Board Building Recruiting and Developing Effective Board Members for Not-for-Profit Organizations

Transcription

1 Board Development Board Building Reruiting and Developing Effetive Board Members for Not-for-Profit Organizations

2 Board Development Board Building Reruiting and Developing Effetive Board Members for Not-for-Profit Organizations A Self-Guided Workbook

3 The Right to Copy this Workbook Permission is given to any not-for-profit organization to photoopy any or all of this workbook for use within their organization, provided redit is given to the soure. An Important Note Before You Get Started Not-for-profit organizations vary onsiderably in their makeup, their objetives and their methods of operation. The information in this workbook is written generally and may not exatly fit the needs of your organization. It is meant to be a starting point for you to deal with some of the issues whih fae many not-for-profit organizations. The publisher does not give legal or other professional advie. Therefore, if you are doubtful about ating on any information in this workbook or want larifiation, you may wish to seek professional advie to make sure it answers your onerns and issues. The Muttart Foundation and the Government of Alberta are not liable if you use any of the ontents of this workbook. Make sure you have the benefit of professional advie whih relates diretly to your organization. The Muttart Foundation and Alberta Culture and Community Spirit ISBN Printed in Canada First Printing 1995 Revised Edition 1997 Revised Edition 2003 Revised Edition 2008 Published by: The Muttart Foundation 1150 Sotia Plae Jasper Avenue Edmonton, Alberta T5J 3R8 Phone: (780) FAX: (780) Alberta Culture and Community Spirit Board Development Program 907, Jasper Avenue Edmonton, Alberta T5J 4R7 Phone: (780) FAX: (780) Aknowledgements This workbook was developed (1995) and revised (2008) by Wendy MaDonald for the Board Development Program of Alberta Culture and Community Spirit in ollaboration with The Muttart Foundation. The ontributions of all those involved in the Board Development Program, inluding Grant MaEwan College, the Wild Rose Foundation, and the volunteer instrutors who deliver the program to not-for-profit agenies aross Alberta, are also aknowledged. 2

4 Introdution An effetive board, ommitted to a purpose and skilled in governane and guided by an effetive vision, is perhaps the greatest asset of a not-forprofit organization. While dediated and talented staff and/or frontline servie volunteers are also a ritial part of the team, their time and energy would be wasted without the fous, diretion, and resoures that a board provides. Reruiting, developing, and retaining appropriate individuals to serve in board roles is a diffiult and timeonsuming job. Healthy organizations are willing to make a major investment of time and effort in these ativities to build a strong organization. The ontinuing Board Building yle for the lifespan of the organization inludes: Evaluating the urrent and future leadership needs of the organization Reruiting board members with the neessary qualities Developing board members so that they beome effetive organization leaders Sustaining board members interest and ommitment 3

5 Board Development SYMBOLS This workbook has three setions, eah a part of the Board Building Cyle. You will find information, tools and tehniques, referenes to other parts of the guidebook, and summaries in eah setion. The symbols shown below will help you find the information you require. This symbol and/or message tells you where you an find more information related to the topi you are reading about in other areas of the book. This symbol tells you that there is an ativity you may wish to do. This symbol indiates a summary of the setion. 4

6 Table of Contents Chapter 1 7 Reruiting for Suess Setting the Stage: Preparing to Reruit 8 Reruiting: A Year- Round Ativity 8 Who Should Reruit? 11 Rebuilding the Board 13 Consider the Changing Needs of Your Organization 13 Consider the Composition of the Board Team 16 Consider Individual and Board Member Qualities 17 Investment of Working Capital 20 Six Competenies of Governane: Working Together 21 Board Composition Analysis Tool: Reruitment Criteria 23 Why Board Members Say Yes 24 The Desire to Serve 25 The Desire for Mutual Benefits 25 Benefits of Being a Board Member 30 Where and How to Find Board Members 30 Information for Prospetive Board Members 37 Reruiting Tips 39 Reruiting: Issues to Consider 40 Hard-to-Reruitto Boards 44 Summary 45 Chapter 2 16 Orienting, Training and Developing the Board Orientation 48 Training/Dialogue 52 Reognition 54 Motivation and Board Retention 55 Summary 56 Chapter 3 57 Evaluating the Board Board Meetings 61 Individual Board Members 63 The Board as a Team 67 Summary 73 APPENDICES 74 GLOSSARY 84 RESOURCES 85 index 87 5

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8 C h a p t e r Reruiting for Suess Board Building: Evaluating; Reruiting; Orienting, Training & Developing How we reruit and develop board members, by identifying, interesting, involving and inspiring individuals, has a great deal to do with whether members serve or sit. Board Development Information Bulletin (1993) Renewing the board begins with assessing urrent board members qualities and ontributions. Some questions that you also need to answer are: What skills, attitudes, and values do board members bring to their roles? Are urrent board members able to fulfill their ommitments? How is the present board representative of the ommunity that your organization serves? Whih board members will be leaving at the end of the urrent year? Whih board members will be leaving next year? What qualities, experiene, and onnetions to the ommunity will be missing from the board when these board members leave? What is required to restore the balane of qualities, experiene, and onnetions on the board? How will new board members be hosen? Who will oordinate the reruitment and development of new board members? When should reruitment and development of new board members take plae? How will your organization make sure that the board is effetive and ommitted? How does your organization attrat and keep effetive board volunteers? 7

9 Board Development CHAPTER 1 Reruiting for Suess It s pretty diffiult to ask someone to support your ause, when you re not really sure what that ause is. Diane Dua go to See Appendix 1 on page 75 for guidelines you an use to write bylaws and poliies for reruiting and eleting new board members. go to See Appendix 2 on page 79 for a sample job desription you an use to larify board members roles and responsibilities. Setting the Stage: Preparing to Reruit Before attempting to reruit new board members, make sure that your organization has a strong foundation in plae to attrat and support the best prospets to the board. Some questions that you need to answer are: Does the ommunity understand the purpose and sope of your organization? In what ways is your organization s mission relevant to, and valued in, your ommunity? What is your organization s trak reord for meeting ommunity needs effetively and effiiently? What kind of reputation does your organization have? For example, do you have a positive reputation for treating and involving volunteers and board members well? What kind of strutural framework is in plae for the operation of the board (e.g., bylaws, poliies, job desriptions, strategi planning)? How learly defined are your expetations of board members? How have you onsidered and dealt with reasons why people may not want to join your board (e.g., the organization s poor image, expetations of board members that are too high, liability issues that may sare the board, inreased ompetition from other organizations)? Reruiting: A Year-Round Ativity Effetive reruiting takes time and effort, and needs to be an ongoing ativity. Quality reruitment planning and ativities are key to building a healthy organization. All members of your organization must reognize the importane of having skilled and ommitted leadership. Everyone must then invest the neessary time and resoures to plan for reruiting board members. When is Reruitment Important? Why evolve a board when willing individuals want to ontinue to serve over a long period of time? While some organizations annot fill vaant positions, others annot vaate those that are filled. Consider the need to reate limited terms and reate hange to: Better reflet the diversity of your ommunity Create new opportunities for others, inluding youth to share diverse perspetives Provide opportunities for leadership development and suession planning Balane board member qualities required for urrent goals At the same time a retention strategy and plan for suession are ritial in sustaining a funtioning board. 8

10 Reruiting and Developing Effetive Board Members for Not-for-Profit Organizations Reruiting: A Year-Round Ativity While eah organization is unique, an Annual Board Reruitment Plan might inlude these tasks: 1. Early in the year, the board appoints individuals to serve on the Nominating Committee. The Nominating Committee first reviews the bylaws and poliies related to board reruitment. Their reruitment plan must not ontravene the organization s bylaws. 2. The Board Chair identifies those board members who are leaving the board beause they have ompleted their terms. The Board Chair also onsults with members who have not fulfilled their responsibilities and asks them about leaving the board, if appropriate. Individuals who qualify for an additional term are evaluated before being invited to serve a seond term. Note: A seond term should not be automati. For additional information turn to: Who Should Reruit? Page 11 Board Member Self Assessment Page & Assessing the Work of the Board Team Page The Nominating Committee assesses the qualities of urrent board members, and onsiders what strengths will be lost as members omplete their terms. Consider the Composition of the Board Team Page 16 Consider Individual Board Member Qualities Page The Nominating Committee onsiders the short-and long-term plans of the organization, and any speial board qualities that are required to arry out these plans. Consider the Changing Needs of the Organization Page 13 9

11 Board Development CHAPTER 1 Reruiting for Suess 5. The Nominating Committee develops the seletion riteria for prospetive board members, and disusses the seletion riteria with the entire board. Consider the Composition of the Board Team Page The Nominating Committee requests suggestions for suitable prospetive board members from a variety of soures. Where and How to Find Board Members Page The Nominating Committee researhes all of the prospetive board members in more depth, and hooses suitable andidates to nominate. Rebuilding the Board Page The Nominating Committee may ask the board to approve the list of board nominees, although the board usually simply aepts the Nominating Committee s reommendations. 9. The Nominating Committee designs a ustomized approah for reruiting eah individual nominee, and assigns a reruiter or reruitment team to approah eah board nominee. Reruiting Tips Page The reruiters arry out the reruitment plan and invite interested board nominees to stand for eletion Reruiting Tips Page If the bylaws allow, members outside of the Nominating Committee may nominate additional prospetive board members. Reruitment Bylaws and Poliies Appendix One Page The members of the organization elet the board at the annual general meeting (AGM). Reruitment Bylaws and Poliies Appendix One Page 75 10

12 Reruiting and Developing Effetive Board Members for Not-for-Profit Organizations 13 The Board Chair welomes new board members to the board. New board members are oriented to the board and assigned speifi roles. Orientation Page The board may invite unsuessful nominees to fulfill other roles within the organization that omplement their qualities. The board may also refer unsuessful nominees to a more suitable organization. Reruiting: Issues to Consider Page 40 Who Should Reruit? In most inorporated not-for-profit organizations, the members elet the board (depending upon how the organization is inorporated). The membership of most groups exeeds the number of people on the board. However, when an organization is new, the board may be both the founders and the only members. During that early phase of development some boards simply replae themselves as board members leave, without a membership vote. A Nominating Committee or Board Development Committee is often used to identify prospetive board members, and to sreen these prospets as nominees for the membership to onsider. The Nominating Committee: Is appointed by the board Inludes several board members, as well as other members of the organization Is often haired by a past Board Chair who has a good understanding of the organization Note: In many ases, the membership elets a Nominating Committee or Board Development Committee from the general membership at the Annual General Meeting, rather than using the board for this proess. The omposition of the Nominating Committee should allow for a mix of perspetives, inluding opportunities for new members with diverse links to the ommunity. A Nominating Committee omposed exlusively of past board members may have a narrow view of the hanging ommunity. The role of the Nominating Committee may be simply to find willing and able prospetive board members to fill board vaanies. However, many organizations reognize the need for a year-round Standing Committee to make sure that the board is effetively renewed and developed. 11

13 Board Development CHAPTER 1 Reruiting for Suess Businesses have their reruiters and searh firms and professional sports teams have their souts; for us it s the Nominating Committee. Brian O Connell The Nominating Committee: Ats as a personnel or human resoure entity with respet to the board and its internal/ self- management issues Is often referred to as the Leadership Development Committee or the Board Development Committee Liaises with the staff as appropriate in order to effetively use the skills of, and maintain the ommitment of, existing volunteers and members Following is a list of duties for the nominating ommittee that you an use as a basis for this ommittee s terms of referene. Duties of the Nominating Committee To develop and maintain reords of board and board ommittee members inluding information on skills, interests, experienes, boardrelated orientation and training, and terms of servie To work with the Board Chair to identify future board needs To analyze the strengths and weaknesses within the urrent board To identify neessary seletion riteria for reruiting new board members To gather and to generate names of prospetive board members To researh and to sreen prospetive board members To reommend a list of possible board nominees to the board To work with the Board Chair to make sure that proper nomination and eletion proedures are followed To review bylaws, poliies, and proedures on reruitment, seletion, assessment, and training of board members and to make reommendations for hange to the board on an annual basis To make sure that orientation, training and other development opportunities are available to the board and to individual board members To make sure that the effetiveness of both the board and individual board members is assessed on a regular basis Individual board members ontribute to board reruitment by: Providing suggestions for prospetive board members Cultivating future prospetive board members Helping with reruitment ativities as needed Members of the organization ontribute to board reruitment by: Providing suggestions regarding prospetive board members to the Nominating Committee Carefully onsidering whom to vote for Considering letting their own name stand for eletion 12

14 Reruiting and Developing Effetive Board Members for Not-for-Profit Organizations The Board Chair may: Be a member of the Nominating Committee Assist the Nominating Committee by offering his or her opinion about what member qualities the board may require in the future Assist with approahing board nominees Note: Staff members should not be involved formally in nominating ativities. However, onsider onsulting them in the proess. Diret involvement is seen as potential onflit of interest. REBUILDING THE BOARD Developing seletion riteria is the first step in the searh for the right individuals to fill board roles. As with any major deision, reating a shopping list of riteria makes the job easier. Seletion riteria help to: List the member qualities that the board needs in order to operate effetively Identify prospetive board members who have these qualities and an best fill the role When identifying qualities your board requires, onsider the possible biases that may be refleted in your riteria. Do the riteria reflet the needs of the organization and the make-up of the ommunity it serves, or is the shopping list likely to build a board very similar to the existing board? Seletion riteria to onsider inlude: The hanging needs of your organization The omposition of the board team Individual board member qualities Consider the Changing Needs of the Organization Organizations are dynami; they grow and hange with emerging ommunity needs. As a result, the seletion riteria used to reruit new board members needs to be re-evaluated on a regular basis. Employers modify their seletion riteria eah time they hire new staff. The board s seletion riteria should also hange based on urrent needs, resoures, and situation. While basi member qualities are not likely to hange dramatially, some seletion riteria may need to hange to meet the urrent needs of your organization. Changing organizational needs that an reflet board reruitment inlude: Type and model of board Level of deision-making Development stage Fous and goals Speial projets and ampaigns Senior staff s abilities Image and profile in the ommunity These hanges and their potential impat are desribed in more detail below. 13

