Strong boards are essential to mission success, yet fundraisers and board members are often left to navigate their roles, relationships, and expectations without a practical roadmap.
Join AFP South Sound for a conversation with Erik Hanberg, author of the newly released second edition of The Little Book of Boards; Kaarin Austin, Founding Director of the Washington News Fund and Immediate Past President of The Grand Cinema’s board; and Wayne Williams, President of the Tacoma Public Library Foundation Board of Directors and owner of Progressive Ventures & Associates.
Moderated by Lee Warnecke, Immediate Past President of AFP South Sound, this program will explore how fundraisers can build more productive relationships with their boards and how current and prospective board members can serve organizations with greater confidence, clarity, and purpose.
Drawing on Erik’s extensive experience in nonprofit leadership and governance, Kaarin’s perspective as both a fundraising professional and board leader, and Wayne’s decades of experience in organizational and community leadership, the panel will share immediately useful approaches to setting expectations, improving communication, engaging board members in fundraising, and making board service more effective and enjoyable.
The conversation will also examine how fundraisers can evaluate potential board opportunities and navigate ethical questions involving fiduciary responsibility, conflicts of interest, confidentiality, power, and the appropriate boundaries between governance and staff leadership.
Participants will leave with practical questions to ask before joining a board, concrete tactics for strengthening board and staff relationships, and new ideas for helping boards become more accountable, engaged, and mission-focused.
About the Speakers:
Erik Hanberg has more than 20 years of experience in the nonprofit sector, including work as a nonprofit executive, fundraiser, consultant, author, and board member. The second edition of The Little Book of Boards offers accessible guidance on board responsibilities, board structure, recruitment, decision-making, and the relationship between a board and an executive director.
Kaarin Austin, JD, brings more than 14 years of experience in philanthropy, including leadership roles at Pacific Lutheran University and KNKX Public Radio. She is the Founding Director of the Washington News Fund and serves as Immediate Past President of The Grand Cinema’s board. Her board tenure has included The Grand’s successful capital campaign and acquisition of the Merlino Arts Center, giving her a valuable perspective on the intersection of governance, fundraising, executive leadership, and organizational transformation.
Wayne Williams, MBA, MSE, brings more than four decades of experience in business management, education, and community development. He serves as President of the Tacoma Public Library Foundation’s Board of Directors and Past Chair of both the Greater Tacoma Community Foundation Board of Directors and Board Governance Committee. His previous leadership includes senior roles at Tacoma Community College and Metro Parks Tacoma, as well as a decade of service on the Tacoma Public Library Board of Trustees. Wayne brings extensive experience in strategic planning, organizational governance, workforce development, and community engagement.
About the Moderator:
Lee Warnecke, CFRE, CAP, is a Senior Development Officer with the Southern Poverty Law Center, where he helps modern movement funders make smarter charitable gifts. He has more than a decade of experience in major gifts, planned giving, and donor engagement and brings this perspective to his board service with The Grand Cinema and AFP South Sound.