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Orienting New Board Members

Last week on Rich Tips we talked about recruiting new board members. This week we want to talk a bit about how you acquaint new people on your board.

It is fine to recruit board members, but it is another thing to get them motivated and ‘juiced up' so they will be engaged and active participants in the organization.   How do we engage? How do we play to your new board members' strengths? How to do we maximize their participation for the mission and goals of your organization?   These are some of the questions we will answer below:

  1. BUDDY, BUDDY AND BUDDY -  Assign a buddy to each new board member. This board member buddy will help orient the new board member during his/her first six months on the board. Assign someone the new board member does not know.
  2. ORIENTATION PACKET IS IMPORTANT - Prior to the first meeting, the board president or executive director should present the new board member with an orientation packet. The packet should include: history and background of the organization; by-laws and legal documents; minutes of board meetings from the past 12 months; financials; board member names, contact information and bios; and a list of programs and activities.
  3. PERSONAL SITE VISIT - Within the first month of the new board member's tenure, he/she should spend at least a half day at the organization's offices meeting staff, sensing the feel and passion of the organization, having lunch with some of the key staff members, et cetera.  
  4. COMMITTEES ASSIGNMENT - Be sure to assign the new board member to at least one committee ASAP to engage the member in specific tasks and duties of the organization. The board member needs to realize that most of the work takes place outside of the board meetings.   
  5. FIRST BOARD MEETING - At their first board meeting, the new members should spend about 10 minutes introducing themselves. It is also important for the existing board members to introduce themselves so the new board members can begin the bonding process that is necessary.
  6. PERSONALIZE THE RELATIONSHIP - Make sure you get the following information from each new board member: birthdays, anniversaries, kids names and age, where they work and so on, so you can acknowledge these events with a card, gift, or other tribute.   Always be sure the board members know you value them as people.
  7. EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR'S TIME - The executive director/CEO should spend quality time with the new board member during the first month so they can figure out ways to involve this member.    Some executive directors only spend time with the executive committee members and this is a MISTAKE.
  8. GET COMMITMENTS EARLY - After you recruit the board members, but before the first board meeting, get commitments early in terms of:
  • What committee they will be on
  • Their financial commitment
  • How they will become a fundraiser for the organization
  • How much time they will have to give to the organization on a weekly basis
  • How they want their expertise and talents to be used in the organization
  • What new skills they want to develop as a result of their participation on your board

LEADERSHIP IS KEY - Always strive to develop future leaders in the organization.   Look for informal qualities of leadership that are even more important than the formal qualities. Look for thing like:

  • Do people respect the board member?
  • Do others look to this person for specific skills and attitudes?
  • During a break do people want to spend time with this person?
  • Does this person give out positive energy?
  • Is this person passionate about the organization?

TRAINING IS IMPORTANT - Remember that boards are not developed through the process of  osmosis.   It is important for the leadership of the organization to consciously and tactically create a board development strategy that includes periodical educational and training events at board meetings.  Also, have a retreat at least once per year.

If you need help recruiting board members or facilitating a board retreat, give us a call. Contact Nicolle Fogleson at 303-355-2919.