15 Board Development CHAPTER 1 Reruiting for Suess Type of board The sope of work performed by board members differs in organizations that are operated solely by volunteers, and in organizations that have a paid senior staff person responsible for management. All types of boards must arefully hoose board members based on their ability to govern. They must have skills related to the model of governane pratied in the organization. These might inlude planning and poliy-making. However, organizations operated solely by volunteers must also onsider the management skills of board members who are being onsidered for the Exeutive Committee. Board members, who are on the Exeutive Committee or organizations with no paid or senior staff person, must also have skills and abilities in oordinating and implementing the day-to-day operations of the organization (e.g., bookkeeping, supervision, and program development). Level of Deision-Making The bylaws and poliies of your organization desribe the role of the board. They define: Who makes deisions in the organization The sope of those deisions The amount of responsibility that is delegated to the senior staff and/ or to the Exeutive Committee Prospetive board members will be interested in your organization s philosophy of governane. Board members must be prepared to make deisions, and to let staff or servie volunteers make deisions, aording to the poliies of your organization. Development stage Organizations hange and grow in stages. In eah stage, the organization has unique needs and harateristis whih require appropriate board involvement. New organizations need speifi skills, a lot of support, and lose supervision. For example, a new organization may need board members who have experiene in developing bylaws, reating publi awareness, designing systems, and seuring ore funding for the organization. Board members in new organizations are often involved in a hands-on apaity. As the organization matures, it needs a different set of skills and member qualities. In more mature organizations, the full board beomes more involved in governane issues and less involved in the day-to-day operation of the organization. Those board members who derive satisfation from hands-on management may beome frustrated or disruptive when the board begins to shift the fous to governane issues. These board members may find it more satisfying to serve in a servie volunteer apaity. The board needs to help volunteers hoose the role that is most satisfying to them. 14

16 Reruiting and Developing Effetive Board Members for Not-for-Profit Organizations All organizations, regardless of age or maturity, go through stages of innovation and hange followed by a period of stability. Effetive board members possess qualities that meet the needs of the organization regardless of the stage it is in. Fous and goals Both the short-and long-term plans of your organization influene the speifi qualities needed at a board level. If your board is onsidering a major hange in mission, image, or lientele, onsider adding new board members who an help to support the new diretion. For example, an organization that previously foused on treatment and rehabilitation hanges its mission to prevention. For example, an organization that previously foused on the needs of older people expands to provide ounseling servies for the entire family. For example, a sports organization that previously served elite athletes deides to offer rereational sports opportunities for young people. For example, a loal non-fition writers group broadens its fous to beome a provinial organization. Speial projets and ampaigns Sometimes organizations need board members with speialized tehnial skills in order to suessfully take on speial projets. If your organization is going to do a apital fund-raising or building ampaign, fous your reruitment efforts on individuals who have extensive speialized experiene in these areas. Consider how they an frame and failitate effetive dialogue with less experiened board members related to the projet. If your board plans to restruture the organization extensively, or to revise bylaws, onsider reruiting people who have the neessary knowledge and skills to meet this hallenge. While they should not be expeted to undertake these ativities alone, they do need to be able to guide foused dialogue with others on the board related to these deisions. Note: During a speial projet or ampaign, your board needs to maintain all on-going board responsibilities. Make sure that, if ertain board members fous on the speial projet, the remaining board members have the ability to arry out the on-going tasks and ontinue to maintain some onnetion to the speial initiative. Senior staff s abilities A paid manager, suh as an exeutive diretor, fulfills different funtions than the board does. However, you must onsider the ways in whih the qualities of the staff and the board omplement eah other. It is ritial to onsider ompatibility when seleting a paid manager. 15

17 Board Development CHAPTER 1 Reruiting for Suess The board may need to perform a oahing, supervising, and managing role if your organization has: Less experiened staff Limited resoures Senior staff who are hired on ontrat or part-time basis. For example, a dayare board hooses to hire a part-time manager to deal with staff supervision and other personnel issues, while the dayare board takes responsibility for managing the finanes of the organization. Small business fuels your ommunity s eonomy, but your organization has never reruited individuals who operate businesses that support your organization s mission. One of your board members, a loal elebrity who assisted you with speial fundraising events, has been harged with fraud. A board member frequently expresses personal views that are often mistaken as the philosophy of your organization. Image and profile in the ommunity Board members are your organization s formal link to the ommunity and to the people that your organization serves. Board members ations and their relationship to the ommunity an influene the suess of your organization. When reruiting members to make an effetive board, understand the linkages that your organization requires, and the image individual board members and your board omposition reflets. What impliations would eah of these situations have on the organization involved? The board of a soial servie ageny is omposed exlusively of individuals from the same politial party. Consider the Composition of the Board Team The boards of not-for-profit organizations are omposed of individuals who eah bring diverse gifts and levels of ommitment. The overall balane of the board is as important as the abilities of eah individual member. You annot base effetive reruitment exlusively on finding eight exellent prospetive board members. The Nominating Committee must onsider: How the prospetive board members and the existing board will work together How the qualities of eah prospetive board member will influene the rest of the board team 16

18 Reruiting and Developing Effetive Board Members for Not-for-Profit Organizations Consider Individual Board Member Qualities When seleting prospetive board members, onsider the qualities that they need to serve the board effetively. These qualities inlude: Speifi skills Ability to ommuniate Level of ommitment Willingness to invest working apital Reruitment must be based on speifi riteria that relate to your organization s needs. Choosing board members is an art as well as a siene. Many essential board member qualities are impossible to label and assess objetively, so they are diffiult to inlude in job desriptions and heklists. These qualities inlude: Good judgment Compassion Respet for others Consider prospetive board members by using a variety of seletion riteria that inlude: An interest in your organization s mission and the people that your organization serves A sense of integrity The skills to work effetively with others A willingness to learn and grow A sense of a wider ommunity An orientation to the future Enthusiasti support for your organization Geographial loation A ommitment of time A willingness to use speial skills An ability to support board fundraising ativities A sphere of influene An interest in your organization s mission and the people that your organization serves The underlying values that inspire and motivate ommitted prospetive board members are: Passion for a ause Care and onern for the needs of individuals or groups Desire to make the world a better plae These values are diffiult to develop and nurture if the volunteer has no real ommitment to your organization s mission. Prospetive board members are not likely to sustain interest in your organization or to follow through on ommitments unless they are interested in and onneted to your ause. A sense of integrity A sense of integrity means that the prospetive board member: Is willing to plae the good of your lients or organization above his or her own self-interest Ats as a steward or trustee for the values and resoures that belong to your ommunity Performs his or her role aording to high ethial standards 17

19 Board Development CHAPTER 1 Reruiting for Suess The skills to work effetively with others Working on a board requires prospetive board members to be team players. Produtive board disussion and deision-making are based on the prospetive board members ability to: Respet eah member s viewpoint Respet the demorati proess Work effetively in a group Bring a reasonable dose of self-onfidene to their role Share their viewpoint without bowing to peer pressure Aept publi srutiny and ritiism Communiate with tat and diplomay Fous on building produtive relationships A willingness to learn and grow Prospetive board members who have a positive attitude toward ontinued learning are ritial for developing a dynami board that is able to deal with hange and development. Individuals who value lifelong learning will support appropriate board development ativities. A sense of a wider ommunity Prospetive board members who have a broader view of the ommunity and the world are an asset to most organizations. Prospetive board members who understand your organization s onnetions to various groups in the ommunity are better able to be an advoate for your organization. Beause board members have a wider irle of ontats, they are also more likely to be able to assist in resoure development, planning, and board and membership reruitment. An orientation to the future The role of a board is to: Guide the organization into the future Make sure that there are resoures for future development Prospetive board members need to be interested in the growth and development of your organization. Enthusiasti support for your organization Prospetive board members must be: Enthusiasti supporters of your organization Ambassadors for your organization s mission and for the people that your organization supports While prospetive board members may not agree with every aspet of the operation, they should have a strong desire to support and develop the work of your organization in a positive way. 18

20 Reruiting and Developing Effetive Board Members for Not-for-Profit Organizations Geographial loation Consider the prospetive board members geographial loation if: It affets the pratial operation of the board Representation by loation influenes the views of the prospetive board members Geographial loation is a partiularly important onsideration for a provinial or regional assoiation. In these ases, onsider the mehanis of traveling to meetings, ommuniation, and equitable representation. A ommitment of time Prospetive board members must be both willing and able to arry out their responsibilities. This requires them to ommit a speifi amount of time to board ativities. Consider prospetive board members ability to: Manage their own shedule Handle the number of ommitments they already arry Be available at ritial times in your organization s year Be suessful based on their past reord with other organizations Set lear expetations for time ommitment, and inform prospetive board members of this early in the reruitment proess. Prospetive board members an then judge more aurately their ability to serve your organization. A willingness to use speial skills The need for speialists on the board hanges with the needs and staffing of your organization. The speial skills that eah prospetive board member brings to the board are worthwhile only if the individual is willing and able to use them. An ability to support board fund-raising ativities A major responsibility of many boards is to make sure that there are adequate resoures available to arry out the work of the organization. Some boards delegate aspets of resoure development to staff or other volunteers. However, the board must be prepared to atively work to seure finanial support for your organization. Prospetive board members must be in a position to assist by giving or generating funds. In other words, they must be prepared to play a leadership role in one or more of the following: Donating to the organization Partiipating in fund-raising ativities Using their skills, time, and onnetions to seure funding through external soures Every prospetive board member may not be able to ontribute finanially. However, eah individual must be willing to aept responsibility for developing resoures. You must be lear about the expetations for resoure development for eah prospetive board member. 19

21 Board Development CHAPTER 1 Reruiting for Suess 20 A sphere of influene The board is a orporate body and must make deisions olletively. However, the formal and informal power that prospetive board members have, or are pereived to have, will have an impat on your organization. The ability of prospetive board members to further the ause of, or to govern your organization may be linked to their sphere of influene, whether it be geographial, within a setor, or among a speifi age or soio-eonomi group. Consider the respet that prospetive board members reeive from their peer group or from the wider ommunity, and whether they will use that influene to the advantage of your organization. Some people are not willing to share all aspets of their influene with your group. However, they may be very willing to use their network to help your fundraising efforts, to organize a speial event, or to lobby and/or advoate on your organization s behalf. INVESTMENT OF WORKING CAPITAL Chait, Ryan & Taylor (2005) desribe the ritial qualities of board members as the working apital they are willing to invest in the organization. These investments are linked to ation and hange leadership, rather than traits, whih may or may not develop into ation. The building of a board that appear strong in traits, but that never performs as a team in support of the organization s vision, is ommon. Working board apital is found in diverse parts of the ommunity and not only in individuals traditionally onsidered for board roles. These kinds of apital are: Intelletual all board members use their abilities and tehnial expertise in meaningful disussion and organizational learning. Speialties are not reserved for individual tehnial tasks. The board is not a omposite of isolated individual skill sets, but a struture that uses shared knowledge and operates as a ommunity of pratie. Reputational the work of the whole board shapes and influenes the board s status and redibility, rather than a belief that a few individuals will buoy the organization s image. The organization s reputation an be the primary attration for other kinds of ommunity involvement. Politial the board balanes power inside the organization rather than depending upon a few onneted individuals exerising external power. They influene and set priorities that position the organization to ahieve its purpose. Soial board members strengthen relationships to enhane the ommitment,

22 Reruiting and Developing Effetive Board Members for Not-for-Profit Organizations effetiveness and diligene of the board. Inlusiveness, trust, shared values and ommon purpose all enourage the building of soial and network apital key to organizational relationships and ollaboration. Chait, Ryan and Taylor (2005) also suggest that board members as leaders have three key roles. They must have the ability to arry out their fiduiary (or trustee) role, be strategi in their thinking and ations, and to be generative (adaptable and able to reate new ideas and diretion). Consider how these roles and investments of working apital math the abilities and ommitment of prospetive board members. SIX COMPETENCIES OF GOVERNANCE: Working Together Chait, Holland & Taylor (1996) suggest six areas of ompetene required for effetive governane. These influene both the work of the board olletively and the apaity of board members individually to ontribute to the dialogue. These elements are: Contextual dimensions the way in whih the board understands and takes into aount the ulture and norms of the organization it governs. They onsider the harateristis, ulture, vision, mission and traditions into aount and reinfore the organization s values in their work. Eduational dimensions the neessary ation to be knowledgeable about the organization, their own roles and responsibilities and others they may work with. Interpersonal dimensions the building, development and nurturing of a funtional working team apable of shared goal setting, self-assessment, leadership development and olletive ahievement. Analytial dimensions the ability to view the whole or broad perspetive on issues, while assessing eah part. The willingness to question, explore and onsider differenes of opinion. Politial dimensions developing and maintaining healthy relationships with major stakeholders and ommuniating with key onstituents Strategi dimensions envisions a diretion and develops strategy to at proatively in support of the organization s goals Refletion and dialogue are ritial proesses in exploring what governane means to an organization and how the board hooses to govern. (Seel & Iffrig, 2006). They further suggest that to be effetive and add value to the organization board apaity needs to be built to: Learn, analyze, deide and at Manage internal dynamis of the board and respond to the organizations politial limate They desribe the need for board growth and learning related to organizational ulture, roles and responsibilities, inlusiveness of diversity among board members, experimentation and tolerane to ambiguity. At the same time the ability to respet, ommuniate, and onsult with others who share interests and values, is important. Creating vision and diretion and shaping strategy is the final primary fous. 21

23 Board Development CHAPTER 1 Reruiting for Suess Board Composition Analysis Tool: Reruitment Criteria Develop a hart whih highlights the ritial qualities your organization requires in prospetive board members. Example #1. Use the blank grid below to ustomize for the urrent needs of your organization. List the broad qualities, working apital and speifi skills you need to deal with opportunities and hallenges faing your organization. go to A more detailed board omposition reruitment tool an be found in Appendix 3, page 80. Example #1 Board The board now The board requires Reruitment Criteria inludes members who: new members who: General Qualities Are ommitted to P P our mission Are willing P P team members Are able to ommit adequate time P Speifi Criteria Have resoure development/fundraising skills Have previously P P served on Board ommittee Desired Community Balane Contribute to equal P P rural and urban mix Contribute to ethno ultural diversity Contribute to age diversity P P 22

24 Reruiting and Developing Effetive Board Members for Not-for-Profit Organizations Board The board now The board requires Reruitment Criteria inludes members who: new members who: to do General Qualities Speifi Criteria Desired Community Balane Adapted from: Nordhoff, N.S. (1982) The presene of at least one ritial thinker on the team is important one who is unafraid to label a bad idea by its proper name. Cyril Houle 23

25 Board Development CHAPTER 1 Reruiting for Suess Why Board Members Say Yes There are two parts to the equation: What a board requires from its members What board an offer in return The onept of fair exhange is a priniple whih applies to board reruitment. Board members are asked to ommit volunteer time and skills to govern, and sometimes to manage, the organization. Consider: What satisfation an prospetive board members hope to reeive from our organization in return for their ommitment? To reruit suessfully and to retain board volunteers, your organization must understand what motivates them. Eah prospetive board member is unique. He or she may hoose to join your board for a variety of reasons. Some of these reasons are publily stated, and other reasons are less visible. As with other volunteer roles, prospetive board members are not paid, so you must identify other benefits that might attrat them. Suessful board reruiters an identify and ommuniate the benefits as well as the responsibilities of the job. Consider the possible needs of prospetive board members and both the onrete and the less tangible benefits that your organization an offer. These might inlude: Opportunities to ontribute to the welfare of the ommunity Effetive use of the prospetive board member s skills and time Convenient meeting shedule Networking possibilities An individual s initial motivation to join a board may hange over time. Many boards lose valuable members beause they fail to understand the developing needs and interests that motivate individuals. Failure to offer new roles and opportunities usually leads to high turnover of board members. You are making a wise investment in keeping a strong and effetive board if you an identify and develop new opportunities to hallenge individual board members. Many issues influene the likelihood of a person beoming a board member. The biggest issues are: The desire to serve The desire for mutual benefits 24

