Charities Community Organisations Governance Associations

A better board by design

Kim Haworth November 7, 2010

2 min read

Getting the right balance of board members is a challenge – not just in terms of background and demographics, but also in personality, skills sets and even interests and attitudes.

THE ROLE OF THE NOMINATING COMMITTEE

The board should create a Nominating Committee to find new board members by developing selection criteria and screening suitable candidates.

The Nominating Committee should maintain records of the current people who make up the board, and should alert the board to any skills-gaps and also any imminent retirement of board members.

WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING FOR IN A BOARD MEMBER?

You may be looking for a range of skills from the finance, legal or marketing sectors, together with the relevant industry experience.

The identification of the needs of the board should also be linked to the size and complexity of the organisation, the future decisions that the board will need to make, and the right mix of skills and experience in the group to make those decisions.

The ability to lead, negotiate and mediate is also useful.

WHERE TO FIND BOARD MEMBERS

Most board members are found through word of mouth. Strategies include:

Call five people who are on the board of another not-for-profit organisation and ask them to suggest a candidate who could be a good ‘fit’ with your mission.
Note articles about community and professional leaders in your local paper. Write to them mentioning the article and ask them if they would be interested in becoming a board member.
Contact a friend or colleague who is affiliated with the nearest university and see if there are any prospective board members on their staff.

NEW MEMBERS, NEW IDEAS AND PERSPECTIVES

New members can result in more space for change and often give existing board members the confidence to ask different types of questions and remind them of different perspectives.

THE ORIENTATION PROCESS

The Nominating Committee should be very transparent about the organisation while recruiting.

An open discussion during this stage enables the board to make a decision about the candidate, and gives the candidate a perspective on the organisation.

APPOINT A BOARD MENTOR

It may be useful to ‘buddy-up’ a new board member with an existing member to help them learn the spoken and unspoken ‘rules’ of the group.

This mentoring could be formal or informal, but should be confidential so that the new board member feels free to ask questions.