Board Membership

Bringing together the right mix of people to serve on a board is one of the most important tasks a board will face.  Before you ask people to join, do your due diligence.  It is helpful to create a process, with steps starting with assessing current membership to identify need, gathering information on potential people of interest, evaluating the best fits, recruiting, screening and ultimately, providing a meaningful and informative orientation to new members. This process should identify the people who will be tasked with this responsibility; whether that be the full board, a governance committee or a special committee. You may want to consider bringing together a group of community people to help pull together names of potential members.  Check out this idea from the board website:  Blue Avocado:  Blue Ribbon

Board Assessment

Who is on your board now?  Many program boards utilize the assistance of a "board matrix" to visually track the current membership.  LINK  Seeing where your board has openings is a useful tool to start identifying community people who might provide the experience necessary to beneifit your board.   

Board Recruitment

This a a job search, so take your time.  Asking individuals to join your board, should send a message that this is an invitation to be a part of a very important organization that provides a meaningful service to the children of this community, Recruiting can be initiated with a conversation that includes talking points about your organization along with questions posed to the potential board member. 

Applications

We ask our volunteers and staff to complete an application, why not board members?  Asking potential board members to complete an application during the recruiting process is an excellent way to gather information on the applicant while also, conveying the importance of the process to the potential board member.  It is a good idea to send a board member invitation packet which includes a letter or note along with the application, informing the potential recruit of the timeline for the reviewing the application and when they will expect to hear back from the board. Here is a sample of a board member application. LINK  Additional information with the packet should include a program information page and a current board roster.

This sample application includes a second page for “for board use only”.  By creating a checklist, the people tasked with reviewing applications can track the review and respond to the applicant in a timely manner.  Being respectful of someone's time shows the value you give this board position. 

Interviews

Once the applications are reviewed, it's time to set up personal interviews with the selected nominees.  The interview team should include a current board member and the executive director.  Have your questions prepared so you have consistentcy in all the interviews.  The interview is also a great way to give the potential nominee an opportunity to learn more about your organization and what will be expected of them. 

After applications and interviews are completed and the committee determines the final list of nominess, a slate of nominees is presented to the board for approval.  If all nominees are accepted, the next step is to speak to the new board members individually and officially invite them to join the board.  If the nominee accepts, explain that following the background check (if applicable), you will follow up with additional information and an invitation to a board orientation.

Board Orientation

Round out your Board Membership process by providing your new board member with an informative board orientation.  This training time gives you the opportunity to inform and energize your newest members.  Whether you meet individually or with several new members, it is good to have a board orientation checklist to follow and maintain consistency.  Bring together a current board member or two and the program's executive director to give the perspectives from different view points.  You may consider assigning a board member at this time as a mentor or board buddy.  Link (Board Manual)