26 Reruiting and Developing Effetive Board Members for Not-for-Profit Organizations The Desire to Serve Altruism is the ability to give unselfishly and to benefit the welfare of others. This is a strong motivator for most volunteers. An individual s altruism may be enhaned by the desire to voluntarily enrih an organization or ommunity that has benefited the individual, his or her family, or perhaps a business. Consider the diversity of motivations related to prospetive board members. The Desire for Mutual Benefits Many people hope to ontribute their time and skills in exhange for opportunities that benefit them, while also omplementing the needs of the organization. A prospetive board member may be seeking an opportunity: To further the individual s and the organization s values and ideals To learn about a ause or an issue, your organization, or a speifi funtion To explore areer development options To partiipate in a demoray To apply the individual s expertise and experiene To add balane to paid work To feel personally fulfilled To pursue a personal fous To repay the organization These opportunities for board members are desribed in more detail below. To further the individual s and the organization s values and ideals Organizational leadership allows board members to atively support an organization that promotes values and ativities that are important to them. For example, individuals who support bilingual eduation hoose to serve on the exeutive of a shool s Frenh immersion parent organization. For example, a student who has onerns about environmental issues joins the board of a loal reyling soiety. To learn about a ause or an issue, your organization, or a speifi funtion Many individuals volunteer as a means to lifelong learning. Their board involvement allows them to enrih their understanding of issues or soietal needs. They may be interested in learning and applying new skills or theory, or they may be interested in getting a better look at how the organization operates. For example, enhaning finanial management experiene by serving as treasurer. For example, developing a broader knowledge of the ommunity by serving on a board with individuals from diverse bakgrounds. 25

27 Board Development CHAPTER 1 Reruiting for Suess For example, gaining knowledge of the apaity of people with disabilities by serving on the board of an organization that supports ommunity living. To explore areer development options Many individuals find that volunteering on a board is a valuable way to researh prospetive areer paths and to gain experiene within a not-for-profit organization. For example, someone onsidering a areer in journalism serves on the Advoay Committee of the board. To partiipate in a demoray Many individuals believe that their responsibility as a itizen is to take a leadership role in an organization that works for the good of the ommunity. These people onsider serving on a board to be part of the demorati proess. They see board involvement as both a right and a privilege. To apply the individual s expertise and experiene Many individuals are looking for opportunities to use their skills and knowledge in a meaningful way. For example, a retired eduator ontinues to use her expertise by hairing the board of a literay organization. For example, a homemaker, skilled in finanial management, serves a treasurer on a board that assists street youth. To add life balane to paid work If the format or ontent of an individual s paid work does not allow for diverse opportunities, they may seek the opportunity to add variety or hallenge by beoming a volunteer board member in another setting. For example, a omputer programmer who is interested in people serves on the board of a family ounseling organization. For example, a soial worker serves on the Program Committee of a hildren s theatre group. For example, a bus driver who enjoys sports and the outdoors provides board leadership in a youth organization. To feel personally fulfilled Many individuals find that freelyhosen and satisfying volunteer roles provide the ultimate opportunity to fulfill themselves personally. Many board roles provide suh rewards. To pursue a personal fous Many board members fous their time and energy in speifi organizations that relate diretly to their own interests or to the needs of a family member or friend. This is very ommon in groups that advoate for, or provide servies related to, health, speial needs, or personal interests. 26

28 Reruiting and Developing Effetive Board Members for Not-for-Profit Organizations For example, a family member who has lost a relative to hroni disease serves on a loal hapter board related to that ondition. For example, a parent of a hild with learning disabilities serves on the board of an organization that advoates for more integrated eduation opportunities. For example, a visual artist serves as a board member for a provinial arts ounil. To repay the organization/ reiproity Most people are grateful when they reeive the servies of a not-for-profit organization. These graduates may, at a later date, hoose to repay the organization by ontributing volunteer leadership. For example, a bereavement soiety reruits board members from families who have previously used their ounseling program. For example, a former Girl Guide or Sout volunteers as a Distrit Counil or Group Committee member. For example, a new itizen serves on the board of a settlement assoiation. 27

29 Board Development CHAPTER 1 Reruiting for Suess to do Our organization an provide board members opportunities to: 1. Further the individual s and the organization s values and ideals 2. Learn about a ause or an issue, our organization, or a speifi funtion important 3. Explore areer development options Creating Fair Exhange What an your organization offer prospetive board members in exhange for their time, skills, and support? How would your organization use eah of these motivators to enourage appropriate board members to serve in your organization? 4. Partiipate in a demoray 5. Apply the individual s expertise and experiene 28

30 Reruiting and Developing Effetive Board Members for Not-for-Profit Organizations 6. Add life balane 7. Feel personally fulfilled 8. Pursue a personal fous 9. Repay the organization/exerise reiproity 29

31 Board Development CHAPTER 1 Reruiting for Suess Benefits of Being a Board Member Take the time to identify the benefits or being a board member in your organization. This requires you to spend 20 minutes at the beginning of the next meeting, or to explore this topi in more depth at a retreat. Ask your existing board members to answer to the following questions: What attrated you to beome a member of this board? What do you find most rewarding about your role in this organization? How an the board make the board roles more attrative to both urrent and prospetive board members? Reord the answers so that the answers an be shared. Large group disussion may enourage more ideas. If your board is less outgoing, onsider doing the exerise privately. This ativity may also be useful for reinforing the positive aspets of your board and for identifying improvements that may enourage greater ommitment from existing members. Adapted from: Huthinson, B. (1984) Where and How to Find Board Members Reruitment of new board members usually starts many years before a prospetive board member is willing or able to serve on your board. Organizations that attrat skilled and ommitted board volunteers reognize that leaders must be developed. These organizations devote time and effort to prepare people to serve on their boards. Like professional athletes, most effetive board members have spent many years developing their skills, onfidene, and ommitment to the role. Supporting Leadership Development In Your Organization Many organizations provide their members with opportunities to develop leadership skills and experiene over a period of time. Make an effort to give young people within your organization responsibilities based on their ability and willingness to ontribute. These responsibilities might inlude: Leadership roles, suh as junior leaders Develop board internship opportunities Advisory ommittee members Exeutive members of youth programs 30

32 Reruiting and Developing Effetive Board Members for Not-for-Profit Organizations You an enourage adults in your membership to ontribute time and expertise by: Assisting with a speial projet or event Serving on an Ad Ho Committee or a Standing Committee Ating as an advisor These responsibilities give individuals an opportunity to develop a better understanding of your organization. Prospetive board members may ome from within your organization. Provide opportunities to allow interested individuals to work in a variety of roles, with varying degrees of leadership responsibility. Enourage growth and development of individuals through: Involvement in speial events Leadership training Committee membership Shared leadership positions Cultivating Interested Prospetive Board Members Individuals reruited from outside your organization must have opportunities to: Beome aware of your organization Develop an interest in your organization s mission and its work Be involved as a ommittee member or in other adho roles, before ommitting to a board role. Prospetive board members usually beome aware of your organization through: Your organization s publi profile The network of people or groups with whom your board and staff personally ommuniate Reeiving servies from, or providing servies for, your organization You may need to help prospetive board members develop a relationship with your organization, so that they an make an informed deision. Then, if you deide to invite these people to onsider board nomination, they will not be strangers to your organization. You an develop this relationship with prospetive board members and spark a deeper interest by: Inviting them to speial events Cirulating your annual report and newsletter to them Asking them to assist in their area of expertise on a short-term basis 31

33 Board Development CHAPTER 1 Reruiting for Suess Identifying the Right Person You an use several approahes to identify the right person to nominate to the board. For example, you may want to identify: Key qualities Critial seletion riteria Visualizing key qualities Think about the key qualities that you are seeking and use these in a sentene to desribe eah prospetive board member. For example, a mature student, with good ommuniation skills, who is onerned about the environment, and who is willing to devote ten hours a month to board work. For example, a healthare professional, who lives in your rural ommunity, and who believes in palliative are in the home. For example, a parent, with hildren attending ABC Dayare, who has skills in fundraising, and who is likely interested in serving on the board for two or more years. Using ritial seletion riteria Brainstorm names of prospetive board members that meet your two most ritial seletion riteria. Then, onsider any other desired seletion riteria and harateristis. For example, ommunity members want to start a not-for-profit aftershool program for older hildren to address onerns about hild safety and vandalism. They need eight people to serve on their board. They are looking for individuals who have a onern for hildren and who live and/or work in their ommunity. To identify potential board member, they: List parents who have shool hildren aged seven to eleven years old. Narrow this list to families needing after-shool are. Consider under-represented views that should be brought forward and families of hildren they would espeially like to target. For example, individuals who an bring a perspetive to the needs of hildren with disabilities. Identify possible barriers to board involvement, suh as lak of hild are during board meetings 32

34 Reruiting and Developing Effetive Board Members for Not-for-Profit Organizations Narrow the list further by ontating prospets and asking them about their interest in the program and their willingness to serve on the board. Also onsider other people who meet the riteria for board membership. They ontat professionals working with hildren suh as the publi health nurse, the ommunity rereation worker, and teahers, as well as loal business owners and retired ommunity members. Before making their final deision from the list of potential board members, they onsider eah individual s: Personal and professional qualities Ability to ontribute to the board team Soures of Prospetive Board Members Prospetive board members an be found by: Looking within your organization first Considering who is not using your servie/joining your organization, but should be Asking for suggestions from your urrent board and staff Looking for retiring members of other boards Asking experiened board members from affiliates Asking ommunity leaders Asking retired or semi-retired individuals Looking in the business and orporate ommunity Consulting with volunteer entres Looking in professional assoiations and eduational institutions Looking in hurhes and servie lubs Asking ritis of your organization Note: Be areful not to allow individuals outside your organization to hoose prospetive board members for you. Use their suggestions as a starting point or onsider inviting the suggested prospetive board members to serve on a ommittee. Be sure that your expetations of board members are aurate when you are asking another party to a assist you with reruitment. These soures of prospetive board members are desribed in more detail below. Looking within your organization first You are more likely to find individuals who support your ause and share the organization s values within your organization. These people have already demonstrated a level of involvement through their membership, servie as a volunteer, finanial support, or their use of your organizations servies. They may also have demonstrated the important human qualities that are ritial to the job suh as fairness, respet, and judgment. 33

35 Board Development CHAPTER 1 Reruiting for Suess Some organizations ask retiring board members to replae themselves with a person who has similar qualities. This tehnique might be useful at a brainstorming level. However, it does not onsider the hanging needs of the board and the need for diversity. It is very easy for a board to beome a body of individuals who all share the same values and interests and who think alike. This omposition may not reflet the true nature of your ommunity, nor will it enourage the development of fresh ideas. You need to think about who is not at the table, as well as who is there. Considering who isn t using your servies/joining your organization, but should be Members and ustomers stay away when they do not see their needs and values refleted in the poliy and diretion of an organization. Approah individuals who an bring varied perspetives to your board while also supporting the ore purpose of your group. Asking for suggestions from your urrent board and staff While many exellent suggestions may ome from staff, arefully onsider their ideas. Be areful that onflit of interest, either real or pereived, does not beome an issue for your organization. Looking for retiring members of other boards Consider ultivating relationships with effetive leaders in other organizations. Be sure that their interests and values are ompatible with the mission of your organization. Be prepared to wait until these leaders urrent volunteer ommitments allow them to onsider your request. Keep them informed and involve them in speial events or informal meetings in order to keep your organization visible to them. Asking experiened board members from affiliates If your organization is affiliated with branhes or similar groups in other geographi areas, ask these affiliates to refer volunteers or members who may be reloating to your ommunity. Your organization may benefit from prospetive board members who are already knowledgeable about many of your organization s values and methods of operating. At the same time, you an gain new ideas and points of view. Other soures for referrals inlude Newomers lubs, Welome Wagons, private reloation servies, and other groups that serve those who are reloating. For example, to meet new neighbours, volunteers who were ative in their former shool ounil, neighbourhood assoiation, or ommunity league also may be interested in being involved with boards of similar groups in their new ommunity. 34

36 Reruiting and Developing Effetive Board Members for Not-for-Profit Organizations For example, a national onservation organization may refer a board member who has been ative in the loal branh to a similar branh in a new ommunity. Asking ommunity leaders Most ommunity leaders do not have the time to serve in additional roles. However, these people are often exellent resoures for assisting in reruitment. Most ommunity leaders have large networks of people that they know or serve. When meeting with ommunity leaders be sure to desribe the qualities that you are seeking and the ommitment that your organization requires. Those you selet to onsult with also need to understand the mission of your organization. Most ommunity leaders will likely assist you if you are onsiderate of their time. Some example of ommunity leaders inlude: The lergy Those who hold, or have sought, politial offie Ative board members and volunteers in other organizations Leaders in the media The Chamber of Commere and other business-related organizations Professionals in areas related to your ause Leaders within speifi ethnoultural ommunities Asking retired or semi-retired individuals If experiene, time, and skills are ritial to your board needs, onsider reruiting individuals who are retired or semi-retired. Sine the role and format of paid work is hanging, individuals of diverse ages and interests are members of this growing segment of the population. Consider involving individuals in your organization long before they retire, so that their ommitment and skills are even stronger when they have additional time to ontribute. To loate individuals nearing retirement, onsult retirement planning sessions and volunteer programs within orporate or professional groups. Seniors assoiations, professional organization, and alumni groups also provide leads. Looking in the business and orporate ommunity Reruiting appropriately-skilled employees of business organizations within your ommunity may be a mutually benefiial relationship. Many orporations and small businesses enourage their employees to volunteer for board servie as a way to gain experiene, develop new skills, and generate good will. In return, notfor-profit organizations may gain: Resoures New ideas Skills A means of broadening the member and volunteer base 35

