Board Recruitment - Page 1.55555555556 - Starboard Leadership Consulting, LLC

Before asking someone to join your board, make sure you you’ve got your act together

When we ask someone to join a board, we are usually asking them to make a multi-year commitment, take on fiscal and legal responsibility for the organization, shoulder some level of risk, commit to ongoing financial support, put their reputation on the line, and make a serious and ongoing time commitment. Pretty heavy stuff, yet far too often recruitment is treated lightly or casually. Stories abound about board recruitment happening in the supermarket, at the tail end of a casual conversation, or as a "by the way, would you be willing..." kind of request.

While some board candidates may say "yes," a casual ask can signal that the person asking has not given this serious thought, that the organization does not have its act together, or even that there is a level of desperation about board recruitment (as in, "we are asking anyone and everyone until we find someone to fill this seat").

As we noted in an earlier blog (June 10, 2011), being able to answer the "Why me?" question is a good place to start in preparing to make the ask, but it is just a start. There is a great opportunity to engage the board in this work.

At your next board meeting, with the flip-chart in front of the room, ask your board members to tell you how they would respond if asked, "What will you expect of me as a board member?"

Can you answer the question, "Why me?" when recruiting?

The kinds of individuals who you really want to invite onto your advisory council or your board are likely to ask you, "Why me?" The best candidates know that you must want something more than their good looks and great personalties. They also want to be assured that they aren't just "warm bodies" who you are recruiting to fill empty seats.

We urge the organizations we work with to get very clear about the skills, abilities, and the kind of experience they need on their advisory councils or their boards. If you are working on a housing initiative, perhaps you've identified the need for someone who has experience in providing financing to low-income individuals. Or maybe you are looking to enter a capital campaign and are hoping to find individuals who have a breadth of relationships in the community. On an ACO advisory council you might be looking for someone who has strong connections in a particular neighborhood or part of the community. The important things is to get clear about the skills, abilities, and experience you are seeking and then be ready to articulate during the recruitment discussion what you need and why they are a good match.

Before you recruit, know what you want.

Looking at the title of this blog entry, it might seem logical (and grammatically correct) to suggest that it should read, "know WHO you want." After all, isn't that how most advisory council recruitment discussions begin?

Our point here is that recruitment discussions should begin by asking, "What skills, knowledge, or experience do we need?" Rather than recuiting the "usual suspects," neighbors, friends, or co-workers, how about giving some real thought to what it is that your advisory council is trying to accomplish?

Are you ready if board recruits ask, “Why me?”

We are frequently asked to lead workshops on promoting community service and encouraging people to consider joining nonprofit boards of directors. We always advise these potential board members that the first question to ask when being recruited is, "Why me?" A board that has its act together should be able to answer that question in detail and in a manner that demonstrates they are thoughtful and strategic in their recruitment.