There is more to a great nonprofit board member than just passion for the mission and clients.
Last week we wrote about identifying and recruiting supremely passionate board members. Your original board members found what they needed for success (building, tools, volunteers, clients, donors, referral sources, expertise, advocates, and more) and pushed themselves to learn how to run and grow a nonprofit. They were successful even though they lacked many resources including someone to teach them.
Let us assume you recruit a supremely passionate board. They will still need to learn many things. You need to have a formal education plan for the board and especially for the new board members. Ideally, during the recruiting process you will note the educational needs of each candidate.
The original board had time to learn. They were starting with a blank sheet of paper and learning as the need arose. Today, you have a fully functional organization, which needs a knowledgeable board guiding it. Therefore, you need to bring your board up to speed as quickly as possible.
Passion is the first qualification for board members. Skills are the second qualification. The third element is life experience (management, financial literacy, planning, budgeting, etc.). Your board training can fill in the missing life experiences. The passion and skills are required before someone can become a candidate.
Next Step:
Ensure that each candidate for board membership has the necessary passion and skills
Work with the board development committee to ensure that all board members receive the education necessary to be effective members
Be prepared to provide supplemental education before the board is asked to discuss a complex matter
When board members are unable to participate in decision-making due to a lack of knowledge or experience, it dampens their enthusiasm and passion. Timely board development ensures that members have the ability to participate. When everyone participates, higher quality decisions are made and each decision receives better support. Another benefit is that your nonprofit will have a higher level of sustainability.
When you recruit passionate board members, you will have a receptive audience for your board training and the engaged board you dream about.