37 Board Development CHAPTER 1 Reruiting for Suess Corporate employees who are beginning in management roles may be more able to ontribute the time and energy required for a board role than their more senior olleagues. Consider both types of orporate employees. However, remember that those who do not already have other ommitments an grow and develop within your organization, giving more years of servie. Consulting with volunteer entres Volunteer entres are most effetive if they have a board bank, a database of individuals who are interested in board leadership, and who have been interviewed to determine their skills, values, and interests. Looking in professional assoiations and eduational institutions If you need speialized skills to fill a board role, onsider ontating a professional organization or eduational institution that fouses on that skill area. Looking in religious ommunities and servie lubs Organizations that do servie work may have members who are interested in diversifying their volunteer servie. Many of these individuals have valuable organizational and governing skills gained within the other organization. Consider looking at servie and faith-based groups that have already demonstrated interest in your organization through finanial or volunteer support. Asking ritis of your organization Individuals who have ritiized the work of your organization, but who have ompatible values, may develop into strong allies if they are given the right support. Many of these individuals are passionate about a ause and are able to speak out beause of their genuine onern. Identify, listen to, and ultivate more positive relationships with suh individuals. They may be potential board members in the future. For example, individuals with a strong interest in finanial management might be found within an assoiation representing aountants. Students in a ollege business-management program might also offer these skills at a different level. 36

38 Reruiting and Developing Effetive Board Members for Not-for-Profit Organizations Information for Prospetive Board Members Lak of quality information is often the reason that prospetive board members deline to join organizations. Prospetive board members want honest, omplete, and meaningful information that relates to their needs. The information needs to be lear and onise and in a format that is best suited to the prospetive board member. For example, one individual may prefer a print pakage to read at his or her leisure. Another individual may prefer a one-on-one orientation. Yet another individual may prefer a group presentation. You need to distribute meaningful, user-friendly information throughout the reruitment proess. Selet information that the reruiters an use to support their disussion with the prospetive board members. To avoid dupliation or gaps, keep a written reord of information that the reruiters distributed. Reord: What kind of information was distributed To whom it was distributed Who distributed the information This information forms the first step in orienting prospetive board members to the board and to your organization. If the prospetive board member does not join the board, he or she will at least have more awareness of your organization. Common Questions From Prospetive Board Members What is the purpose or mission of your organization? How do your programs and servies relate to this purpose or mission? Whom do you serve? Who are your members? In what ways are the people you serve satisfied with your servie? How do you know that the people you serve are satisfied? Does your organization have a strategi plan? How does your organization plan for major hanges in the future? How is the finanial health of your organization? Who are your major funders? Are they satisfied with your organization s performane? What is the board s involvement in budgeting and fundraising? How is the board strutured? What ommittees exist and what is their purpose? In what apaity are board members expeted to serve on ommittees? How is poliy developed in your organization? Who is involved? Do you have job desriptions or terms of referene for board members, offiers, and ommittees? What is the board s relationship to the staff and to volunteers? How do the board, staff, and volunteers work together? Does your organization have board member s and offier s liability insurane? How muh time is required to serve as a board member? Is there any expetation that the prospetive board member needs to provide finanial support? What do you think the prospetive board member ould ontribute to the board? 37

39 Board Development CHAPTER 1 Reruiting for Suess to do Cheklist: Information for Prospetive Board Members This heklist an form the first page of your organization s Orientation and Development file that is kept for eah board member. The board Chair or Board Development Committee uses this information to plan for the future. Make sure that all prospetive board members reeive the following: 1. Information about your organization, programs, and staff This might inlude: Fat sheet: a short overview of your organization that inludes the organization s mission and purpose, whom the organization serves, the organization s history, its programs and servies, and its funding soures Brohure: lists the highlights of your organization Annual report: inludes highlights of the organization s work and its finanial statements Newsletters: inlude any bak issues that you believe are relevant to the prospetive board member Programs and servies summary: inlude only if it is not ontained in the other douments Staff organization hart: shows he names, positions, and levels in your organization List and biographies of senior staff members: inlude the exeutive diretor and other members who hold senior positions in your organization Summary of major funding soures: lists the major funding soures and desribes in detail how your organization obtains and alloates funds Summary of strategi plan or a similar doument: outlines your organization s strategi diretion for the next three to ten years Samples of publiity generated by your organization: inlude newspaper artiles and media releases Other 2. Information about your board and how it operates This might inlude: Board member job desription Information about the role of the board and how it operates inluding board member ode of ondut Board and ommittee struture hart List and biographies of urrent board members Worksheet for estimating resoures required from board members Orientation and development opportunities for board members Board manual table of ontents Other 38

40 Reruiting and Developing Effetive Board Members for Not-for-Profit Organizations Reruiting Tips Your efforts are never wasted. Be sure to aknowledge the reruiting teams, even if they did not sueed in reruiting anybody this year. Customize your reruitment approah whenever possible. Know why your organization wants the speifi individual and what your organization an give in return. Be sure to highlight eah prospetive board member s unique qualities when inviting him or her to join the board. Help the prospetive board member to reognize how important he or she is to your organization. When approahing prospetive board members, do not guarantee that the individual will automatially be eleted. Make sure that all reruiters are aware of this guideline. You may ask about the prospetive board member s willingness to serve only after the Nominating Committee has explored the board needs and the suitability of the prospetive board member for the position. It is a good idea to use two members of the Nominating Committee as a reruiting team to meet with prospetive board members. You will meet with the best suess if the reruiters are peers of the prospetive board members or are mutually respeted by the prospetive board member. Choose your reruiting team arefully, mathing the reruiting team to the prospetive board member. Use personal visits to approah prospetive board members. Personal visits generally meet with the most suess. Make sure that your presentation to the prospetive board member is honest when you desribe the time, energy, expetations, and hallenges that are assoiated with the role. Doing this will lead to more realisti, ommitted, and enthusiasti board members joining your organization. Be areful not to oversimplify the amount of responsibility that the role ditates. Doing this shows lak of respet for the role, the individual and the organization. Emphasize the orientation, training, and other development ativities that are available to board members. Do not be afraid to personally invite new members to onsider joining the board. About 87% of individuals who volunteer were asked by a friend, family member, or olleague. The most ommon reason for not volunteering is, Nobody asked me! important If prospetive board members say no, remember: They may say yes in the future They may suggest other prospets They may support you in some other way It was probably a good publi relations opportunity for your organization 39

41 Board Development CHAPTER 1 Reruiting for Suess Reruiting: Issues to Consider Not-for-profit organizations are fortunate to be supported by people who are willing to volunteer time, ontribute ideas, and share skills. The qualities that eah individual brings to the organization are potentially valuable. Carefully onsider the appropriateness of prospetive board members so that their board servie is a positive experiene for the individual and for the organization. If the individual is not ready or suited for board work, make sure that you find an appropriate role for them. If the interested individual serves the organization in some other apaity, their ontribution may lead to beoming a board member in the future. The Nominating Committee is responsible for assisting these individuals to beome involved in your organization. To do this, the Nominating Committee may ask for the assistane of other board members, the exeutive diretor, the volunteer manager, and/or other staff and volunteers. Interested individuals who are not urrently suitable for a board role ould be alternatively involved in: Serving on a ommittee (Ad Ho, standing, or advisory) Coordinating a speial projet Contributing viewpoints as a fous group partiipant Ating as a servie volunteer Being a finanial ontributor You an also refer the individual to another organization that may be more suited to his or her needs. Many organizations develop poliies to deal with the reruitment of board members from the following groups beause they are ommonly reruited to boards: Past staff Past board members Clients and their families Former staff Past staff may be good board volunteers. They are informed, experiened, ready to partiipate, and need little orientation or support. However, former staff may find it diffiult to separate the role of staff and board member. After all, they are used to being in a staff position. Just like anyone who is new to a board position, past staff will need guidane on the responsibilities of being a board member. Past staff, who serve as board members need to be aware that they should not fous on the management or operations. These ativities are the responsibility of paid staff, the exeutive ommittee, or servie volunteers. A board may have diffiulty governing the organization if some of its board members are onfused about their roles. Often, this onfusion leads to hard feelings between board and staff. Oasionally, past staff members are motivated by the need to right a wrong and need to be made aware if they use their board role inappropriately. Former staff who 40

42 Reruiting and Developing Effetive Board Members for Not-for-Profit Organizations have reently been employed by your organization may need time to gain objetivity in their deision-making. Past staff members an be very ommitted to the work of the organization and may make exellent board members. To make sure that your deision to bring on past staff is a positive experiene, onsider developing a poliy that requires at least a two-year waiting period before staff may seek board eletion. Past board members Past board members are wellaquainted with both the work and the role of the board and an make valuable ontributions. Sine they are oming to a new board with new hallenges and hanges in the ommunity, past board members need to be able to objetively reonsider deisions made by former boards. Oasionally, new board members may over-rely upon the opinions and skills of experiened board members when developing their own leadership skills. You may want to ask effetive board members to serve additional onseutive terms in order to provide the ontinuity and experiene that the board requires. However, your organization s bylaws need to set limits on the number of onseutive terms that a board member an serve. You may also want to enourage a waiting period between terms. This allows less experiened board members opportunities to develop their skills. It also provides vaanies whih an be filled by new and diverse members. Clients and their families Many organizations feel strongly about the need to involve lients and their families as board members to provide a balaned perspetive. Clients and families with a deep ommitment to a ause often have the passion and values that are ritial to board membership. If a lient or a lient family is being onsidered as a prospetive board member, there are some reruitment and orientation issues that you may need to onsider. When lients or lient family members beome board members, they need to be aware that they are being asked to make deisions that will support the purpose of the organization as a whole. Their fous is on the needs of the organization, all of the people that the organization serves, and lastly on the individual lient s or family member s involvement. Beause of the lient s or lient family s speial involvement in the organization, he or she needs to be aware of the possibility of onflit-of-interest situations that might arise. For example, the parent of a young athlete sits on the board of the trak lub. He is in a position to deide who will reeive funds for travel. This position leaves him in a pereived or real onflit-of-interest situation, where he may be judged as favouring his hild. In other situations, partiularly in self-help organizations, individuals may use volunteering as part of their personal healing or reovery proess. As board members, they need to be able to fous externally and be aware that they are being asked to 41

43 Board Development CHAPTER 1 Reruiting for Suess make deisions that will support the purpose of the organization as a whole. For example, a reent partiipant in a drug-abuse rehabilitation program is asked to serve as a board member of a ounseling ageny. For example, a person whose spouse is deeased is asked to be the treasurer of a bereavement organization even though she is still atively grieving. Clients and Consumers as Board Members Consider the following questions as part of a board membership or nominating ommittee disussion. Are lients and onsumer, or their families, enouraged to serve on your board? What does your organization gain from their perspetive? What hallenges does their involvement reate for them, for your organization, and for the board? Many other individuals are reruited beause of speial talents, qualities and/or unique perspetives. These groups inlude: Servie volunteers Different setors Young people Hands-tied ontributors Speialists Letterhead board members When reruiting individuals from these groups you must make sure their roles and responsibilities as a board member are lear. Care and planning when seleting these individuals will allow them to ontribute fully if eleted to the board. Points for you to think about when reruiting form those groups are desribed below Servie volunteers Many volunteers with high ommitment and interest may wish to serve in several roles within an organization. For example, one individual might serve as a board member, a volunteer ounsellor, and a bingo worker in the same organization. This may beome a role problem for the board member and the organization. When board members serve in many volunteer apaities in the same organization, they may find it diffiult not to use their board role to advise or diret the work of staff and other volunteers. They may try to make deisions about issues that are the responsibility of staff. To help these board members, you need to learly define eah volunteer role in your organization. If you imagine eah role as a hat that the individual wears, you an see why there is onfusion when a volunteer wears too many hats. Even if the board member an learly separate their responsibilities, there may be onfusion when others view the board member as wearing their board hat when in a servie volunteer role. Diverse Perspetives Diversity and fair ommunity representation are ritial to the suess of your organization. Eah board member brings a set of views, values and onnetions within the ommunity. 42

44 Reruiting and Developing Effetive Board Members for Not-for-Profit Organizations Carefully onsider the issue of diversity as it relates to your organization. Consider reruiting more than one person who an bring the perspetive of a partiular segment of the ommunity to your board. This allows eah individual to ontribute all of their qualities and not just at as a spokesperson on partiular issues. Make sure that you hoose prospetive board members for their unique perspetives, as well as the other qualities and the ommitment and working apital that they an bring to your board. Young people Some boards hoose youth representatives to provide valuable input into board deisions and to enourage leadership development in young people. If your organization hooses youth representatives, onsider the legal responsibilities of governing boards. Some inorporation poliies allow underage individuals to serve on boards as long as they are members of the organization and they are willing to aept the same legal responsibilities as the adult board members. Other ways that your organization an also benefit from the perspetive of younger members, without legal responsibility, inlude having them partiipate in: Advisory ommittees Board internships Fous groups Other ativities that inlude their views Hands-tied Contributors Prospetive board members are reruited beause of their viewpoints, expertise, or onnetions. Be sure to onsider the prospetive board member s ability to atively ontribute these skills and knowledge to your organization. Conflit-of-interest situations may arise beause of business, employment, or other relationships. Some prospetive board members may not feel omfortable with advoay roles that may onfuse your organization s views with their employer s or family s beliefs. For example, someone who sits on the boards of several not-for-profit organizations that ompete for funds annot ethially share information. For example, a person may perform paid work that is too interrelated with the affairs of your organization to allow them to freely partiipate without onflit of interest. Speialists Lawyers, arhitets, aountants, and dotors, and other professionals may not wish to perform professional duties on behalf of your organization beause of liability or professional odes. However, these professionals may be valuable advisors to your board. Be sure to larify the sope of the onsultation role that you ask professionals to ontribute. Consider using this intelletual working apital to failitate meaningful board disussion rather than assign isolated tehnial tasks to the individual. 43

45 Board Development CHAPTER 1 Reruiting for Suess important Consider how ustomized reruitment strategies an help your organization deal with ongoing hallenges. Many volunteers hoose to be board members to provide variety and balane to their paid work. These volunteers may not feel rewarded if they are asked to ontribute paid voational skills for no remuneration. Be sure to onsider underemployed, developing, or unemployed speialists who may have a desire to use their tehnial skills more fully. For example, a physiian may not want to be medial advisor to a soial servies ageny but may be willing to help the board learn more about the relationship between health and the lients ability to find employment. For example, an aountant may hoose to serve on the Nominating Committee rather than the Finane Committee. For example, a professional trained in another provine or ountry and whose qualifiations are not formally reognized here may wish to use their skills and experiene in a meaningful way. Do not overload your board with visible speialists unless the board intends to use these speial skills. The pereption of some funders is that you are wasting resoures if you hire outside help, when you have speialists on your board. Be sure to define the board member s role learly, to make sure that all board members take on an ative role whih utilizes their skills and experiene. Consider the feelings of ative board members if you elet letterhead board members, who only enhane your organization s image but never atively partiipate. Your organization will pay a prie beause there is a board liability risk to any board member who neglets his or her responsibilities through inativity. Hard-to-Reruitto Boards When it is diffiult to reruit prospetive board members, you may be tempted to redue your standards to a minimum to streth the truth in order to attrat prospetive board members or to take any warm body willing to partiipate. If you are having diffiulties reruiting effetive board members, make sure you re-evaluate your reruitment plan. Can you define the benefits of being a board member in your organization? Are you offering prospetive volunteers a fair exhange? Letterhead board members All organizations ould benefit from a well-known or philanthropi mentor as a board member. Fame, wealth and power are attributes that most organizations seek. However, few individuals would appreiate being reruited for these qualities. 44

