Five Steps to a Better Board
For many nonprofits, Boards truly are the gift that keeps on giving. But for others, well, that simply is not true. It’s not that anyone came on the board to be a lousy board member, but circumstances have made that so.
Building a better board takes time and effort. But if your board isn’t quite hitting the mark, there are a few things you can implement pretty quickly and that will have a positive effect.
When you are recruiting a board member, make sure that you are clear about your expectations. You need to ensure that all your board members truly give of their time, their talent, and yes, their treasure. So tell them. Plainly and in detail. How much time? Which talents? How much of treasure?
Make sure you meet regularly, one on one with every single board member. The agenda of these meetings? To discuss their board roles and responsibilities. Be direct, transparent. And do let them know how they are doing.
Ask them what they need from you to be the best board member they can be. Listen attentively. And then do your best to give them what they need.
Create a board buddy program so that newer board members get a mentor of a more seasoned one. Explain to the buddies what this program means, and what each of them brings to the other
Celebrate your board. Aloud and often. Start right now. Think about each of your board members and what they do for your organization. And thank them. Even if at the moment, the only thing some of your members do is occasionally show up for a board meeting.