Ways to ensure your board is engaged and committed to your mission

Bob Wittig and Susan Schaefer, co-authors of Nonprofit Board Service for the Genius advise nonprofits to connect board members to a charity’s mission, to recruit trustees who can provide needed skills, and to make expectations clear from the outset. These and the other steps they outline below will help a nonprofit fully engage its board.

by Bob Wittig and Susan Schaefer

1. Connect to Mission

• Use storytelling to regularly share success stories.

• Encourage (or require) periodic involvement with programs or clients.

• Incorporate “mission moments” into board meeting agendas.

2. Recruit Strategically

• Seek out candidates who have a strong connection to the organization’s mission.

• Identify skill sets needed to support board governance and staff.

• Develop a process that gives both candidates and the organization an opportunity to assess a mutual fit.

• Use a board commitment form as a recruitment cornerstone; this document should clearly state expectations for, among other things, financial contributions, time, fundraising, and leadership.

3. Develop Leadership

• Recruit new members with an eye toward future leadership potential and willingness to serve in officer and committee-chair roles.

• Cultivate a leadership pipeline for all officer positions.

4. Nurture a Culture of Philanthropy

• Develop board members as ambassadors of the mission.

• Require individual giving from each board member.

• Create a customized fundraising plan for each board member.

5. Expect Financial Stewardship

• Ensure that board members have baseline financial literacy.

• Recruit at least one, ideally two, crackerjack financial experts.

6. Support the Executive Director

• Cultivate a partnership that encourages trust, transparency, and open dialogue.

• Acknowledge achievements and accomplishments.

• Offer constructive feedback at least annually.

• Give the executive director opportunities for professional development.

7. Plan Well

• Conduct strategic planning and use the plan to guide the work of board and staff.

• Identify key goals and objectives that board and staff will work together to achieve during a defined period of time.

• Develop meeting agendas that focus on decision points and respect everyone’s time.

8. Measure Impact

• Confirm that all programs align with the mission.

• Develop indicators to measure mission impact.

• Ensure that impact and mission are aligned.

9. Evaluate Board

• Convene a governance committee to assess board performance and provide ongoing improvement feedback.

• Assess each board member’s performance annually using a defined process and criteria; expect underperforming members to “step up or step off.”

• Allow the executive director to provide feedback regarding board engagement and effectiveness.

10. Monitor Risk

• Establish financial, personnel, and other relevant policies to guide board oversight.

• Secure and periodically review appropriate insurance coverage.

• Monitor policies and insurance coverage to ensure they are current.

11. Learn Together

• Set time aside to increase knowledge of governance and oversight.

• Deepen knowledge in issue areas related to the organization’s mission.

12. Celebrate and Socialize

• Celebrate organizational successes and acknowledge accomplishments of staff and individual board members.

• Organize social events—with no organizational business—to build community and deepen trust among board members.

© Susan Schaefer and Bob Wittig. Reprinted with permission.

Susan Schaefer is principal of Resource Partners LLC, and Bob Wittig is executive director of the Jovid Foundation.