46 Reruiting and Developing Effetive Board Members for Not-for-Profit Organizations In eah of the following situations: Identify the barriers that the organization and the reruiters may fae in finding interested volunteers Brainstorm a list of the types of people who might be attrated to these roles Disuss ways to design eah board role to improve the quality and quantity of board member in the future Disuss strategies to reruit effetive board members for the group. I live in a small ommunity in whih there are not enough people to fill all of the volunteer roles. How an my organization attrat board members when many volunteers are already overworked? Several of our organization s board members are appointed by the organization s funders. The people who are appointed are often not interested in, or ommitted to, the job. Our organization s board is made up of representatives from other organizations. Eah board member represents the views of his or her own organization. Many of these board members serve on my organization s board only beause it is part of their paid job responsibility. As a result, we have trouble working as a team and we find that the ommitment to the job is low. Our organization is in a risis. Funds are low and several board members have resigned. My organization does good work, but nobody wants to take the risk of being assoiated with us. How an we renew our board? Our rehabilitation organization serves needy, but unpopular persons within the ommunity. How an we attrat board members? Reruiting for Suess Effetive boards are the produt of a planned building proess that ontinues all year. This proess begins with the urrent board members deiding what qualities and skills are needed to govern, and in some ases, manage the organization. From this point, the reruiting ativities are oordinated by a standing ommittee alled the Nominating or Board Development Committee. The Nominating Committee develops seletion riteria for potential board members whih reflet the neessary qualities and skills outlined by the board. Whenever possible, the Nominating Committee reruits new board members from the organization s membership or from other individuals who are involved with the organization. Potential board members who do not have previous experiene with the organization must have ompatible values and interests. to do summary 45

47 Board Development CHAPTER 1 Reruiting for Suess The Nominating Committee onsiders what motivates ertain individuals to serve as board members and inorporates this information into its reruiting plan. The board and Nominating Committee must make sure that a fair exhange ours that balanes the benefits offered to the volunteer board member with the skills, time, and ommitment members bring to the board. Effetive boards are willing to ultivate prospetive board members. People often need to gradually beome involved in the organization through other ativities before taking on a board role. Involving young people in leadership development ativities also develops a soure of future board members. 46

48 C h a p t e r Orienting, Training and Developing the Board Effetive board development is an ongoing proess. It is an investment in: The individual board member The board as a working group The organization and its ability to serve the ommunity Orientation, training, experiene, and reognition all ontribute to board development. Board development ativities provide members with: A ommon frame of referene The knowledge and experiene needed to be effetive board members The motivation to reflet, ritially think and generate new ideas The skills to make informed deisions, and to be reative and innovative The attitudes neessary for mutual support and respet The onfidene to be advoates for the organization The skills and knowledge to provide leadership to the organization The motivation to sustain their board role Effetive board development aknowledges and enhanes the skills, interest and experiene that board members bring to your organization. To retain ommitted members, boards must be willing to meet the individual board members needs for hallenging work that suits the time and expertise that they are willing to ontribute. We get so totally tied up in today s needs, that we don t reserve a realisti part of our resoures for developing the talent and dediation neessary to arry and expand the assoiation s efforts tomorrow. Brian O Connell 47

49 Board Development CHAPTER 2 Orienting, Training and Developing the Board When board members do not reeive adequate orientation or training, they often invent a role for themselves. Irma Finn Brosseau No amount of orientation an make an outstanding board from a group of poorly or inappropriately seleted people. Diana Dua Value Added Development Ativities Board development takes time, energy, and resoures. Board development ativities must be: Relevant to both the individual board member and to the board as a group Customized to meet the needs of both individual board members and the organization's goals Cost-effetive in both time and dollars Convenient in both format and loation Timely and related to the organization s priorities Useful for the individual s board role as well as for their lives outside the board Board development ativities inlude: Orientation Ongoing training Opportunities for group refletion and dialogue Assessment and evaluation opportunities Progressively responsible assignments Reognition of ommitment and involvement Board development ativities relate to: Understanding the organization s ause and purpose Understanding the organization s struture and systems Understand the organization s people Orientation New board members appreiate and benefit from an effetive orientation to the organization no matter how muh experiene they have. An effetive orientation helps new board members to understand the purpose and the mission of your organization, its major ativities and issues, and how the board operates. Many new board members may already have a base of information and experiene. A group orientation and ongoing mentoring are exellent ways for board members to share this expertise. Effetive board development enables all board members to make deisions and to take ations from the same base of information. Objetivity is one of the greatest ontributions that a new board member an make to your organization. New board members bring an outside perspetive that lets them see issues more learly than those members who are invested in the issues. Atively soliit observations and ideas from new board members by asking for: Observations and suggestions for the operation of the board Refletion on proesses they experiene Ideas about new ways of meeting the organization s mission Observations and suggestions on a host of other issues Assign speifi duties to new board members immediately to get them involved. The quikest way to lose enthusiasti board members is to give them nothing to do. Assign new board members to ommittees or speial projets so that they get to know both the people and the organization. 48

50 Reruiting and Developing Effetive Board Members for Not-for-Profit Organizations Ways To Help a New Board Member To ontribute effetively to your board and organization, new board members need relevant information that meets their time and learning needs. Methods of orienting board members inlude: Group sessions Board orientation manual Audiovisual and online resoures Mentors Chair oahing/ hek-in These orientation methods are desribed in more detail below. Group sessions Most organizations hold group orientation sessions for new board members within the first month of their term. Some initiate orientation before inviting prospetive board members. You may want to inlude all board members in this orientation espeially for issues or proedures related to the operation of the board. At the same time members may build relationships early in their term. Group sessions ould inlude: Presentations Disussions Tours Tehniques that reinfore the information Orientation is usually a shared board/ senior staff funtion. Board orientation manual Most organizations develop a board manual that desribes the purpose and operations of the organization. This board manual is: User-friendly Updated regularly Given to eah board member while serving on the board Note: Many groups put the board manual into three-ring binders to make it easier to use and to update. Others use eletroni files whih are easy to store and update. Audiovisual and multimedia materials Audiovisual and media presentation tools allow new board members to learn at their own pae and on their own time. As part of your board orientation, onsider using: online orientation modules audiovisual materials hybrid sessions using both fae to fae and online or reading materials Mentors Mentors are effetive in helping new board members feel omfortable and in ating as a resoure person to assist them. Partner new board members with willing and experiened board members. Chair Coahing/ Chek-In The Board Chair monitors eah new board member s omfort and onerns with his or her role. important What does a new board member need to know? Who is the most appropriate person to provide the orientation? 49

51 Board Development CHAPTER 2 Orienting, Training and Developing the Board to do Use a heklist to develop a board orientation manual. Cheklist: Orientation of New Board Members Information Time Plae Resoure Person 1. Values Disussion Disuss the beliefs and values of the organization Relate to the programs and servies of the organization Board Chairperson Full Board Disussion 2. Board manual, struture and governane Review ontents of manual and disuss board responsibilities opportunity for disussion Chairperson (with assistane form designated board members and senior staff) 3. Committee Orientation Committee orientation Task assignments Review of ommittee terms of referene & minutes Committee Chairperson 4. Faility and Program Visit(s) Familiarize new member with failities, ativities and individuals (paid and volunteer) involved in the organization. Exeutive Diretor (with assistane from other staff and/or volunteers) Chairperson (if there is no paid senor staff) 50

52 Reruiting and Developing Effetive Board Members for Not-for-Profit Organizations Contents of a Board Orientation Manual 1. Table of Contents The ontents of a board manual will vary with the model of board governane/style of operations Contents of manual All pages should be numbered and dated 2. Mission Statement Inlude information about the organization s values and beliefs 3. History/Bakground Fat sheet Organization s history Minutes and annual report/audit of the previous year Poket ontaining brohures/other promotional materials 4. Board Struture/Operations Meeting and speial event information for urrent year (days, dates, loation) Board and ommittee struture hart Board agenda format Board member job desription 5. Bylaws Constitution Bylaws 6. Poliy Manual Framework poliies and long-term strategies Board self-governane poliies Operational poliies Advoay poliies 7. Finanial Summary Annual budget Annual audit Investments Property Insurane Fisal alendar Summary of funding soures 8. Board Committees For eah ommittee inlude: Committee terms of referene Committee year-end reports, goals and objetives for urrent year 9. Board List Name, position, length of servie Addresses and phone numbers Biographies 51

53 Board Development CHAPTER 2 Orienting, Training and Developing the Board Training/ DIALOGUE As board members gain experiene and fae new hallenges, additional training and disussion opportunities for individuals, as well as the board team, often inreases effetiveness and interest. Opportunities might inlude: Information sessions at board meetings Inservie training and workshops Retreats External workshops and onferenes Books, audiovisual materials, and eletroni resoures Distane eduation Meetings reserved for refletion and unstrutured dialogue These ativities are desribed in more detail below. Information Sessions at Board Meetings Many boards shedule short information sessions, before or after formal meeting times, to stay informed. Use board members, staff, or outside resoure people to failitate these sessions. Researhing and preparing materials for these sessions an be a useful development ativity for individual board members. Inservie Training and Workshops Shedule speial sessions to address issues that require more time to explore in depth. Consider a needs assessment to make sure that the format, ontent, proess, time, and loation are appropriate. A neutral individual, failitating the disussion, allows all board members to partiipate equally in the training. Retreats Retreats often provide time for the disussion required for board members to get to know eah other, to explore new ideas, and to plan for the future. Many boards hold an annual weekend retreat. Other boards hold several one-day mini-retreats. Invest in an external failitator or resoure person so that all board members an partiipate equally in the disussions. If possible, harter a bus to take board members to the retreat loation. This provides a stress-free journey and allows more time for informal disussions. Board members arrive feeling refreshed and ready to work. External Workshops and Conferenes Individual board members often benefit from attending speifi external training events that relate to their board role. Provide funds to assist the board member with the training event, or identify other ways to ompensate the person. Corporate sponsors and foundations sometimes offer bursaries for training events. Ask the individual board member to write a report, give a presentation, or find another way to share the information he or she gained at the onferene or workshop with the rest of the board. 52

54 Reruiting and Developing Effetive Board Members for Not-for-Profit Organizations Books, Audiovisual Materials, and Eletroni Resoures There are many exellent print and eletroni resoures that an assist not-for-profit organizations. There are also a variety of materials that explore transferable onepts from other setors. Review books and magazines, irulate resoure lists, and make board members aware of materials, both within your organization and in speialized resoure enters. Distane Eduation Use teleonferenes, videoonferening, self-direted learning resoures, and other methods of development to assist board members who may be geographially isolated or wish to use asynhronous opportunities for learning. Progressively Varied and Responsible Assignments As board members develop within their roles, the needs and issues whih initially motivated them to join the board may hange or disappear. The board must make new hallenges and experienes available to sustain their involvement. Identifying what eah board member wants to be involved in, and what roles would best math their interests and skills an be done in a number of ways. One way is to have the Board and Committee Chair regularly review with eah member their satisfation with their role and the assoiated ativities. Regular self-evaluation by individuals also enourages development. Many people thrive on more responsibility, while others are happy to ontinue doing the same thing. Some individuals are motivated through involvement in new issues or funtions. The key to maintaining involvement is to make sure that different and hanging needs are reognized and met. The mathing of board and ommittee skills and needs with board tasks and projets is an important role for both the Board and the Committee Chairs. One of the onstant lessons of leadership is that people grow with responsibility and are apable of far more than what appears on the surfae. Brian O Connell 53

55 Board Development CHAPTER 2 Orienting, Training and Developing the Board to do Most people do not drop out from overwork. They drop out from boredom. Harold Seymour important Identify the resoures board members want to share with your organization and what they hope to reeive from your organization. Mathing Board Members Skills and Needs One of the biggest hallenges for a Board Chairperson or a Committee Chair is learning how to plae the right board member in the right job. The future suess of your board depends on a good fit between the board member and the assigned tasks. Consider the diret approah. Volunteers will gladly do what they enjoy. To find out what board members want to do, talk to them about the skills they want to give to your organization and those they want to learn from your organization. A simple tehnique for gathering this information is desribed below. Glad Gifts List all of the ativities, interests, and skills that the person would like to ontribute to your board and to your organization. List the gifts the board member willingly offers. Quests List all ativities, interests, and skills that the board member would like to learn or would like to influene. This represents potential areas of growth and involvement for the board member and will help you to plan training and development ativities. No Thank You Things the board member doesn t want to do. Remember there are some tasks whih are mandatory to the board role. The Chair s task is to assign board members to projets and ommittees that tap into one or two of the Glad Gifts and provides an opportunity to annually develop at least one Quest area. You will want to avoid No Thank You s or at the very least, aknowledge that there is an element of No Thank You s in many desirable jobs. -Adapted from the work of Ivan Sheier Reognition Reognition is a ritial aspet of board development and retention. Board members need to be reognized and to reeive feedbak on their performane. Reognition measures effort and suess. Use ongoing and timely reognition to enourage and sustain board involvement. How do you develop a reognition strategy? Make reognition a priority. Take the time and effort to reognize ontributions on a regular basis. Make sure that the reognition is sinere, speifi, and appropriate to the individual and his or her ontribution. Reognition might inlude: Thank you letters for speifi ations, as well as broader involvement Verbal reognition at board, ommittee, and annual general meetings Board member speial events and soial opportunities Dediation of a faility, spae, 54

