Build and Inspire Your Nonprofit’s Board

Your board of directors can play a pivotal role in your organization. An ideal board is made up of talented, dedicated, and well-connected professionals who are passionate about your mission and committed to its success. These volunteer leaders set your strategic direction, oversee your finances, and provide governance oversight.

Board members also hold an invaluable role in an organization’s fundraising efforts. Through governance, networking, personal contributions, recruitment, and strategic planning, your board can shift your fundraising from good to great.

Yet it can be challenging to motivate your board to play this role! This article will provide insight into how to create, educate, and energize your board to be the fundraising powerhouse you need.

Here are some of the key steps to recruiting the right board members:

Creating an accurate job description for board members is essential. It gives prospective members a clear understanding of their roles and responsibilities. And it helps you avoid future frustration with delinquent members!

A good job description should be very clear on expectations. It should include term limits, general roles and responsibilities, and the level of time (attending events, committee participation, board meetings) and financial commitment expected. You can also include board meeting dates if you have them.

Here are some general board roles to include:

The next step is finding your ideal board members. If you have a board nominating committee (which you should!), they can spearhead this effort. They should be asking, what skills do you currently have on your board? What is missing? Do you have a diverse board? Complete a board demographics and skills matrix exercise to identify the current gaps.

Once you’ve identified the skills and demographics you are looking for, start by asking your current board members to look to their networks for the right people. Do they know someone with these skills who might be interested? Next, look at your donor base and identify a few major donors or prospects who might be good candidates. Finally, you may want to post a call for board members on LinkedIn or reach out to your community foundation for ideas.

Once prospective members have been identified, the nominating committee can draft a list to review with the whole board. Together you can choose the top candidates with whom to move forward.

Next steps will include meetings with prospective members, reviewing the job description and other organizational details, and assessing whether a board position is a good fit. This interview process is critical. You can learn more about them, answer any questions, and, most importantly, get a glimpse into what working with this person will be like. Once your new members have been chosen, they can be officially nominated at a board meeting, and voted in.
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Now that you have new board members, what do they need to know? Here’s a road map for great onboarding:

This is your chance to review the roles and responsibilities. Make sure you reiterate your hopes and expectations. Talk about upcoming meetings and events that they should attend, and any fiscal support that is appropriate to discuss.

Don’t assume they know anything about your organization! Provide a comprehensive overview of your organization’s mission, vision, strategic plan, programs, and finances. Encourage new board members to visit your offices and field sites - seeing your work in action and meeting your staff will help them become more effective advocates (and fundraisers) for your organization.

Provide an overview of your philanthropic income streams as well as your current fundraising plan. Depending on their fundraising experience, provide information on best practices and especially on the importance of relationship building in fundraising, as this is a critical role for board members.

If your existing board is struggling with engaging in the fundraising efforts, you might want to consider doing this overview for everyone!

Once new members have been oriented, your work is not done. Making sure your whole board is engaged and active is key to organizational success. Here are some ways to keep the fundraising conversation going beyond orientation:

Performance evaluation helps the board reflect on their collective and individual performance, and helps staff identify where their volunteer leaders need more support or direction.

Create a brief board evaluation form to be completed annually. Ask questions about satisfaction in their role, what else they might need to do their job, and some of the highlights from the year. Then review these evaluations with your board chair.

Evaluations are a good way to learn what tools your board needs to be successful. It is also a way to let ineffective board members go respectfully.

Board members need to understand that fundraising isn’t just about asking for money. It’s about achieving your mission to bring positive change. And they have the opportunity to be a catalyst! They don’t have to ask people for money to help with fundraising. They don’t have to be wealthy, or connected to wealthy people. They don’t even need to have a big network. They just need to be willing to be a part of the process.