Board Recruitment for Nonprofit Organizations Long Beach Nonprofit Partnership November 20, 2008 Instructor: Trip Oldfield,

Executive Director, HALSA (HIV & AIDS Legal Services Alliance, Inc.) Resources: 1) See handouts 2) Board Source (www.boardsource.org) 3) Books on the lifecycles of organizations 4) Books on founder syndrome Notes: 1. Quality of the Board The success of a non-profit organization depends upon the quality of its Board members. The quality of the Board is determined by the time and effort involved in finding, screening and training Board members. The most effective organizations put some time and effort into the Board recruitment process. React quickly when Board members do not show up. Do not allow bad precedents or habits to develop. 2. Governance vs. Nominating Committee Suggest calling the Nominating Committee the Governance Committee, because its role is more than recruiting officers and board candidates. It also supports and trains Board members. Governance role in training the board dont necessarily have to do all the training, can use consultants, organize retreats. Need a good governance chair for strong organizations. Develop a Governance Plan like a Development Plan. As detailed, as many steps, as crucial to the organization. Major Areas of Responsibility: o Recruit new Board candidates o Identify and recruit Officers o Train and support the Board, including fully supporting new Board members o Board assessment 3. Board Candidates Recruit those who: o Are highly motivated by the organizations mission o Have the right skills at the right time for the organization

Board Recruitment Ideas 11/20/08 - LBNP

o Can support the organization with the right tools All Board members have a role in helping with Board recruitment. ALI o A: Ability to be on your board o L: Linkage to your organization or know someone else o I: Interest 4. New Board Members Assign a mentor for new Board members Conduct site visit and orientation Assign to a working committee 5. Committee Opportunities Best practice is to open up the committees except for the Chair to all interested persons. Its a way to involve more people in some process of the organization. An individual may not want a Board position, but willing to be on a committee. Being on a committee is an opportunity to kick the tires before making a longer term, more in-depth commitment. Reach out to younger/newer people to get them involved at a committee level 6. Top 5 Reasons Board Members Leave Term Over/Service Completed (58%) Life Circumstances (16%) Dont Feel Passion for the Organization (9%) Disagreement (7%) Felt Underutilized (6%) Source: Board Source (2005) 7. Prepare for Active Recruitment Know the By-Laws, be mindful of Board requirements Staff the Governance Committee, not just one person. Governance Chair not on anything else, needs to devote full-time to this function Agree on a process and preferred outcomes; stick with the process. Get Board buy-in on the process. o Be disciplined about the process; otherwise get into political problems. Make sure have Board job descriptions, include expectations Have an application its not just one way; its interactive (what they are looking for), and it helps to set expectations. And it provides additional information about the individuals passion. o Questions for application: What do you want to get out of your experience on the Board? What do you hope to contribute? Why are you passionate about the mission/the cause? Develop a Profile of the Current Board

Board Recruitment Ideas 11/20/08 - LBNP

o Identify where you want to go Look at Future Needs o Terms if dont have terms, re-affirm them. o Where are Board members in their terms? Typical tenure on a nonprofit Board is 3-8 years, if the individual completes the first year. Whos leaving; succession planning. o Not more than 1/3 of the board should turnover in any single year. o Get consensus on a strategic plan identify the skill set needed to help implement the plan. Look at strategic plan what do we need?

Profile Your Ideal Team (and get Board buy-in; helps cut down on politics of the process and short-cutting the process) o Can fund raise o Understand finances o Etc. o Make a list of all the things you are looking for o Also, the things NOT looking for (see Profile of Current Board, if have too many of a skill, demographic, etc.) 8. Recruitment & Interview Develop your prospect list o List everyone, and fill in their characteristics. Rank the candidates in order of preference. o Clearly identify the commitment of Board candidates Start recruitment/interview process at the top and continue in order. Meeting Set-up o Have someone who knows the candidate call to set up meeting or say that something else is going to call to set up the interview meeting o Do you have an interest? Like to explore that in a conversation. Meeting o Meeting/interview should include Board president, executive director, chair of the committee o Application is part of the process bring it to the meeting o See handouts for 10 questions for application and/or interview meeting o Describe the Board selection process to the candidate 9. Board Vote Provide application and resume to Board members prior to vote 10. Sources of Board Candidates #1 Source: Existing Board Members & Senior Staff o Meet with every Board member individually and go through his/her circle of influence identify everyone and gather specific information. Add to mailing list.

Board Recruitment Ideas 11/20/08 - LBNP

Donors, existing volunteers, and clients/customers (depending upon the organizations) Networking, word-of-mouth o Every current member should have his/her own organization business cards to distribute, can include the organizations phone number and a contact for the individual o Make sure your mailing list has key contacts in the community (businesses, service organizations, etc.) starting building a relationship Churches, organizations for kids, parents groups Banks see Branch Manager, community service often required as part of an executives performance review Law Firms often have a pro bono coordinator Ethnic organizations Major corporations talk to Community Relations; look at the top 10 employers in Long Beach area (coordinate with your Development Director to make sure its a coordinated effort from your organization) Retiring Board members from other similar organizations; scout other organizations RSVP (Retired Senior Volunteer Programs) retirees looking to volunteer in the community; may be other similar groups in the community Newspapers that print listings of volunteer opportunities Own newsletter that tells of volunteer opportunities; can tell a story about the organization in the process. Other non-competitive, non-profit organizations that might have a similar constituency, mission Volunteer Fairs Leadership Long Beach see graduate list; talk to the Program Manager LBNP (Long Beach Non-profit Leadership), and other management services organizations Foundations referrals from program managers Volunteer match.com, and other online resources, Board net USA; social networking sites Own web site High schools, service clubs o High schools often require 40 hours of community service Colleges grad students Service organizations, such as Rotary Intl, Soroptimist Business owners, look for a good match and how it helps their business

11. Board Meeting Enhancements Share a story that demonstrates how the organization fulfills its mission (at Board meetings) to re-energize the Board Consider a consent agenda (if applicable) to take care of all the routine actions can make one motion to cover a variety of issues

Board Recruitment Ideas 11/20/08 - LBNP

Board Recruitment Ideas 11/20/08 - LBNP