immediately, and a community that gets the work you do. Early bird tickets start at $127 in-person or $47 virtual. Register at welltoldconference.com