A strong board can be a gift to a fundraiser - but great boards aren't born, they're crafted. Learn how to make your board better, whatever your starting point.
Date: Tuesday, March 17, 2026
Time: 6:00 PM - 7:30 PM
Note this is an online program.
Here's what we'll explore:
· The roles and responsibilities of a high-performing fundraising board
· How to strategically recruit, engage, and retain board members aligned with organizational goals
· Best practices for setting clear fundraising expectations and accountability measures
· Strategies to activate board members in donor cultivation and solicitation
· How to build a culture of philanthropy at the board level
· Approaches to leveraging board networks to expand prospect pipelines
· How to partner development staff and board leadership for maximum impact
· Common challenges in board development — and practical solutions to overcome them
Why Robin and Sam?
Robin developed the volunteer leadership strategy for the Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research and led the strategic formation of its advisory board. With more than 20 years of experience, she serves as a subject matter expert in board development.
Sam partners closely with Robin in his role as a Major Gift Officer, stewarding and managing key board and donor relationships.
Speaker Bios:
Robin Ross has been a professional fundraiser for more than two decades and serves as the Assistant Vice President, Principal Gifts at Northwell Foundation. She works with individual philanthropists on supporting innovative health care and cutting-edge medical research.
Robin has executed the volunteer leadership strategy for the Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research and has been instrumental in the identification and cultivation of new board members who can broaden the organization’s outreach and base of support.
In 2005, Robin started the annual Feinstein Summer Concert which has raised over $45 million for medical research at Northwell Health. Robin is also one of the founders of the Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research’s Advancing Women in Science and Medicine (AWSM) Awards, an organization that highlights the importance of promoting and supporting the careers of emerging female scientists.
Sam Horowitz is a member of the principal gifts fundraising team focusing on the Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research, working closely with its board of directors. He has been integral to many organization-wide initiatives including individual giving efforts, the annual Feinstein Summer Concert fundraiser and the annual Advancing Women in Science and Medicine (AWSM) Awards.
In 2023, Sam was selected as an Inaugural Intermountain Northwell Fellow to share development best practices amongst members of Intermountain Foundation and Northwell Health Foundation and to create career development opportunities for members of each team.