56 Reruiting and Developing Effetive Board Members for Not-for-Profit Organizations objet, or equipment within the organization to a board member or workgroup Opportunities to share aomplishments of their board work with eah other and with their peers Gifts of gift ertifiates related to the board member s interests Communiate the board member s unique qualities and ontributions to them. Show them why they are appreiated within the board Professional or personal development ourses Reognition ertifiates or plaques Express appreiation to the board member s family and/or employer, where appropriate Complimentary tikets to the organization s events Naming an event or award after a board member Inviting a board member to partiipate in more hallenging tasks and projets that aknowledge their skills Nominate appropriate board members for ommunity awards Nominate appropriate board members for roles on regional, provinial, or national boards, or broader-based ommunity umbrella organizations Note: Many ultures/religions onsider publi reognition of volunteer servie to be offensive. Some individuals are simply unomfortable with attention. Consider how these beliefs apply to volunteer board reognition in your organization. Motivation and Board Retention Nonprofit organizations operate with highly diverse board governane models, whih inlude varying amounts of oversight, planning, idea generation, onneting and deision-making. The organization s hosen governane model affets the kinds and amount of diret ontat boards have with staff, programs and operations. While an all- volunteer organization with a board ative in management and governane requires hands-on and regular attention by the board, Poliy Governane boards that delegate all management funtions to a senior staff person have little diret onnetion to operations. Eah of these senarios and those in between, appeal differently to eah prospetive and urrent board member. Chait, Ryan and Taylor ( 2005) note that offiial board work is highly episodi. The board is not required to atively engage the majority of the time. They also desribe some board work as intrinsially undemanding and unsatisfying, and onsequently not very motivating. At the same time some ativities that board members enjoy are disouraged beause they do not fall into the range of roles played by boards or at least the governane model of some boards. When reruiting board members be lear what the real expetations and limitations of the role are in your organization s ontext. important Lak of role larity and reognition are the most stated reasons why people voluntarily leave paid and unpaid work. Meaningful reognition needs to be personalized, timely, and suited to the needs and motivation of the individual. Board efforts often go unreognized beause staff and/or front line volunteers are not aware of board work or are unomfortable in aknowledging board members. What does your board do to reognize the aomplishments of individual board members? Work groups? Committees? Who has ever been moved to join a board thinking- I really want to hold this organization to aount? But this, of ourse is part of what the job demands. While people might agree to join to affiliate with a mission, they are more apt to partiipate when they an see the results of their work and the opportunity to have influene. (Chait, Ryan & Taylor, 2005, p.19) 55

57 Board Development CHAPTER 2 Orienting, Training and Developing the Board summary Orienting, Training, and Developing the Board Board members bring a variety of skills, values, and interests to an organization, whih an be foused and enhaned through training and development. New board members benefit from a thorough orientation to the: People within the organization Way in whih the organization and the board operates Key beliefs and goals that diret the organization s ativities Individual and group board training develops new skills that help the board and the individual to work effetively. A variety of experienes and inreasingly responsible roles provide the hallenges and development opportunities many board members need to sustain their involvement. Reognizing the aomplishments of individual board members and of the board team is important for maintaining involvement and enthusiasm. Formally aknowledging progress and elebrating suesses is vital for enouraging the ongoing partiipation of the board members. 56

58 C h a p t e r Evaluating the Board important Evaluate the performane of both your board and individual board members on a regular basis. This enhanes the quality and effetiveness of both the board members and the organization. Benefits of Board Evaluations The benefits of evaluating your board and individual board members inlude: A fous on the importane of a board role, and the ommitment that board volunteers make A regular review of individual and group work plans that makes sure that tasks get done, and that people reeive the support they need to arry out their responsibilities Aountability reviews that demonstrate how effetive the board and its members are in arrying out the work of the organization Opportunities for reognition that motivate and retain board members Opportunities for improvement for the board and its members A database of information that an be used for future reruitment Designing Effetive BOARD PERFORMANCE MEASURES Performane reviews of the board and its members are based on ations that the board planned and the results that they ahieved. Evaluation needs to look at both the: Aomplishment, produt or results of the goal Proess by whih the goal was aomplished The produt of a board s efforts is the what that the board wants to aomplish. These aomplishments or results require onrete, measurable goals that the board uses to measure its progress and produts. (Continued on page 59) 57

59 Board Development CHAPTER 3 Evaluating the Board to do How Are We Doing? In what ways does your board monitor and evaluate its work, the performane of individual board members, and its impat on your organization? How ould your board benefit from regular evaluation ativities? What evaluation ativities need to be developed to make your board more effetive? 58

60 Reruiting and Developing Effetive Board Members for Not-for-Profit Organizations For example, a board that is involved with youth-at-risk may work towards a variety of results. The results ould inlude: Community-based program sites A set of revised bylaws A derease in shoplifting in the ommunity Evaluating the board s proess requires the board to look at how the goal was aomplished. Proess evaluation fouses on the timelines and the resoures that were used to aomplish the goal. Boards also need to evaluate suh things as the board s information gathering tehniques, its problem-solving approahes and its deision-making tehniques. Be sure to onsider both the what and the how when evaluating the work of individual board members and the work of the board. This approah gives a truer piture of what aomplishments are atually osting the organization. For example, a ommittee foused only on aomplishment might burn out skilled volunteers or staff by reating unrealisti deadlines. For example, an individual board member, who only fouses on the proess or method of work and not the results, may aomplish little of value for the organization. In fat, this person may ost the organization time and money. Use the following methods to design effetive evaluation tools: Use job desriptions, mission statements, board goals, and ommittee terms of referene to develop evaluation riteria. Use performane reviews to reognize individual and board ahievements, as well as areas for development. Inlude strategies to reate desired hange as part of the evaluation. OBSERVING THE BOARD S PROCESSES Observing the Board s Proess Board meetings are the primary disussion and deision making tool of the board in governing. Enhaning meeting effetiveness is key to performane. Choose a sensitive and objetive board member or another objetive individual to observe the board s proess as it arries out its ativities at a meeting. The observer must be able to summarize and to ommuniate the observations in a onstrutive manner. The observer s role is not to give advie, but to provide observations that an be used for feedbak and disussion. Meeting Observer Cheklist Use a neutral party (paid or volunteer) to assist in assessing the ontent, use of time, flow, and partiipation in regular board meetings Ask them to summarize their observations, and make reommendations for improving the meeting proess 59

61 Board Development CHAPTER 3 Evaluating the Board to do Meeting Observer Cheklist Rate items: 1 Poor 2 Needs Work 3 Adequate 4 Very Good 5 Exellent Meeting sheduled at onvenient time/loation Majority of board members were in attendane Agenda and supporting douments irulated prior to meeting Meeting began on time Agenda items relevant to mission, goals, and objetives of the organization Agenda items related to board work (not staff or ommittee issues) Struture and leadership of meeting enouraged thoughtful disussion Agenda items were learly identified as for information, disussion or deision Reports were tabled, and only questions and/or disussion related to them were onsidered Deision-making method being used, suh as ollaboration or simple majority, was identified before the deision was made Appropriate information was available to make deision Atmosphere was relaxed and friendly All board members were enouraged to partiipate Motions were aurately reorded in the minutes Meeting duration was appropriate to the needs of the group and the issues to be addressed Staff and board members presenting information were prepared and effetive Strengths of the meeting: Suggestions for future improvement of effetiveness: 60

62 Reruiting and Developing Effetive Board Members for Not-for-Profit Organizations Tools for Board Meeting Evaluation At the end of eah meeting, enourage board members to omplete a brief evaluation of the meeting. Board members an write their responses and give them to the seretary. The seretary tabulates and distributes the results with the minutes of the meeting. Be sure to plan a method for dealing with suggestions and implementing strategies to improve board meeting performane. You an use the following exerises for board meeting evaluations. Exerise: Start Doing and Stop Doing Take 10 minutes at the end of the board meeting to review meeting effetiveness Ask members to list the produtive and nonprodutive parts of the meeting by ompleting the following phrases Note: You ould use a similar approah to assess other areas of board work, suh as planning and fundraising. At our board meetings, we should: Stop doing Continue doing Start doing Exerise: After the Board Meeting Review Enourage board members to omplete the following review at the meeting or within 24 hours, so that their observations are fresh May be used after every meeting, or less frequently as a tool in meeting planning to do to do 61

63 Board Development CHAPTER 3 Evaluating the Board to do Board Meeting Review Please omplete the following questions to assist in making our board meetings more produtive and enjoyable. Meeting Date: What was the most valuable thing aomplished by this meeting? What did you like least about the meeting? Topis were: Partiipation of Members Exellent Good Average Below Average Poor Topis were related to the purpose of our organization: Effetive use of time: Exellent Good Average Below Average Poor Exellent Good Average Below Average Poor Enjoyable/Interesting Other Comments: Exellent Good Average Below Average Poor Exellent Good Average Below Average Poor Please provide examples where possible. Name : (Optional) 62

64 Reruiting and Developing Effetive Board Members for Not-for-Profit Organizations Evaluating Individual Board Member Performane Use performane reviews for individual board members during and at the end of their terms. Use mid-term reviews: To help individual board members to fous their efforts To give due reognition To identify training or support that board members may required Use end-of-term reviews: To help the board deide whether the board member is suitable, or has the desire to serve another term To allow the board member to disuss his or her satisfation with the board role and the organization To get suggestions to improve the board s future performane The Board Chair, the Board Development Committee, the Nominating Committee, or other designate board members are responsible for oordinating evaluation ativities. Summarize and doument the evaluation and development plan for future referene. Use your organization s board member job desription, ombined with the individual s personal goals for the year, to evaluate individual performane. 63

65 Board Development CHAPTER 3 Evaluating the Board to do Board Member Self-Assessment Enourage eah individual to assess their effetiveness as a board member several times throughout their term by ompleting this heklist: I support the mission and values of this organization I am willing to further the work of this organization with my time, skills, and finanial support I understand the role of the board and my legal and ethial responsibilities as a board member I have attended the majority of regular and speial board meetings and other events requiring board partiipation. I prepare for meeting by reading bakground materials and researhing issues for disussion I atively partiipate in board meetings by listening, disussing, and presenting omplete information as required I arry out my other board responsibilities (e.g. ommittee member, fundraising, advoay and/or eduation in an effetive and timely manner). I am willing to support and help other board members in their development I am interested and willing to partiipate in development opportunities inluding workshops, information sessions, onferenes, and taking on new roles. I try to be an objetive deision maker, onsidering the effet of issues on individuals, the organization, and the ommunity. I avoid partiipation in board issues that are self-serving or may be pereived as onflit of interest I reognize the board must speak with one voie and I avoid taking ation on issues unless instruted by the board. I enjoy my servie as a board member in this organization. If not, I am atively working to the hange the issues and/or ativities whih are a barrier, or I am reonsidering my ommitment to this organization. Date: Signature: 64

66 Reruiting and Developing Effetive Board Members for Not-for-Profit Organizations Board Member Self-Assessment: End of Term Review May be used mid-term, at end of a tem in preparation for seond term, or as a retirement/exit interview tool. The individual board member ompletes the self-assessment to prepare for a disussion with the Board Chair or the Board Development Committee. to do End-of-Term Review My greatest satisfation from serving on the board this term is: My board servie, this term, improved the organization s servies, finanes or image in the ommunity by: Standing Committee Chair: Whih Committee? Ad ho Committee Chair: Whih Committee? Other: My strengths as a board member are: I have attended of regular board meetings I have attended of speial board meetings My weaknesses as a board member are: I prepare for board meetings by reading bakground materials and researh issues deision: Always Often Sometimes Seldom Never I am interested in serving an additional term: Yes No If yes, I would be interested in serving as: Chair Vie-Chair Seretary Treasurer I am an ative partiipant in board meetings, feel omfortable disussing issues, and reognize the roles and responsibilities of the board: Always Often Sometimes Seldom Never 65

67 Board Development CHAPTER 3 Evaluating the Board I would like to further develop myself as a board member by: If I do not ontinue to serve on the board, I would like to ontribute to the organization by: Name: Date: Chair: Conerns and/or Issues: 66

68 Reruiting and Developing Effetive Board Members for Not-for-Profit Organizations Evaluating the Work of the Board Team Condut a thorough board evaluation at least one a year. The Board Development Committee, the Nominating Committee, an Ad Ho Committee of the board, or an outside failitator oordinates this review. Shedule the review to oinide with the annual evaluation of the senior staff person, and before annual planning events or the annual general meeting. Present the results to the board, along with a plan for dealing with the issues of onern. Use the results to plan future training and reruiting strategies. Effetive boards routinely review how well they are arrying out: Their ore responsibilities as a board Their plans for the year Speifi aspets of their work Suh reviews motivates the board by: Reognizing ahievements Identifying tasks whih need further attention Fousing the working ommittees and individuals For example, rather than evaluating all areas of work done by the board, the board may review meeting effetiveness, reruitment efforts, or resoure development. For example, short, one-issue evaluations might be done at board meetings. Evaluations of more extensive ativities might be done through a written questionnaire that is reviewed and disussed at a retreat or a speial meeting. Assessing the Work of the Board Team Use the following evaluation to identify your board s strengths and areas for future areas for future improvement. One proess you an use is to: Have eah board member individually omplete the questionnaire. Identify one person to ompile the results and omments. Set time aside to have the board disuss the results. Develop strategies to make the desired hanges. Put the strategies in your board s annual work plan. Monitor and evaluate your progress. Board evaluation is often based on the annual goals and the workplan that the board has set for itself. Periodi reviews leave no surprises at year-end. Some reviews fous only on areas that are of most onern to the board at the time. 67

69 Board Development CHAPTER 3 Evaluating the Board to do Board Evaluation Comments on strengths or ideas for improvement The board operates with learly defined: Mission and Goals Bylaws Yes No Don t Know Board members understand their own and eah other s role and duties Job desriptions have been developed and are used for: Individual board members Exeutive positions Committee Chairpersons Yes No Don t Know Yes No Don t Know The board uses ommittees and/or work groups to divide board work fairly or delegates appropriately to staff Yes No Don t Know Committees have a Terms of Referene statement whih defines their roles and responsibilities Board members follow through on plans and ommitments Board members understand their legal/ fiduiary obligations and ensure they are being met Yes No Don t Know Yes No Don t Know Yes No Don t Know 68

70 Reruiting and Developing Effetive Board Members for Not-for-Profit Organizations Board Evaluation ontinued Comments on strengths or ideas for improvement The board omposition reflets our ommunity diversity The board represents the interests of the organizations membership Board members are eleted for a speifi / limited term Reruitment of effetive board member nominees is a year round ativity Trusting and respetful relationships exist between board members and other individuals within the organization Individual board members are evaluated annually to assess and reognize the skills and time they have ontributed and to identify the role they will play in the future Yes No Don t Know Yes No Don t Know Yes No Don t Know Yes No Don t Know Yes No Don t Know Yes No Don t Know The board evaluates its work annually in relationship to the goals and plans they have made Yes No Don t Know The board ommuniates learly and regularly with appropriate staff, volunteers, funders, and the wider ommunity Yes No Don t Know 69

71 Board Development CHAPTER 3 Evaluating the Board Board Evaluation ontinued Comments on strengths or ideas for improvement Written poliies to guide deision making exist and are organized in a poliy manual Yes No Don t Know Poliies exist in the areas of: Personnel (paid and volunteer) Finanes Programs and Servies Poliy Development Board meetings deal primarily with developing poliy, planning, developing finanial resoures, advoay, and evaluating the organization s work The board has a written plan that is used to monitor and evaluate the organization s diretion All board members are enouraged to partiipate in disussions Conflit is dealt with openly, respetfully and effetively The board makes sure adequate resoures are available to undertake the work of the organization Yes No Don t Know Yes No Don t Know Yes No Don t Know Yes No Don t Know Yes No Don t Know Yes No Don t Know 70

