What are the best practices to build a strong board of directors for a non-profit organization?

Begin with a strong "board application" and "job description," which sets expectations early for potential candidates. Great examples include number of hours required per month, current strengths of the board, and areas of growth, particularly with regard to diversity and professional skills/expertise. Along with this, set early and clear expectations about fundraising; most nonprofits need board members to not only offer an annual gift (that is significant to their household), but to volunteer at events and make asks for the organization in the community. All of these expectations can be highlighted through a board member's tenure - and can be the subject of training internally.

Simply put, the answer to “what” is usually “who”. It’s important to keep this in mind when entering any board recruitment stage. Board members should be carefully vetted based on their ability to solve problems, collaborate, build capacity, and raise awareness. They should also display a passion for the cause and be willing to go above and beyond the average advocate.

Building a strong BOD is crucial for the success & sustainability of a non-profit organization. Best top practices: 1. Diversity and Inclusion: seek members with diverse backgrounds, skills, and perspectives. 2. Alignment with Mission: individuals who are passionate about and committed to the organization's mission and values. 3. Expertise and Skills: such as legal, financial, marketing and fundraising. 4. Recruitment Process: establish a transparent & well-defined recruitment process with clear expectations, responsibilities, and term limits for board members. 5. Commitment and Availability 6. Ethical and Legal Compliance- Select individuals who uphold high ethical standards & have a strong understanding of legal & regulatory compliance

One vital lesson is that when you are hired by an established board, you need to invest serious time developing a loyal relationship with each board member. They need to know your passions and you theirs. They are busy people, so when issues arise, they listen to those they know and trust.

Determine what you need and want in a Board member. Begin with two questions, "what constrains us and what empowers us" as a Board and an organization. Keep in mind that the quality of Board member recruitments will determine the quality of the work of the Board and, ultimately, the work and achievements of the organization the Board serves. Servant leadership for Board members and for the collective should be a purposeful goal.

Highly effective Boards nurture efficacy of membership inclusive of diversity as protected classes and disadvantage communities by definition. How is this possible? Every enterprise, including its Board has an organizing principle recognizable by all of its stakeholders. The latest breakthrough on the science of human organization reveals that there is a dynamic interaction on belonging by its members guided by the organizing principle. In this regard diversity recognises that which is unique to people, and therefore universal; these are the elements on "activities of belonging." Highly effective Boards therefore find connectivity with all and this is about the "state of belonging," or also known as the sense of belonging.

One way to recruit a diverse board is to know what your organization needs. Once you know what you need you should have a process that includes an application process and a list of criteria for selecting members to judge the applicants. Use members of your staff to select the best applications, using the criteria that have been established. The staff should receive the applications with names removed, so they will not be inclined to select family or friends. Applicants should be notified that they have been selected by mail, including a deadline to accept.

I suggest to ensure you have a strong NGO board to always include the following 3 persons: - Former Government Servant (Connected to relevant regulatory department your NGO has to interact with): This person is very key to help you understand the regulatory landscape you have to face but from the inside. - Donor: This person is important not just because they have financial contribution but they believed in the cause to put money in it, this is a true stakeholder who will give you an important perspective on how your NGO is viewed by those who you want to reach out to for funding. - Youth: Often skipped but a young activist on the board will give you a perspective often missed, board is not just about experience but thoughts and new ideas.

The board should assess what characteristics and skills their current board brings to the organization and what gaps exist on the board that need to be filled using a board matrix. The use of a board matrix will ensure board diversity. The board needs to ask the following questions: What is the current composition of our board? What characteristics, skills, experience, and backgrounds does our board need now? What gaps does our board need to fill in the future? What are the priorities for identifying and recruiting new members? What other attributes or qualities are important for our board members to have?

Three key points to recruit a high performing diverse Board: Actively reach out to underrepresented groups organizations and communities that represent diverse perspectives. Use inclusive language, avoid language that may unintentionally discourage individuals from applying Avoid reducing diversity solely to race, or gender consider diversity in geography, skills, experiences, and perspectives as well.

Over the arc of my career, serving on over 40 Boards and Commissions, I have discovered that those Boards that have great clarity on their core institutional organizing principle and related values, are the most dynamic, in matriculating new Board Members into their Boards. Why is this so? The organizing principle is that focus for an enterprise from which mission is created, because it answers the question about existence. To the degree that the leadership of an enterprise, its executive committee, CEO and senior leadership team all have this level of clarity about the organizing principle and core institutional values, can lead to standard as a high performance enterprise, which I refer to as "strategic optimization."

