We tend to recruit board members from among our friends and acquaintances. No wonder we often run out of people in familiar circles to ask. At the same time we often want to bring people onto the board who are more prestigious, wealthier, better connected, and who can add an important diversity component. We might, for example, want to recruit more people of colour, more women, younger members, gay/lesbian individuals, residents in another part of the county. In short recruiting is as much about knowing WHAT you want to recruit, as HOW to recruit.
Here are five fast ways to recruit board members:
- Post your “Great Board Member Wanted” ad on free websites that match people seeking boards to join with nonprofits seeking board members. (In New Zealand , Volunteering New Zealand operates www.volunteernow.org.nz which accesses the volunteering opportunity lists of most volunteer centres).
- Place a "Help Wanted--Volunteer Board Member" ad on your lobby bulletin board, in your newsletter, in the neighborhood newspaper, or in the old pupils newsletter of a local college. Example: "HELP SOUTH PARK... We're looking for a few talented and conscientious volunteer board members to lead and strengthen our programs for people
with Alzheimer’s and their families. If you can contribute your time, thoughtfulness,
and leadership one evening a month, and are interested in exploring this opportunity,
call yyyyyyy at xxx-xxxx to find out whether this volunteer opportunity is right for you. We're especially looking for people with accounting experience, with gerontology backgrounds, or who are on the younger side
of the community.
- Boardcafe’s best idea: Form a "One Hour Recruiting Task Force." Draw up a list of twenty well-connected people of the sort you would want on the board but who you suspect would not join, (but who might know someone who would be a good board member.) Call those twenty people and ask them to come to one meeting of the Task Force committee over lunch (confess it will actually take an hour-and-a-half). Tell them that at the lunch they'll be told more about the organisation and what it's looking for in board members. At the end of lunch they'll be asked simply for the name of one person they think would be a good board member. The Task Force is disbanded. The day after the
lunch call up each of the nominees and begin by explaining who nominated them.
- Promote from the ranks: Ask the executive director or the volunteer coordinator if there are two or three hands-on volunteers who would make good board members. Hands-on volunteers, such as support group facilitators, practical life support volunteers, volunteer ushers, weekend tree-planters, classroom aides and others bring both demonstrated commitment AND an intimate knowledge of the organisation's strengths and weaknesses. Volunteers, donors and clients should be the first place
you look. You don't have to "sell" the agency - they know it already!
- Board Member Swap: Pick four local organisations where you don't know anyone, but you'd like to. Ask each officer to call one of the four local organisations and ask to have coffee with one of their leaders. Over coffee suggest that your two organisations recommend "retiring" board members to each other as a way of establishing organizational links and strengthening ties among communities.
This excerpt is reprinted with permission from the Board Cafe e-Newsletter, published by CompassPoint Nonprofit Services.
CompassPoint Nonprofit Services, 731 Market St., Suite 200, San Francisco, CA 94103; 415.541.9000; info@compasspoint.org; http://www.compasspoint.org
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