72 Reruiting and Developing Effetive Board Members for Not-for-Profit Organizations Board Evaluation ontinued The board is operating effetively by: Areas whih ould be made more effetive are: 71

73 Board Development CHAPTER 3 Evaluating the Board Board Evaluation ontinued Areas for Improvement: Issue Start Complete Delegated To Resoures Date Date Required 72

74 Reruiting and Developing Effetive Board Members for Not-for-Profit Organizations Evaluating the Board Regular evaluation of the performane of individual board members, and of the board as a whole, helps to reinfore ativities that are going well, and to fous or to initiate future ations. Evaluations of the whole board an be done internally or they an be onduted by an external evaluator not onneted to the organization. Self-evaluation tools are an effetive method of doing individual assessments. The Board Chair is responsible for initiating whatever evaluation proess is used. summary In addition to evaluating the board s and individual board member s performane, board evaluation is the starting point for the next board reruiting yle. 73

75 74 Appendies

76 APPENDIX 1 Guidelines for Bylaws and Poliies for Eleting, Training, and Evaluating Board Members The bylaws and poliy manual of your organization need to learly explain board omposition and reruitment. Look for the following information in your board manual. Status of the Nominating Committee The Board Development Committee or Nominating Committee is a permanent standing ommittee of the board. The bylaws define this ommittee s responsibilities. Nominating Committee Composition A board member hairs the Nominating Committee. This board member is often a past president, and has a broad base of knowledge about the organization. The remainder of the ommittee is usually omposed of the organization s members who may, or may not, serve on the board. Staff usually are not inluded on the ommittee. The size and exat omposition of the ommittee must fit your organization. Your major onern is to hoose a ommittee that onsiders its task important, and that is able to represent the membership fairly. Nomination Your organization s bylaws and poliies need to define deadlines, rules, responsibilities, and proedures for the nomination and eletion proess. Who May Serve on the Board Your organization s bylaws need to learly define the eligibility riteria for board members. This prevents hard feelings or onflit-of-interest situations. In most membership organizations, any member in good standing may be nominated for a board role. This would exlude those who do not qualify beause of serving a maximum number of terms, or paid staff members or their families, who may be in a onflit-of-interest situation. Some organizations allow staff to hold board membership in a non-voting apaity. Size of the Board Your organization s bylaws define the minimum and maximum numbers of board members needed to represent your organization. Your organization s board size needs to be suffiient to manage the board workload, to make informed deisions, and to meet a quorum requirement. Board and Committee Struture Your organization s bylaws define the struture of the board and how it uses its ommittees. Use this information to determine how many board members need to be reruited, and what qualities these individuals must have. Eleting Board Members The membership generally elets board members at the organization s Annual General Meeting. Eah member in good standing has one vote for eah ballot. Complex soieties with geographial or setional membership an elet board members in a different way. The bylaws an state that ertain sub-groups of the membership must elet the board members. For example: A provinial organization with regional groups in Alberta an ask that the regional groups elet the members of the board. The members from eah region an assemble and vote for a board member at the AGM. As an alternative, the members from eah region an hold separate meetings at different times and plaes to elet the board members. The bylaws an ask that there be a number of board members from ertain setors, even though the membership-at-large elets the board members at the AGM. 75

77 Board Development APPENDIX 1 Guidelines for Bylaws and Poliies for Eleting, Training, and Evaluating Board Members For example: In an organization with ordinary, senior and junior members, the bylaws might speify the board makeup. The board must have at least two board members from the senior members and at least two board members from the junior members. There are other possibilities. The entire membership may vote by write-in vote. Persons ould beome board members by virtue of their offie, suh as presidents of regional bodies. You may devise any system that is logial and workable for your soiety, as long as your bylaws and poliies learly explain it. Alamation Make every effort to nominate more prospetive board members than there are vaanies on your board. Winning by alamation is seldom a good solution. Some alaimed board members feel that they have less power to make deisions than those who have been eleted. As an alternative to alamation, use the skills of unsuessful andidates on ommittees, on projets, or in servie volunteer roles. Through this experiene, these people may beome future board members. If alamation is your only option, distribute ballots on whih board members write yes or no beside eah name of a prospetive board member. Alaim only those people who reeive more yes than no votes, and fill vaant positions at a later date. Terms of Offie Your organization s bylaws need to speify terms of offie for board members. Most organizations limit the length and number of terms that an individual may serve. Speified terms allow board members to plan ahead, and many prospetive board members are more likely to say yes to a finite, rather than an indefinite, length of servie. This planned turnover of members also allows for new blood and fresh ideas. Although many organizations use one-year terms, two- or three-year terms provide for better ontinuity and development. However, the length of the terms must meet the speifi needs of your organization. If the terms are longer than one year, it is a good idea to have staggered terms of offie. Terms of the board members overlap so that a proportion of the board omes up for eletion eah year. The membership influenes the makeup of the board and indiates whether they want hange. However, there is stability, sine the entire board will not hange in any one year. For example: Assume your board has nine members. You want to have board members serve threeyear terms, with three board members eleted every year. In the first year of the soiety, or in the year you amend the bylaws to provide for staggered terms, you would elet: Three board members for one-year term Three board members for two-year terms Three board members for three-year terms In year two, and in all following years, there will be three vaanies on the board to fill at the AGM. Many organizations allow board members to serve for several terms. You may want to appoint or elet willing and effetive board members to a seond term. Condut an evaluation of the board member s performane and the needs of the organization before you reappoint the board member. Seond terms are not automati. Most organizations also require board members to resign for a minimum of one year before serving for a third term. If your organization is implementing a poliy on Terms of Offie, and has many long-serving board members, ask the board members to draw lots to deide who will serve one-, two-, or threeyear terms. Any future reruits to the board then serve under the terms of the new poliy. 76

78 Reruiting and Developing Effetive Board Members for Not-for-Profit Organizations Rotation of the Exeutive and Committee Chair Positions Define the exeutive and ommittee hair terms, beause board andidates are often reruited for their ability to serve in speifi roles. You an define this as a proedure for planning, or spell it out in your bylaws. Whihever method you hoose, make all prospetive board members aware of the expetations. For example, on one board, the board hair is expeted to serve for a two-year term, followed by a one-year term as past hair. On another board, the board hose to stagger the terms of exeutive roles, so that all experiened members do not leave at the same time. You may also wish to speify prerequisites for holding exeutive and ommittee hair positions. For example, the board hair must have previously served as vie-hair, or all members must serve as an ad ho or standing ommittee hair, before moving to an Exeutive position. New members seldom serve on the Exeutive, unless they have onsiderable experiene with the organization and / or the role. Conditions for Remaining a Board Member in Good Standing In your board poliy, doument the speifi expetations of board members, as well as the ation that is taken if they do not follow proedures. You may not be able to measure all of the expetations, but there are some that are important to measure. For example, expetations for board members ould inlude: The minimum number of meetings that a board member must attend Willingness to serve on one or more board ommittees Support of and partiipation in fund raising ativities Other more diffiult measures an be inluded in a board member assessment at the middle or end of a term. Removal and Resignation of Board Members The bylaws must address resignation and removal from offie. A board member may resign by giving notie in writing, with a fairly short period of time required for the notie. Removal is a diffiult issue that requires speial are. The membership elets a board member, usually at the AGM. If anyone else removes the board member, it means that person is overturning the will of the general meeting. A general meeting an remove a board member, but this an reate division and animosity for a long time. Your bylaws should have some safeguards and stringent requirements for removing a board member. Here are appropriate safeguards: If other board members an remove a board member, then there must be a speial meeting of the board. There must be notie to all board members, inluding the board member being removed. There must be a speial majority, suh as three-fourths, to remove the board member. If the way to remove a board member is by a general meeting, then use the rules for giving notie for a motion. A simple majority is suffiient to remove a board member at a general meeting. Take speial are if the board member represents a segment of the organization, suh as the junior members. It may be appropriate to allow only that segment to remove that board member. 77

79 Board Development APPENDIX 1 Guidelines for Bylaws and Poliies for Eleting, Training, and Evaluating Board Members Filling a Midterm Vaany on the Board The bylaws must state how to fill a vaany if a board member resigns, dies or is removed from offie. There are several possibilities: The rest of the board may appoint someone to serve the remainder of the term of the departing member. The rest of the board may appoint someone to serve the term until the next general meeting. The general meeting that removes a board member from offie may appoint someone to serve the remainder of the term. The setor or loal who appointed or eleted the board member may appoint or selet someone to serve the remainder of the term. The organization may leave the vaany unfilled, providing that there is still a quorum for the board. 78

80 APPENDIX 2 Sample: Board Member Job Desription (Name of Organization) Job Desription Position: Board Member Authority and Responsibility The Board of Diretors is the legal authority of (Name of the Organization). As a member of the Board, a Board member ats in a position of trust for the ommunity, and is responsible for the effetive governane of the organization. Requirements Requirements of Board membership inlude: 1. Commitment to the work of the organization. 2. Knowledge and skills in one or more areas of Board governane: poliy, finane, programs, personnel, and advoay. 3. Willingness to serve on ommittees. 4. Attendane at monthly Board meetings. 5. Attendane at meetings of assigned ommittees. 6. Attendane at Annual General Meetings. 7. Attendane at membership meetings. 8. Support of speial events. 9. Support of, and partiipation in, fund-raising events. 10. Finanial support of (Name of the Organization). Term Board Members are eleted by the membership at the Annual General Meeting. Board Members serve for a two-year term. Board Members may be released at the end of the eleted term, by resigning, or aording to (Name of the Organization) s bylaws. General Duties A Board Member is fully informed on organizational matters, and partiipates in the Board s deliberations and deisions in matters of poliy, finane, programs, personnel and advoay. The Board Member will: 1. Approve, where appropriate, poliy; and other reommendations reeived from the Board, its standing ommittees and senior staff. 2. Monitor all Board poliies. 3. Review the bylaws and poliy manual, and reommend bylaw hanges to the membership. 4. Review the Board s struture, approve hanges, and prepare neessary bylaw amendments. 5. Partiipate in the development of (Name of the Organization) s organizational plan and annual review. 6. Approve (Name of the Organization) s budget. 7. Approve the hiring and release of the exeutive diretor, inluding the exeutive diretor s employment ontrat, based on the reommendation of the Personnel Committee. 8. Support and partiipate in evaluating the exeutive diretor. 9. Support and partiipate in fund raising ativities. 10. Assist in developing and maintaining positive relations among the Board, ommittees, staff members, and ommunity to enhane (Name of the Organization) s mission. Evaluation A Board Member s performane is evaluated annually based on the performane of assigned Board requirements and duties. Review Date and Approval Date The Personnel Committee annually reviews the Board member job desription. Reommended hanges are presented to the Board. Approval Date: Review Date: Note: A Board Member job desription for boards without management staff also needs to spell out management or operational duties expeted of board members. 79

81 APPENDIX 3 Board Composition Analysis Tool: Reruitment Profile Composition Review (Detailed) This board omposition analysis tool helps identify the skills, experiene, ontats and values members of the board bring to the organization. It an be used to develop a profile of the board members, and to evaluate and identify their areas of influene. This tool is useful in identifying the types of people the board needs to effetively govern the organization. 1. Customize the grid for your board by listing indiators relevant to the work of your organization. Insert the names of urrent board members. 2. Use the grid to assess the qualities and indiators whih desribe eah board member. 3. Identify whih board members will be retiring or resigning and onsider the attributes your board will be losing when they leave. 4. Remember, some desired qualities will likely hange eah year depending upon the needs of the organization. Use the first grid as an example. Use the seond grid as a tool to ustomize for your organization. Board Composition Review Example Qualities Indiators Current Board Future Board Supports the Values and Mission of the Organization Personal Qualities Time and Finanial Support Area of Influene Past or urrent member of organization Demonstrated support of ativities that further the mission Positive and onstrutive Able to work as part of a team Future oriented Willing to be involved in training and development Able to devote adequate time and energy Willing to be involved in fund-raising and other resoure development ativities Corporate and business Loal media Unions Politial Funders Government Other not-for-profit organizations 80

82 Reruiting and Developing Effetive Board Members for Not-for-Profit Organizations Board Composition Review Example Qualities Indiators Current Board Future Board Speifi Skills Board Committee Gender Constitution/Bylaws Poliy development Planning Board reruitment Grantsmanship Annual giving Planned giving Capital giving Other fundraising Budgeting/Fisal ontrol Contrating/ Negotiations Advoay/Lobbying Publi relations Development/Training Finane Personnel Nominating Resoure Development Female Male Age Over Under 21 Experiene Years on the Board Years ative in other roles within the organization 81

83 Board Development APPENDIX 3 Board Composition Analysis Tool: Reruitment Profile Composition Review (Detailed) Board Composition Review Qualities Indiators Current Board Future Board Supports the values and mission of the Organization Personal Qualities Time and Finanial Support Area of Influene Speifi Skills 82

84 Reruiting and Developing Effetive Board Members for Not-for-Profit Organizations Board Composition Review Qualities Indiators Current Board Future Board Board Committee Age Experiene 83

85 Glossary AGM: An abbreviation for Annual General Meeting whih is the yearly meeting of the organization s membership. New board members are eleted at the annual general meeting. Board Members: Individuals who are eleted or appointed to govern the organization. Chair: Used interhangeably with terms Chairperson, Chairman, Chairwoman, or President. Exeutive Committee: Ats on behalf of the Board within the powers granted to it by the full Board. Might onsist of the Chairperson, Vie-Chair, Seretary and Treasurer. This group is sometimes referred to as the exeutive. Nominating Committee: A standing, or ongoing, ommittee of the board that reruits potential board members and presents the nominees to the board and to the membership. They may also organize the eletion at the annual general meeting. Other responsibilities ould inlude orienting and training board members. This group is sometimes referred to as the Board Development Committee or the Leadership Committee. Servie Volunteers: Individuals who volunteer their time and skills to implement programs and servies. In boards without exeutive diretors, or other paid management staff, this ommittee may manage the organization. This volunteer group is sometimes referred to as the Management Committee. Ex Offiio: By virtue of offie. For example, the Chairperson of the board is an ex offiio member of all board ommittees beause of their position. They may hoose to be involved in providing and/or seeking information. 84

