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One area of nonprofits that we at Canaan Group and Associates emphasize is the board of trustees. A well-organized board is essential to the health of the organization and to staying on mission, and we enjoy strengthening board structure, functions, and makeup.
To quickly simplify the board’s role, we use the acronym GAGG: Govern, Advocate, Give and Get Others to Give. Also, the board’s work should be surrounded by prayer. We strongly believe that part of a board member’s job is to pray consistently for the organization. There’s much more to be said about the role of the board of trustees, but right now, we’re talking about the board rotation schedule.
Does your organization have a board rotation schedule? Do your bylaws call for one? For long-term growth and health, your organization needs bylaws that outline the board composition and rotation. Too many organizations fail to recruit future leaders or fail to ensure that diverse skills and perspectives are represented on the board. Even a healthy, energetic board can run into problems when members must step down or roll off but no one is ready to fill the empty seats.
Therefore, identifying and recruiting future board members is an ongoing process to ensure that the right people are involved in fulfilling your organization’s purpose. We can’t expect the organization to thrive if we’re not spending time cultivating relationships with potential board members.
High-quality board members are hard to find. Their skills and time are valuable. Even so, you should be discerning and careful when selecting members, and this requires time and long-term relationship building.
Before we can find who we need, we must identify what expertise is already on the board and what is missing. Some questions to ask are: What skills have we seen on other boards that might enhance our board? What does our board struggle with? What kind of person might alleviate this struggle? Having a clear understanding of the gaps will help you notice the people who might fill these gaps.
Next comes identifying potential members. When current donors, board members, and staff members are out at work, at church, at their kids’ ball games, or talking with neighbors, they might meet people who have a heart for the organization’s mission. Then, through continued conversations and building relationships, the heart, passion, skills, and availability of potential board members will become more apparent.
If all these pieces are fitting together, the next step is to get individuals interested in serving on your board. All of this comes down to cultivating relationships, not unlike how we cultivate relationships with donors. After all, board service and financial support go hand in hand.
If your organization needs help with recruiting effective board members, along with strengthening and equipping your current board, we at CG&A would love to talk with you. Contact us today to start the conversation.