Building the Best Nonprofit Board of Directors
Nonprofits Poised for Success with Strategic Board Recruitment
Aug 19, 2009
Building an effective nonprofit board requires strategic planning to identify and engage board members committed to the mission of the organization, bringing expertise in a variety of key areas and offering diverse perspectives.
Nonprofit Board Responsibilities Over Time
The principal responsibility of a nonprofit board of directors is three-fold and is consistent regardless of the state of the organization. These three areas are:
- To give the organization direction, establishing its vision, mission and values.
- To provide oversight, especially in financial matters, to ensure accountability.
- To ensure the organization has the resources it needs to do its work.
However, as the nonprofit organization grows, the orientation of the board will shift. In Management Development for Nonprofit Organizations (2005), Vijay Padaki and Manjulika Vaz offer four stages of board orientation:
- An "organizing board" that follows a leader in setting up the organization- generally a small and informal group.
- An "organized board" identifies and appoints an individual to lead the day-to-day operations of the organization (the first executive director) - still a small and informal group.
- The "volunteer governing board" that has delegated more responsibility to the executive director and has shifted to focus on larger issues of governance, accountability and sustainability- this group must get bigger and more diversified.
- The "institutional board" that has two main foci- diversifying funding and higher public accountability. This group may be much larger than in past stages and could delegate some authority to board-level committees.
Nonprofit Board Recruitment
"When recruiting board members and volunteers," write Robert W. Kile and J. Michael Loscavio in Strategic Board Recruitment: The Nonprofit Model (1996), "keep this question in mind: How do you know if you've found it if you don't know what it is you're looking for. If you know what type of people- and skills- will benefit your organization, you can go into the community and find them."
Kile and Loscavio advocate drafting position profiles- basically job descriptions- that may change as the priorities and composition of the board evolve. Start with key positions like fundraising and marketing chairs, and begin to rotate onto those committees individuals who seem to fit the position profile to groom them for eventual committee chairmanship, they advise.
Filling committees with volunteers with the potential to meet the needs of the organization is a standard strategy for board recruitment. It gives the committee member a chance to get to know the organization better, and to develop relationships with board members and key staff. After serving on a committee for a year or two, individuals are more equipped to understand the commitment of board service and the leadership culture.
Special Cases: Boards of Membership Organizations
Traditionally, membership organizations recruit some or all board members from the organization's membership. This might happen in-person at an annual meeting or by mail, with the nominating (or governance committee) providing a slate of nominees recommended for election to the board.
Robert C. Andringa and Ted W. Engstrom offer three suggestions to membership organizations to avoid an ineffective board in The Nonprofit Board Answer Book (2001):
- Avoid setting strict representational quotas or using the board election to repay political favors.
- Cast a wide net when seeking nominees.
- Present an uncontested slate to the membership- involve the membership in the development of the slate.
With strategic plans, contingency plans and regular review, nonprofit boards can create the right board for the particular phase in the life of the organization. Board service is a serious commitment with significant responsibility to the organization's stakeholders. Great care should be taken to find the right person for the job.
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