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Identifying Prospective Non-Profit Board Members

The lifeblood of any organization is leadership - past, present and future.  Make prospecting for leadership a priority.  After defining the qualifications for board membership, be ready to answer the following:

1.  Have you clearly identified your constituents?  What specific population(s) do you represent, and what are their needs from your organization?  Are you currently meeting these needs adequately, or can your service be improved from leadership and guidance of new board members?

2.  Do you foresee major issues on the horizon that will require tough decisions from Board members?  Do your current board members have the expertise and ability to make these decisions?  It is probably a wise move to seek out individuals that have the vision and the knowledge to make these types of decisions.

3.  What type of business and volunteer experiences does a prospect need to bring to your organization?  Will they have the vision that is necessary for the role, and perhaps even more important, will they have compassion and enthusiasm for the cause?

4.  Are there previous trustees that would be interested in serving again?  Don't underestimate this opportunity for moving proven experience back into a leadership role.  Previous trustees are easy to get up to speed since they already have the experience and organizational knowledge to hit the ground running.

5.  Have current board members been asked to replace themselves?  If the term for the only tax attorney on your board is up next year, can he/she identify someone in his/her profession that would make an even better replacement?  Many times this is an effective way to keep continuity flowing by replacing retiring trustees with people having the same talent and enthusiasm for the organization's mission.

6.  Do you have a past chairman's committee?  Use these former board members to help your organization recruit quality board members.  Consider paying expenses to have these individuals get together

quarterly and brainstorm about candidates for board membership.  This group can work informally or be part of your nominating committee.  Do not underestimate the expertise and the knowledge of the organization that these individuals bring to the table.

7.  Will you be soliciting community executives for their recommendations for board members?  Frequently they will recommend a colleague, or more appropriately, recommend one of their top lieutenants.  Local corporations, especially banks, utilities, and law firms, are enthusiastic about getting their people involved in the community in leadership roles with not-for-profit organizations.

Often current board members do not put enough emphasis on the recruitment of new leadership.  Put the issue on par with their own businesses.  If they were looking for a new director of sales, or closer to home, a new administrative assistant, how they would go about recruiting this person?  Most likely, they would advertise the qualifications necessary for the job and outline specific job requirements, begin prospecting, and then interview several or many candidates until selecting one.  Shouldn't this be the same method used for recruiting new leadership for your board?

Perhaps telling your board members they need to approach this search process much the same way they would in their own businesses will help in their thought processes.

 

BoardSucceed is a service of Sinclair, Townes & Company

BoardSucceed is developed and maintained by Sinclair, Townes & Company, an Atlanta-based fund raising consulting firm founded in 1980.  

More and more charitable institutions and organizations are turning to us for fund raising counsel.  With more than 35 years of successful fund raising consulting experience, we would like to extend our thanks to all of our current and past clients.

Whether it's a national fund raising campaign, Southern giving, or a regional or local campaign, Sinclair, Townes & Company can help you raise more money.  

We provide fund raising counsel for capital campaigns, endowment campaigns, planned giving campaigns, annual funds, and more.

Telling Board Members To Give, Get, or Get Lost!   

We know of a number of institutions and organizations where board members are politely asked to leave if they don’t make a monetary contribution. (Or, they’re not invited back for another term.)  

This can be an effective use of peer pressure, especially when exerted from the board chair.  If your organization is lucky enough to have this type of leadership at the top, then congratulations!  It is usually a board chair that understands not-for-profit board management and tells his/her colleagues “to give, get, or get lost.”  

Granted, this approach can seem harsh.  But, query:  should it become a goal for more nonprofits?  Serving on a board should be a selfless expression of wanting to help an organization and its constituents.  Some trustees need to be educated and frequently re-educated on this concept.  

Let’s look at some quick ways to encourage your board members to contribute more than just time and expertise to your organization – let’s also secure the gift.  Even though you have listed this responsibility in your trustee job description, we often find ourselves having to remind board members of their financial responsibilities.  

1. For current board members, schedule a board retreat and review the responsibilities for membership.  The board chair should state that financial contributions are required.  In fact, hand out a pledge card that can be completed and turned in at the end of the day.  It’s always helpful if your board chair is making a leadership level gift; he/she can then challenge every other trustee to match it.  

2. Update and/or create trustee job descriptions.  Make contributing the first responsibility, bolded or in CAPITAL LETTERS!  Wording such as “Make an annual leadership gift” is appropriate.  Determine in advance what amount defines a leadership gift.  

3. Retain a facilitator for board retreats and possibly a fund raising consultant who can lay down the law for the board and its members.  At a board meeting it is appropriate for the consultant to boldly state that board membership entails a financial commitment, and suggest that board members are only hurting the organization by not giving.  Fund raising consultants have ample experience in grant writing and can offer many examples of funders not willing to support an organization simply because there is not 100% support from trustees.  You are paying the consultant for his/her outside, objective, voice and expertise; let the consultant say what needs to be said.  

4. Check with your not-for-profit competitors and determine what their level of board support is.  Calculate the benchmark for your community and challenge your trustees to exceed it.  If there is a certain amount of ego involved on the part of trustees, play to it.  If they find out that their colleagues at another organization are doing a better job, it may be the kick they need to get with the program. 

5. Consider setting term limits for board members.  This will enable you to remove nonsupportive trustees after a period of time.  Those that are supportive can be placed in an emeritus group, and still be involved in making recommendations to the board.  Also, supportive trustees from this group can be re-elected to the board after sitting out one term.  By no means do we support lifetime membership for any board.  It is not healthy for the board, and especially not productive for your organization.  

Sometimes, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.  Be proactive in the recruitment of trustees:  tell them their responsibilities before they are voted upon for membership, consider having them sign trustee “contracts” upon election, and cover the responsibilities of the position at your new member orientation.  And, certainly, post their job descriptions in their board member notebooks.  

The bottom line:  Don’t let board members get involved without putting their money where their mouths are!