Nonprofit Board Members: Friend or Foe?

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Your nonprofit Board is crucial to your event's success and to advancing your organization’s mission. Board members are the ones who provide you with guidance and advice and who bring money, connections, and other resources to the table. But managing that Board and finding the right Board members can be tricky.

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This article will outline some qualifications and expectations for your nonprofit Board and provide advice for building a healthy relationship that will help you move your mission forward as a team. Listen to the Elevate Your Event Podcast using the player above to hear the full discussion.

What type of person should be on your Board?

Board members should feel a connection to your mission. Whether they have a personal connection or not, it’s important to choose people for your Board who want to see your mission succeed, not just people who want the credentials on their LinkedIn profile.

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It can be easy to invite people you already know and like to be on your Board. Your friends and family may be the first to jump in and help you out. There is nothing wrong with choosing people you know and trust, but consider several factors when deciding to offer someone a position on your Board. You need to know who you are as an organization and the type of Board members that will be most effective for your organization’s needs. Here are a few examples of the types of Board members you may want to have in your nonprofit organization:

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People with solid connections and notability in the community. Pay attention to people in your community with high visibility, beyond the obvious public officials. Every community has a high-powered real estate agent or insurance representative who knows many people and is involved in the community. Not only are these folks likely to make donations and attend your events, but they usually have an extensive network of people they can convince to donate and participate. This may even help with future Board development!

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Professionals with specific expertise. Having a Board member in a specific professional field could help you advance your mission. Maybe it’s an attorney, an accountant, or a marketing professional who will donate their time and resources to help you with services or expenses that otherwise would have cost thousands of dollars. Remember - in the fundraising space, a dollar saved is a dollar earned!

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Workers.These people may not necessarily have all the connections or money, but they are willing to recruit volunteers, procure auction items, or organize all the logistics for your event.

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When considering the types of people you want on your Board, ask yourself this question: “What problem will this person solve for my organization?” All Board members need to be ready and willing to solve problems for you, rather than just giving their opinions, because “Opinions don’t advance an organization.”

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Above all, Board members should be people with passion and compassion. If you have Board members who refuse to get their hands dirty or are berating your staff or volunteers at events, it may be time to cut ties.

Set clear expectations about your Board members’ role

Without clear vision and expectations, groups of people - especially nonprofit Boards - tend to create confusion and unnecessary stress. As an event or fundraising professional, the last thing you want is to be babysitting Board members or spending all your time diffusing arguments or fixing mistakes.

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Be clear with your Board members about what’s expected of them in their roles. Use these questions to get started:

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Are they expected to raise or donate a specific amount of money each year?
How many meetings are they responsible for attending?
If you’re having an event, do you expect them to come and volunteer, or are they expected to buy or sell a table and be a guest?

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Spell out all of these things at your annual meeting, and review them at each subsequent Board meeting so that everyone is on the same page, and you spend less time being “reactive” and having to clarify what your nonprofit Board is expected to accomplish.

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Expectations are moot without accountability attached to them. As the nonprofit or event staff, your job is to meet fundraising goals and move the organization forward. The Board’s job is to help you and your team achieve that mission. It’s important that both parties have measurable actions to meet these objectives. For example, if your goal is for the organization to get more visibility through a rebranding, perhaps the Board can secure their professional contacts to donate services like messaging and web design.

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Delegate important tasks to your Board members

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Having managed and participated on several nonprofit Boards, here is our advice: Manage your Board, or your Board will manage you. Once you’ve outlined the type of Board member that best fits your organization and what you’d like them to accomplish for your nonprofit, it’s time to ask them to take action. Delegate important tasks and initiatives to your Board members.

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Here are some ideas:

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Selling sponsorships
Managing event logistics like volunteer management, equipment rentals, etc.
Ticket sales
Procuring items for silent auctions
Getting expensive components of your event donated, like catering, entertainment, etc.

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Remember, your Board members are there for YOU and your organization’s mission. They are there for the big picture and to help drive strategy, but as stated above, they should be there to help, too.

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Get to know your Board members

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If you want the relationship between you and your Board to be healthy and effective, you need to build a relationship with each member. Even though your Board is there for you and your nonprofit, if all you’re doing is setting expectations and delegating without taking the time to get to know your Board members, chances are that you will see a high turnover rate in your Board. Stewarding your relationship with each Board member is just as important as any other stewardship you do throughout the year.

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Be sure to meet with your Board members individually to check in and get to know them on a personal level. Find out why they got involved in the first place, and ask for their expertise and input on what they’d like to see in your organization. People open up and become much more loyal when they feel seen and heard, and you’ll find that your Board members are no exception.

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We encourage you to have honest conversations with your nonprofit Board members, be open to new ideas, and don’t be afraid to say ‘no.’

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When you have the right people in position, set clear expectations, and work together with your nonprofit Board to accomplish your goals, there’s no telling how far you’ll go with your mission and serving your community.

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