In my last post, I spoke about what it's like to shift careers, moving from being a lead fundraiser to being the lead of an organization, and how the relationship and role of the board of directors is one of the most important factors for success. Having been involved with different boards over the last few years, and consulting colleagues in the sector, a few distinct themes have surfaced.
This three part series will outline three major areas to consider for maximizing the success of your Board of Directors - getting them On Board, being Above board and ensuring they are Not bored - getting them to "OAN" their role.
Image courtesy of Stuart Miles at FreeDigitalPhotos.net.jpg
Part 1: On board
Ensuring your Board Members are the right ones in the right seats, and who understand and are committed to their role is vital. I've heard of many organizations rushing to bring a Board Member on because of their title, their skill set or their connections - only to have the relationship go south quickly because the right due diligence wasn't done up front, whether that was in developing the criteria, the selection and recruitment process, or in the orientation. A lack of clarity was the root cause of the breakdown. Here's how you can avoid these challenges early on in the process.
Pick the right people - Analyze your Board's current composition and consider what is important to your organization - demographics, being inclusive, representing the communities you serve, skill sets, pre-existing passion for your organization. Compare your findings to where you want it to be, then recruit intentionally to boost certain areas. This is commonly done with a well-thought out Board Matrix and a survey of your current Members to better understand what they bring to the table. You should especially ensure that the leadership of your Board (Chair, Vice-Chair, Officers) have a deep understanding of the organization's goals and are committed to the difficult work of taking it there. They have to be driven enough to keep things moving, and collaborative enough to ensure they are engaging other Board Members along the way. On a regular basis, ensure you have an updated roster of people under consideration to be part of the Board team or to take on expanding roles to support your succession planning.
Clarify the commitment up front - Having very well-defined role descriptions which outline roles, key relationships, time commitments, expectations and the legal implications of joining a Board will ensure new Board Members know exactly what they are signing up for. With your Board's approval, they can even audit a meeting to see the action live. Share with them what they can expect about the culture of the Board, how decisions are made, and be very honest about where your Board is on the continuum of being a governance vs. an operational Board. Every Member should be willing to get hands-on when they need to, but if you are a small organization where Board Members do more operational support like event planning and bookkeeping, they should know this. They should also know that they are lead ambassadors and storytellers for the organization, and that involvement in fundraising in some way is an expectation not an option, even if that means just making introductions.
Train them to succeed - Many Boards throw new recruits into the fire early on unnecessarily, when there are simple solutions to get them starting strong. Having seasoned Board Members coach and support new ones is a great engagement tool for both sides. Have up front orientation calls or meetings where you walk through important things like the Strategic Plan, key messaging and Board ethics. Provide key materials like by-laws, financial statements, minutes from past meetings, communications frameworks, and offer to walk them through these. Check in regularly for the first 6 months to gage their experience. One important element, as many new Board Members seem to report a feeling of not contributing enough, is to give a chance for some early victories, like leveraging a key connection or providing feedback on a strategic issue.
Keep them on board - Although it's tough when you lose a Board Member, don't lose contact after they leave! These are passionate people who have played an important role in your success. Keep them engaged in meaningful ways that they would value, and you will have another friend in your corner.
Getting your Board Members On Board in a thoughtful way and early on will ensure they have a strong start and are the right fit for what you need to succeed. It's hard work, but it's much harder work managing high Board turnover or crossed wires that will result from not doing this.
In Part 2: Above Board, I will outline evaluating and managing Board performance, honest communications and creating a culture of trust and safety.
Rickesh Lakhani passionately believes that every donor deserves to feel excellent about giving, and that the duty of a fundraiser is to bring passion towards enhancing the donor experience every day. He is adamant about always putting people first, then process, and that fundraisers, charities and social profit groups should not be afraid to have a personality. Rickesh is the Executive Director at Future Possibilities for Kids, where they provide leadership and life skills development programs for children and youth from underserved communities. Prior to this, Rickesh was the Director, Campaign at United Way York Region, leading an $8M annual fundraising campaign. He is on the Board of Directors for the Association for Fundraising Professionals of Greater Toronto and is the lead organizer of Be Good Be Social York Region, a conference promoting social media for social good. You can reach Rickesh on twitter here.