When onboarding new board members, it's important to not only provide them with essential information about the organization but also to foster a sense of connection. Introduce them to the heart of your non-profit by showcasing real-world impacts through project visits and events. Ongoing education in diverse areas ensures that they not only understand their roles but also stay equipped with the skills needed for effective governance and leadership. This comprehensive approach not only builds their confidence but also strengthens their commitment to the organization's mission.

An orientation session should be held. This will help the new member participate fully on the board as quickly as possible. The board development committee and the CEO should organize the session. Key board and staff members should take part in the orientation. It is also appropriate to invite current board members to attend all or part of the orientation as a refresher and to meet the new members. By the conclusion of the orientation, new board members should have a sense of: the organization’s mission and programs, the organization’s finances, the organization’s fundraising initiatives, the structure of the board and staff, and their roles and responsibilities as board members.

On-boarding board members is important - sometimes organizations have forms they ask board members to fill out to pass at the next meeting but what they don't have is a true follow-up after that. Remember its like a marriage - if your bringing in a stakeholder into your home, you have to introduce them to the rest and how things are running. They are going to be a member of your inner team and thus need to know some of the less publicly known aspects so don't assume but inform them not only of the publicly available data and also the hidden matters and concerns. Value them - no point in on-boarding them if you aren't going to make them true stakeholders. If they are treated just as a +1 or convenient addition, they will return that value.

Pressing the refresh button helps so please be willing to refresh the board and not just take back on exactly the same board you just did a term with. Yes its great to keep on strong board members who you know are gems but let go of those who may be great people but not great contributors to the organization. I often see a lot of lack of seriousness with NGOs not willing to change their board members out of convenience, some jurisdictions have good regulations to limit terms but it should be an NGO's own push to revitalize their board when necessary. And this doesn't even have to be after a full term of service - PLEASE if you need to step in immediately and remove someone DO IT. Do not delay for a rot will eventually make you rotten.

I have used simple tools to assist with evaluation for the board. One was a self-evaluation where each board member rated themselves around attendance, engagement, and fundraising. This was a great way for them to reflect on and measure their involvement for that past year. I also used board meeting evaluations which allowed the board to make effective and efficient use of board meeting time based on the feedback obtained.

To engage your board, use these strategies: Brand Yourself: Be seen as a capable leader to gain trust and foster engagement. Unleash Their Potential: Encourage contributions beyond asking, like cultivation and stewardship. Inspire Them: Reinforce positive outcomes of their contributions. Leverage Connections: Increase board visibility through website features, newsletters, & social media. Celebrate involvement with press releases. Discover Their Stories: Show interest in board members' lives, celebrating milestones for a connection. Equip and Educate: Provide resources like scripts and social media content for accountability and communication. Reach out & Connect: Go beyond the boardroom, building connections through interactions.

Firstly, the buck stops at the CEO/Chief of Management, you need to prep extensively before a board meeting - lack of preparation leads to lack of engagement with board. Secondly, its definitely legally often required for an annual meeting but sometimes that stress can be alleviated if you have 2 meetings a year or even quarterly. Often organisations just hone in on one annual meeting which shouldn't be the case - continuous engagement is necessary with board so have more than one. Lastly, I'll be frank - time is money. Passion for the cause is one thing, but to take out time and sometimes physical travel, board members should be compensated for their troubles. Most NGOs don't do this assuming much which hampers engagement levels.

Building a board of directors is an imperfect science. If you are flexible and patient you will get that right mix of time and talent eventually. Understanding when someone fits and when to release a person is a great way to maintain synergy and high levels of efficiency.

There are a myriad of factors that impact the strong and effective board members of directors , all types of organizations require clear direction and oversight that provide by board of directors, so choosing the right skillsets, interests, knowledge/experience, behavioural qualities and strong value is necessary. Basically determine the goals of build board and according on recognize which skills require and training and teaching board members and during all of process assessment and evaluation is need. Diversity of members gives different kinds of perspectives and of course select the best chief is essential and board members of directors a non profit org focus on high level strategies and accountability of organization.