Website design By BotEap.comHere’s a little story to set the stage:
Website design By BotEap.comWhile preparing for a business networking event, I decided to try something different than my standard “elevator” pitch.
Website design By BotEap.comThe exchange went like this:
Website design By BotEap.comMember of the Chamber of Commerce:
So tell me, what is Cause and Effect?
Website design By BotEap.comMe:
Have you ever served on the board of directors of a non-profit organization?
Website design By BotEap.comMy intent was to engage this entrepreneur or government manager in a brief conversation about his nonprofit experience as a way to guide me into the consulting work I do.
Website design By BotEap.comBut after posing my initial question:
Have you ever served on the board of directors of a non-profit organization?virtually everyone I asked said:
Website design By BotEap.com“NO.”
Website design By BotEap.comNot the answer I expected!
Website design By BotEap.comI thought that in this room of up-and-coming people and networking, serving on a non-profit board would be de rigueur. I was wrong!
Website design By BotEap.comHow could this be? Perhaps these people were so busy with work and family commitments that they just didn’t have time for any community service?
Website design By BotEap.comWrong again.
Website design By BotEap.comUpon further investigation, many of those who said “no” volunteered at their church or charity, or contributed free professional services.
Website design By BotEap.comBut no service on board.
Website design By BotEap.comThen why not?
Website design By BotEap.comI found out the answer to my question when this one was returned to me:
Website design By BotEap.com“What exactly does a charity board do and why would you want to be on it?”
Website design By BotEap.comWow. I figured most business leaders would know what a board was and what it did.
Website design By BotEap.comI anticipated that my first question would lead to a discussion about all the things they didn’t like about being on a board, thus setting the stage for a launch of my services.
Website design By BotEap.comInstead, I found myself in the role of general salesperson for the nonprofit board service.
Website design By BotEap.comSo here’s a challenge based on your own dashboard service:
Website design By BotEap.comIn one minute or less, explain what a nonprofit board does.
Website design By BotEap.com(I went with:
non-profit boards ensure that their organizations transform the quality of life in their communities or the cause they serve. They also make sure that their organizations are worthy and trustworthy of community support. You be the judge.)
Website design By BotEap.comFortunately, I didn’t have time to get into the nitty-gritty of typical board work (going to meetings, reading reports, engaging in lengthy discussions…) or I’m sure I would have sent them running for cover.
Website design By BotEap.comWhy is it so difficult to recruit board members?
Website design By BotEap.comShortly after that encounter, I came across the following statistic:
- 90% of nonprofits find it ‘somewhat difficult’ or ‘very difficult’ to find qualified board members
Website design By BotEap.comThat number comes from a research report published by The Urban Institute’s Center for Nonprofits and Philanthropy. The report analyzes feedback from CEOs/CEOs of more than 5,100 US nonprofit organizations of various sizes.
Website design By BotEap.com(The report provides many other interesting insights into the board’s performance. It’s worth reading.)
Website design By BotEap.comIn the last sentences of the report, the author made this observation:
Website design By BotEap.com“Additional research is needed to better understand the barriers to obtaining board members.”
Website design By BotEap.comLet me venture here and answer that question based on my own anecdotal experience in the nonprofit sector.
Website design By BotEap.comSix common barriers to board member recruitment and how to overcome them
Website design By BotEap.com1. Most nonprofits don’t have a lot of “word of mouth” working for them about the rewards of board service, primarily because most board members don’t experience any.
Website design By BotEap.comDo you put board members in meetings where they care about the ministries or where they are briefed? Have you forgotten to train or involve your members? I hear every day from board members who just aren’t sure what they should be doing, especially if they’ve never served on a board before.
Website design By BotEap.comSo if you want board members to talk about how great it is to serve on your board, it has to be great to serve on your board. Try to engage them in the exciting strategic thinking of making real change in the community, both in the boardroom and as leadership volunteers for your organization. Give them meaty topics to consider at the board meeting. Connect them to strategic projects so they can have a real impact. And oh yeah, it helps to ask board members what they would like to accomplish during their service.
Website design By BotEap.com2.
Board service is hard work.
Website design By BotEap.comIn a quick Google tour, you can find multiple references from for-profit employers complaining about difficulties finding qualified employees. So, if wages aren’t enough for quality people to emerge, how about hiring a job that has long hours, high responsibility, and no pay?
Website design By BotEap.comAgain, the only way to overcome this challenge is to make this job exciting, fulfilling, meaningful, and rewarding.
Website design By BotEap.com3.
Too many nonprofits wait until the last minute to find board members.
Website design By BotEap.comIt takes months, sometimes even years, to identify, find, cultivate, and qualify the people with the skills, knowledge, and passion you want in a board member.
Website design By BotEap.comKeep a current list of potential board members with specific strategies for cultivating them for board service. Build a farm team through your committees or work groups or specific projects.
Website design By BotEap.com4.
We keep turning to the usual suspects, and then complain that the same people are on too many forums..
Website design By BotEap.comHow come these chamber members were never reached, even within the organizations where they already volunteered? Unfortunately, that Urban Institute report noted that the boards are made up mostly of non-Hispanic white people and people between the ages of 35 and 65.
Website design By BotEap.comSo search far and wide for potential board members. Recruit others to help you find the people you’re looking for. And consider developing new recruits who may lack board experience, but who come with enthusiasm, a willingness to learn, and new networks to get involved with your cause.
Website design By BotEap.com5.
Board jobs are complex, confusing, we expect too much from too few directors, and we provide little support.
Website design By BotEap.comI don’t know about you, but I have served as chair of a board or committee where I estimated that I volunteered, on average, about 8 hours a week. Granted, those were organizations that I loved and I took a leadership position where a lot of change was happening. But I have a lot of flexibility in my job (which is already in the non-profit sector) and my children are older. But how many people can give even a fraction of that kind of time?
Website design By BotEap.comTraining helps here. What is your board education plan? Not only in governance, but also in the essential issues for the future of your organization. Trimming reports down to their strategic details that focus on what board members really need to know can help members feel more secure about their fiduciary responsibilities. Consider a friend or mentor for each new member. And be respectful of board members’ time with worthwhile projects that they can actually accomplish.
Website design By BotEap.com6.
As an industry, we haven’t done the best job defending the directory service, especially when most people only hear about directories when there’s a local scandal or government investigation.
Website design By BotEap.comThe survey author even called on the industry and its supporters: “sound practices and policies must be accompanied by
investment in peopleby helping nonprofit organizations obtain people willing and able to serve…” (emphasis added)
Website design By BotEap.comThe solution to this is perhaps bigger than any organization. But you can advertise board appointments in your local press, send thank-you letters to your members’ employers (with their permission, of course), and routinely share with everyone you know how great your board members are and how great they are. how much you appreciate your service.
Website design By BotEap.comIt is unlikely that it will ever be “easy” to recruit qualified board members, and it probably shouldn’t be. Every organization must take the time to find and train qualified, passionate people who care about the mission and have the knowledge and skills needed at any given time. But it certainly would be nice to have a large pool of eager recruits ready to pick, wouldn’t it?
Website design By BotEap.comPS If you’re in the 10% who aren’t having a hard time recruiting board members, I’d love to hear from you.
