Identifying and engaging board members that are a strong match for your organization's needs is a continuous process and not at all like engaging any other type of volunteer. Recruitment is only the first step and must be followed by solid orientation in order to retain those board members for the long term.
Find & Keep Great Board Members
Recruitment
This is a checklist of some of the questions you can ask yourself and the prospective organization to guide you as you assess whether a particular board role is right for you.
This handout outlines a sample board recruitment process that you can adapt for your needs.
Use this tool with the Board Building Cycle document included above to have your board self-evaluate their recruitment activities.
In this document, Lee Bruder reviews the Board Recruitment Cycle and identifies other resources that you can use to advance your implementation of the cycle
This document outlines some basic items to have in a packet that you share with potential new board members.
Utilize this cheat sheet of pertinent questions to ask when talking with potential board members.
Make it easy for your board members to suggest new board members with this simple form.
Use this grid to give you a visual picture of the current composition of your board, and identify the skill sets you already have prior to beginning your recruitment
This handout provides some ideas for developing your board recruitment program.
Orientation
Use this form yearly to remind board and staff to disclose any possible conflicts of interest.
Develop your own written strategy for what information will be delivered to new board members, using what method and who will be responsible.
Outline the responsibilities of new board members and what they can expect from the organization.
This sample conflict of interest policy can be adapted to create your own.
Board Member expectations should be reviewed at orientation by having a clear list.
Retention
The opportunity to learn and improve is just as present when interviewing an outgoing board member as it is for an employee, with an additional added benefit – the chance to keep this individual connected to the organization as a supporter and donor.
Track the important dates of your board members' terms with this worksheet.
Shared by the Friendship Centers of Sarasota Florida, this chart gives board members an opportunity to look back at how they have supported (or not) your organization over the past year.
Often the greatest motivator of future accomplishments is recognition of recent ones. You can use this knowledge as a behavioral tool to increase engagement from your volunteer board members.