essays – Nonprofits

The Board You Don’t Want

Top Four Ways to NOT Get the Nonprofit Board you Want:

1)      Put out a general request for board members on public platforms.

Recruiting board members is not a cattle call for extras in a movie. It’s casting for leading roles. You’re looking for something specific. You only want those individuals who will be a good fit and can help you be successful. Yes, you can still post a call, but be sure to make it clear what your expectations or requirements are and that there is still a vetting process.

2)      Have your current board members rope in their friends with a simple ask or promise. “Hey, you can join me on this board. We’ll have fun.”

Whether or not the friend is a good fit, this is not the way to start their relationship with the organization. Sometimes friends come from the same circles, so you may be limiting your diversity (in many ways), and you often limit your connections to funding relationships. And you don’t want them to join just because of their friend; you want them to believe in and support your mission.

3)      Offer board positions to funders or corporate leaders as a “quid pro quo” for donations.

Board positions should never be “for sale” to the highest bidder. If nothing else, you’re setting your nonprofit up for sticky situations and potential conflicts of interest. Can you use one bank for your investments if another bank is represented on your board? On the flip side, how will it look if you switch banks after that board member joins?

4)      Bring on a CPA or lawyer just because you want “free” advice.

These professionals may want to help you, but there are better ways to get that advice. They still need to fit the other roles of your board: belief in the mission, financial support, strategic thinking, and oversight. They also need to want to serve as advisors. They are CPAs and lawyers in their day jobs. Maybe they want a different experience as volunteers with your organization.

These are just some of the red flags I’ve seen over the years.

👉 Avoid these and you’ll be better off.

Want to know ways to build the board you DO want? Click here for my take on that.

🤔 In the meantime, let me know if you can think of other red flags that come up when recruiting board members.