86 Resoures Alberta Culture and Community Spirit and Grant MaEwan College. Board Development Program Foundation Handouts.Sixth edition. Edmonton, Alberta: Government of Alberta, Alberta Culture and Community Spirit and The Muttart Foundation. Board Development Information Bulletin. Edmonton, Alberta: Government of Alberta, Alberta Culture and Community Spirit and The Muttart Foundation. Developing Job Desriptions for Board Members of Nonprofit Organizations. Edmonton, Alberta: Government of Alberta, Alberta Culture and Community Spirit and The Muttart Foundation. Drafting and Revising Bylaws for Not-for-profit Organizations In Alberta. Edmonton, Alberta: Government of Alberta, Dua, D. J. Nonprofit Boards: A Pratial Guide to Roles, Responsibilities and Performane. New York: John Wiley & Sons, Chait, R. P., Holland,.T P., & Taylor, B. E. Improving the Performane of Governing Boards. Phoenix, Arizona: The Oryx Press, Chait, R. P., Ryan, W. P., & Taylor, B. E. Leadership as Governane: Reframing the work of nonprofit boards. Toronto: John Wiley & Sons, Gil, M. Governing for results: A diretor s guide to good governane. Vitoria, BC: Trafford, Grumman-Nelson, J. Six Keys to Reruiting, Orienting, and Involving Nonprofit Board Members. Washington, D.C.: National Centre for Nonprofit Boards, Hardy, James M. Developing Dynami Boards. Erwin, Tennessee: Essex Press, Holland, T.P. & Hester, D.C. Building effetive boards for religious organizations: A handbook for trustees, presidents and hurh leaders. San Franiso: Jossey- Bass, Houle, C.O. Governing Boards: Their Nature and Nurture. San Franiso, California: Jossey-Bass, Huthinson, B. How to be a Winning Board. Edmonton, Alberta: Alberta Assoiation of Rehabilitation Centres, Murray, V. (Ed.). Management of nonprofit and haritable organizations in Canada. Markham, ON: LexisNexis Canada, Nordhoff, N. S., Fundamental Praties for Suess with Volunteer Boards of Non-Profit-Organizations. Seattle, Washington: Fun Prax Assoiates, 1982 O Connell, B. The Board Member s Book. The Foundation Centre, Robinson, M.K. Nonprofit boards that work: The end of one-size-fitsall governane. Toronto, ON: John Wiley & Sons, Seel, K. & Iffrig, A. Being a governor: A proess for board development: Calgary, AB: Mt. Royal College Institute for Nonprofit Studies retrieved from nonprofitinstitute/resoures.shtml Tyler Sott, K. Creating aring and apable boards: Relaiming the passion of ative trusteeship. San Franiso: Jossey Bass,

87 Board Development RESOURCES The following organizations offer free Canadian online resoures related to nonprofit board governane and the themes of this workbook. The Board Development Program The Muttart Foundation The Resoure Centre for Voluntary Organizations (RCVO) Grant MaEwan College The Centre for Community Leadership Niagara College net/index.php/weblog/detail_news/ news_resoures/47/ Non-Profit Setor Leadership Program Dalhousie University Continuing%20Eduation/ Continuing%20Management%20E duation/non-profit%20setor%20 Leadership/Resoures.php Board Development United Way of Canada Centraide Canada Voluntary Setor Knowledge Network (VSKN) Centre for Non Profit Management Vitoria, BC 86

88 INDEX A Alamation, 76 Aountability reviews, 57 See also Evaluation Ativities of organization, 25 Advoay by board members, 20, 26 Age groups, 20, 68, 80-1 See also Young people Agenda of meetings, 59, 60 Altruism, 24 Annual General Meeting attendane at, 79 definition of, 84 eletion of board at, 10, 11 evaluation of board and, 67, 75, 77 Assessment See Evaluation Audiovisual materials in orientation, 53 in training, 52 B Benefits of board evaluation, 57 of board membership, 23, 24, 25, 30, 44, 45 Board omposition analysis tool, 23-24, omposition of, 68 evaluation of, 12, goals of, members of, See Members, of board size of, 75 Board banks, 35 Board Development Committee See Nominating Committee Board team evaluation of, Books use in training, 52 Budget, 37, 79 Business employees as volunteers, 35 Bylaws, 9, 12 board evaluation and, 67 for board members, deision making and, 14 in job desriptions, 79 in orientation manuals, 51 terms of offie in, 41 C Campaigns, 15 Career development board membership as, 25 Chair of board, 75 board needs and, 12 of ommittees, 75 definition of, 84 new board members and, 53 role in evaluation ativities, 63 role in reruiting, 9, 10, 12 role of, 75 Change, 37, 59 Churhes as soure of reruits, 36 Clientele, 15 as board members, Commitment of board members, 57, 79 finanial, See Finanial support of members, 17 time, See Time ommitment Committees, 37 in board evaluation, 67-68, 80 in job desriptions, 79, new members on, 48 in orientation manual, 51 unsuessful andidates on, 76 Community board members and, 18, 20 ommuniation with, 69 image in, leaders, as soure of reruits, 35 needs, 8, 11, 13, 25, 75 representation on board, 7, 13, 68 Competition, among boards, 8 Conferenes attendane by board members, 52 Conflit among board members, 70 of interest, 33, 41, 64, 75 Consultants role of, 43, 44 Consumers as board members, 42 Corporate employees as volunteers, 35 Critis reruitment of, 36 87

89 Board Development INDEX D Death of board member, 77 Deision making board member evaluation and, 64 by board members, 14 board size and, 75 evaluation of, 59 at meetings, 60 poliies regarding, 70 Demorati partiipation, 26 Development See also Distane eduation; Learning, lifelong; Orientation; Training of board, 12 of board members, 54, 59, 64 of leadership, 30-31, 45 of resoures, 80 stages, Distane eduation for board members, 52 Diversity in board, 68 of representation, 42 E Eduational institutions as soure of reruits, 35 Eletion of board members, 11, 12, 39, 75-78, Eletroni resoures in training, 52 Eligibility riteria See Seletion riteria Evaluation of board members, 63-65, 75-78, 79, 80 of board team, of boards, design of, effet on reruitment, 67 effet on training, 67 of exeutive diretor, 79 proess, 59 Ex offiio definition of, 84 Exeutive Committee, 14, 40, 77 definition of, 84 Exeutive diretor, 15, 79 F Failitators for board retreats, 52 Fair exhange, 23, 26-27, 44, 45 Families of lients, of staff, 75 Feedbak, 54 on meetings, 59 Finanes, 37 in orientation manual, 51 poliies regarding, 70 Finanial support by board members, 19, 37, 64, 79, 80, 82 Funders, 37 ommuniation with, 69 Fundraising, 19, 37 in omposition review, 80 in job desriptions, 79, 80 orientation and, 48 Future orientation to, 18 G Gender of board members, 68, 80, 83 Geographial membership, 76 Glad gifts, 54 Goals of board, 56-59, 69 of board members, 63 evaluation and, 67 of organization, 59, 67 Government, of organization, 13, 14, 20, 80 Graduates of servies, as board members, 26 Group orientation, 48, 49 H Hands-tied ontributors as board members, 43 Hard-to-reruit boards, 44, 45 Human Resoures Department See Nominating Committee I Image of organization, 8, 15, 16, 17, 31 Influene, areas of, 20, 80, 83 Information gathering, 59 Inservies, 52 J Job desriptions, 37, 79 deision making and, 14 in evaluation, 59, 63, 67 88

90 Reruiting and Developing Effetive Board Members for Not-for-Profit Organizations L Leadership development of, 30-31, 45 in fundraising, 19 Leadership Committee See Nominating Committee Learning, lifelong, 18, 25 Letterhead board members, 44 Liability, 8, 44 insurane, 37 Lifelong learning See Learning, lifelong Lobbying, by board members, 20 M Management, of organization, 13, 40 See also Government, of organization Management Committee See Exeutive Committee Manager, paid, 16 Manuals orientation, poliy, 70, 79 Meetings See also Annual General Meeting attendane at, 59, 64, 79 evaluation of, 70 information sessions at, 52 proedures for, 48 proess evaluation of, speial general, 77 Members, of board ages of, 20, 80, 81, 83 lients as, ommitment of, 57, 76 ommunity representation among, 7 death of, 77 deision making by, 64 definition of, 84 departing, 77 development of See Development duties of, 79 eletion of, 11, 12, 39, ethnoultural representation of, 80 evaluation of. See Evaluation expetations of, 8, 77 experiene of, 7, 80, 81, 83 families of lients as, families of staff as, finanial support by. See Finanial support former, 41 former staff as, fundraising by See Fundraising gender of, 80, 81, 83 geographial loation of, 19 influene in ommunity, 20, 80, 81 integrity of, 17 involvement of, 53, 54 knowledge of, 26, 79 legal obligations of, 80 See also Liability letterhead, 44 list of, 52 lobbying by, 20 management skills of, 13 motivation of, 23, 24, 45, 53, 57 needs of, 54 networking by, 20 in new organizations, 14 non-voting, 75 orientation of See Orientation qualities of, 7, 10, 12, 17-20, 22-23, 32, 33, 34, 39, 40, 75, 80, 81, 83 reappointment of, 76 reognition of, 54, 57 removal of, 77 resignation of, 77, 80 responsibilities of, 39, 53, 64 retirement of, 80 retiring, 33, 34 seletion riteria for See Seletion riteria self-assessment by, 64 skills of See Skills soio-eonomi status of, 20 soures of, 10, speifi skills of See Speifi skills staff as, 40-41, 75 standing of, 77 support for organization by, terms of offie See Terms of offie time ommitment of. See Time ommitment training of See Training turnover of, 24, 76 values of, 7, 25 Members, of organization board reruitment and, 12 ommitment of, 18 Mentors for new board members, 53 Minutes, of meetings, 60 Mission, 37 hange in, 15 in evaluation, 67, 81, 82 in meeting agendas, 59 in member orientation, 48, 50 relationship to ommunity, 8, 35 in seletion riteria, 17 self-assessment and, 64 statements, 59 89

91 Board Development INDEX Motivation of board members, 23-24, 45, 53, 57 Multimedia materials in orientation, 52 N Needs of board members, 54 of ommunity See under Community of organization, 13-14, 18, 22, 76, 80 Needs assessment for training, 51 Networking, 31 by board members, 20 No thank you s, 54 Nominating Committee definition of, 84 duties of, 75 role in evaluation, 63, 67 role in job desriptions, 77, 78 role in reruiting, 8-11, 39, 40, 45 Non-voting membership, 75 O Objetives See Goals; Mission Objetivity of new board members, 48 Orientation of board members, 10, 39, 48, 52, 55 to future, 18 P Paid staff See Staff, of organization Performane reviews, 56, See also Aountability reviews; Evaluation Personnel See Members, of board; Servie volunteers; Staff, of organization Personnel Committee See Nominating Committee Personnel Department See Nominating Committee Plans, of organization board qualities and, 10, 15 Poliies deision making and, 14 development of, 37 eletion of board members, 75 in job desriptions, 77 Nominating Committee and, 12 in orientation manual, 51 reruitment, 9 regarding board members, regarding programs, 70 Poliy manual, 51, 70, 77 President See Chair Problem solving, 59 Proess evaluation, 59 of meetings, Professionals as board members, 43 as soure of reruits, 35 Profile See Image Programs, 37 poliies regarding, 73 Projets new members assigned to, 48 skills needed for, 15 unsuessful andidates on, 76 Q Qualities See under Members, of board Quests, 54 Quorum, 75 R Reognition of board members, 54, 55, 57 performane reviews and, 59 Reords, 12 Reruiting teams, 39 Reruitment annual plan of, 8-12 oordination of, 8 riteria for, 21 See also Seletion riteria ustomization of, 39, 40 influene of evaluation on, 67 poliies, 40 responsibility for, 8, soures, Removal of board members, 77 Reputation See Image Resignation of board members, 77, 80 Resoure entres, 81 90

92 Reruiting and Developing Effetive Board Members for Not-for-Profit Organizations Resoure development, 81 See also Fundraising Retired, reruitment of, 35 Retirement of board members, 80 Retreats, 51, 52 Reviews See Aountability reviews; Evaluation; Performane reviews S Seretary, 61 Setors of membership, 75 Seletion riteria, 10, 12, 13, 16, 32-36, 75 Self-direted learning, 52 Self-evaluation by board members, 53, 64 Semi-retired, reruitment of, 35 Servie lubs as soure of reruits, 36 Servie volunteers, 14, 40 as board members, 43 definition of, 84 unsuessful andidates as, 76 Servies, 28, 37 poliies regarding, 70 Shopping list, for board members, 13 Skills development of, 25, 41 evaluation of, 80, 81 in speial projets, speifi. See Speifi skills Soietal needs See Community needs Speialists as board members, 43, 44 Speifi skills, 17, 19, 26, 30, 35 board omposition review and, 80, 81 needs mathed with, 54 self-assessment of, 64 Staff, of organization as board members, 40, 41, 75 on Nominating Committee, 75 paid, 14, 40 relationship to board, 37, 69 role in reruitment, 13 Standing of board members, 77 Standing ommittees, 11 Strategi planning, 37 Struture of board, 37, 40, 77 of meetings, 60 of organization, 8, 52 T Team board as, 16, players, work, 81 Teleonferenes, 52 Terms of offie, 8, 10, 41, 69, Terms of referene of board members See Job desriptions of ommittees, 68 Time ommitment, 18, 19, 37 board omposition review and, 81, 82 evaluation of, 69 leadership development and, 30 self-assessment and, 64 Training of board members, 47, 51-52, 54, influene of evaluation on, 67 Turnover, of board members, 25, 76 V Vaanies, midterm, 77 Values of board members, 8, 25 of organization, 25, 64, 81, 82 Volunteer entres as soure of reruits, 35 Volunteers, 13, 37, 69 Voting write-in, 75 W Work plans evaluation of, 57, 67 Workload of board, 75 Workshops, 51, 52 Y Young people, 30, 42, 45 91

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94 The Board Development Workbook Series Board Building Reruiting and Developing Effetive Board Members for Not-for-Profit Organizations 1. What made this workbook useful to you/your organization? 2. What would make the workbook more useful? 3. What hanges has your organization made as a result of using this workbook? 4. What future topis would you like inluded in this workbook series? 5. Other omments (for further omments, please use the bak of this page). Optional Information: Name: Title: Organization Address: City: Phone: Postal Code: Fax: Please return this ompleted form to: Board Development Program Alberta Culture and Community Spirit Board Development Program 907, Jasper Avenue Edmonton, Alberta T5J 4R7 Phone: (780) FAX: (780) Please indiate if you would like additional information about the Board Development Program and how it an enhane the effetiveness of your not-for-profit board, and reate a better understanding of board member roles and responsibilities. Contat us about other workshop titles, workshops and our Board Development Newsletter. Personal information olleted on this form is proteted under the Freedom of Information and Protetion of Privay At. The information is olleted under the authority of the Government Organization At for the purposes of administering the Board Development Program. If you have any omments or questions, please ontat the Board Development Program at (780)

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