A board of directors is made up of a diversity of people all working very hard for the good of the organization. Remember that key word: diversity. A board needs to consist of a diversity of people who bring a diversity of strengths and talents to the table.

I just returned from New York where I was working with a large state-wide disability organization. Because the organization is a "membership organization," their bylaws don't allow the election of non-members to the board. Unfortunately, this particular board of directors is in dire need of people with expertise in marketing, fund development, and law; unfortunately, none of their members possess any of this expertise.

There are many instances where non-profits need to bring people with expertise, contacts and relationships to their board of directors but cannot bring them on as full board members. And of course there are situations where people with certain expertise want to help out but don't want to sit on the board. In these instances a non-profit should consider forming an advisory board/committee that consists of people who are willing to lend some time, knowledge, contacts, and/or expertise to the board but don't have to actually become full- fledged board members.

Now, back to that key word: diversity. How do you recruit a variety of individuals with a diversity of expertise and talents to an advisory committee? Where do you find them? And, how do you keep them on board? Here's a review of 10 tips and tactics for organizing and keeping a perfectly diverse and connected advisory team.

1. Be realistic about the role and goal of the advisory committee. Develop clear job descriptions first. And don't expect the people on your advisory committee to be worker bees. They are brought on board primarily to open doors and provide expertise and knowledge in areas the organization is lacking.
2. Don't overload the advisory committee with meetings. This committee doesn't need to meet every month. They will function best if they get together semi-annually or quarterly.
3. Recruit people who have skills and expertise in areas not already covered by other board members. Also, keep an eye out for influential and well connected people from the corporate and foundation world.
4. Spend time grounding the new advisory committee in the mission, values, and goals of the organization. This helps the group effectively talk about the organization with knowledge and passion.
5. Get to know your advisory committee. Make sure you spend enough time with each member and get to know who they know, where they work (does their company have a matching grants program?), what clubs they belong to (Rotary?), where they go to church, and who they hang out with.
6. Start small and build. It's best to start off with a small advisory group of fewer than five members. Any more than that and you'll have to spend a lot more time training, teaching and informing the new members. Once you feel comfortable with the smaller group, go ahead and build it up.
7. Keep them engaged and involved. Don't be vague. Make sure the advisory committee members are clear on what you need them to do. Give them specific assignments at each meeting and then follow-up with e-mail and phone calls.
8. Share accomplishments with everyone. People are more likely to stay involved when they see results and success.
9. Make sure you thank every member for their involvement, time, and expertise.
10. Keep them constantly informed of the progress of the organization. Send the advisory committee members monthly updates and e-mails about the organization's mission and programs and make sure they feel connected to the organization's accomplishments.