Center for Civic Partnerships

Nonprofit Board Development

A well-functioning Board of Directors is essential for nonprofit organizations not only to meet legal requirements, but also to successfully achieve their goals. In general, nonprofit boards are instrumental in developing organizational policy, providing oversight to ensure the organization’s mission is fulfilled, and keeping the organization financially healthy. The type of board you develop will depend on your organization’s size, mission, stage of development and fundraising goals.

Top Tips

Recruit new members strategically to find the right people to meet your organization’s needs. Remember, recruitment is an ongoing process, and not just something to think about when vacancies arise.
Determine the types of skills you need on your board. Consider members who have skills in accounting, legal matters, property management or policy areas.
Develop clear roles and responsibilities for board members. Some organizations prepare job descriptions for board members, especially for officer positions such as president, vice president, treasurer and secretary.
Educate board members so they understand the organization’s mission and programs as well as their legal and fiscal responsibilities.
Orient new members. Prepare a board manual and initiate a board mentoring system – current board members can provide support and coaching to new members. Consider inviting board members to tour your organization and meet with senior organizational staff as part of their orientation.
Establish committees that will enable board members to take an active role in furthering the organization. Some nonprofits require board members to serve on committees prior to joining the board.
Communicate with board members in between meetings. Use the opportunity to provide organizational updates, encourage people to follow-through on commitments, and discuss issues in an informal setting.
Host an annual retreat for board members. You may consider involving staff as well. Engage the services of a skilled facilitator to assist with planning and facilitating the session.
Appreciate, recognize and celebrate the contributions of board members.
Periodically self-assess your performance as a board to determine how well you’re carrying out your responsibilities and identify challenges that require action.
Establish term limits and rotate board members so that fresh ideas and new energy come into your organization.

Online Resources and Tools

Board Café
www.boardcafe.org
A free electronic newsletter for members of nonprofit boards of directors.

Board Source
www.boardsource.org
A resource for strengthening nonprofit boards, Board Source includes training and professional development opportunities, topic papers, question and answers about nonprofit boards and an extensive bookstore.

Boardnet USA
www.boardnetusa.org
A free service that connects potential new board members with nonprofit organizations.

Center for Nonprofit Management – Southern California
www.cnmsocal.org
One of 15 organizations participating in the California Management Assistance Partnership, CNM-SC offers training, technical assistance and resources for nonprofits. The web site includes a map of Southern California’s nonprofits, calendar of professional development seminars, free monthly e-newsletter, Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) and a free guidebook for starting a nonprofit.

The Effective Board Member's Orientation Manual
www.ginsler.com/documents/bdman.pdf
A free, downloadable basic guide to board participation. Includes a board assessment tool, sample budget, a glossary of financial terms and quick guide to parliamentary procedure.

Free Management Library
www.mapnp.org/library/index.html
An extensive compendium of resources for nonprofit managers including 72 categories and an index of 675 topics. Includes samples such as committee work plans, meeting agendas, and board policies. You can also find a “Checklist to Evaluate A Nonprofit Board of Directors,” a downloadable tool to assess board effectiveness (www.mapnp.org/library/org_eval/uw_brd.htm).

Nonprofit Genie
www.genie.org
Information and resources for the nonprofit sector.

Nonprofit Nuts & Bolts
www.nutsbolts.com
Includes many free resources including tip sheets, articles, and catalogues. A CD with over 2000 articles relevant to nonprofits is available for purchase. Additional resources may be purchased in the used bookstore.

Nonprofit Virtual Library
www.lib.msu.edu/harris23/grants/znonprof.htm#bp
This extensive web site focuses on nonprofit directories and other web sites (more than 150) providing advice or information about running nonprofits.

Serving on the Board of a Not-for-Profit Organization: A Guide for New Directors
www.grantthornton.com/downloads/14655_14655.pdf
Produced by Grant Thorton, a global accounting and management consulting firm that specializes in providing a full range of services to not-for-profit organizations. Table of contents: The Board of a Tax-Exempt Organization; Financial Management; Starting Out; How to Build a Better Board; The Director's Role: A Recap.

Suggested Reading

Carver, John. (1997). Boards That Make a Difference: A New Design for Leadership in Nonprofit and Public Organizations. Jossey-Bass Nonprofit Sector Series.

Dodson, Dorian. (1993). How to Recruit Great Board Members: A Guide for Nonprofit Agencies. Adolfo Street Publications. A user-friendly book on the process of board recruitment. Includes experience-based tips and sample recruitment documents such as letters, brochures and announcements.

Hughes, Sandra R., Lakey, Berit M., and Bobowick, Marla J. (2000). The Board Building Cycle: Nine Steps to Finding, Recruiting, and Engaging Nonprofit Board Members (With Diskette). This book provides helpful tips on what motivates people to join boards, how and where to find board members, ideas for conducting an orientation session, and specific tasks for the board’s governance committee. Available through Board Source on the web at www.boardsource.org.

Stoesz, Edgar and Raber, Chester. (1997). Doing Good Better!: How to Be an Effective Board Member of a Nonprofit Organization. Good Books. In this personably written manual, two veterans of many boards lucidly address the ideal relationship between a nonprofit organization and its board. They candidly cover the realities that often threaten that relationship, then suggest strategies for overcoming these common difficulties.

Organizations and Consultants

The Center for Civic Partnership does not endorse any of the organizations or consultants listed below. These names are provided for informational purpose.

Executive Service Corps of Southern California
www.escsc.org
This organization provides consulting services through the involvement of retired executives. Areas include board development, strategic planning, public relations/marketing and human resource development.