Having a board of directors that can leverage their networks, skills, and perspectives to support your organization's goals is crucial for effective business management. But how can you ensure that your board has the right connections and uses them wisely? Here are some tips to help you build and maintain a well-connected board.
Before you recruit new board members or evaluate existing ones, you need to identify what kind of connections your board needs to fulfill its responsibilities and advance your strategic vision. For example, you may want to look for board members who have access to potential donors, partners, customers, or influencers in your industry, sector, or community. You may also want to consider the diversity of your board in terms of backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives, and how that affects your board's ability to connect with different stakeholders and address various challenges.
To ensure effective connections within your board, foster open communication channels where members feel comfortable expressing their ideas and concerns. Encourage collaboration by creating opportunities for teamwork and shared decision-making. Regularly evaluate the board's performance and dynamics to identify areas for improvement. Additionally, prioritize diversity in board composition to bring different perspectives to the table. Establish clear goals and expectations for board members, and provide ongoing training and development to enhance their skills and capabilities. By nurturing strong relationships and promoting a culture of trust and respect, you can cultivate effective connections within your board.
One of the best ways to find board members who have relevant and valuable connections is to ask for referrals and recommendations from your existing board members, staff, or other trusted sources. This can help you tap into the existing networks of your organization and discover candidates who have a proven track record, reputation, and interest in your mission and vision. You can also use platforms like LinkedIn, BoardSource, or Bridgespan to search for potential board members based on their skills, affiliations, and endorsements.
Once you have selected your board members, you need to provide them with a comprehensive orientation and training program that helps them understand their roles, expectations, and opportunities as board members. This includes educating them about your organization's history, culture, values, goals, and challenges, as well as the legal, ethical, and fiduciary duties of board members. You also need to equip them with the tools and resources they need to effectively communicate, collaborate, and network with other board members, staff, and external parties.
To ensure that your board members stay connected and involved, you need to create a culture of engagement and feedback within your board. This means setting clear and realistic goals and metrics for your board's performance, holding regular and productive board meetings and committees, providing timely and transparent information and reports, and soliciting and acting on feedback from your board members. You also need to recognize and appreciate your board members' contributions, celebrate their achievements, and address their concerns and challenges.
Finally, you need to facilitate networking and relationship building among your board members and between your board and other stakeholders. This means creating opportunities for your board members to interact and exchange ideas, insights, and contacts with each other, such as through social events, retreats, or online platforms. It also means supporting your board members in reaching out to and cultivating relationships with potential or existing donors, partners, customers, or influencers who can help your organization grow and succeed.
One thing I've found helpful with a volunteer board is to break down barriers to connecting with each other by hosting informal events that allow board members to gather (supply food and beverages to set the tone) in an informal way with a goal of creating synergy between member's network connections to maximize benefit to the organization.