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| Five Fast Ways to Recruit New Board Members | |
| 10-31-2006 | |
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After
enjoying serving as CompassPoint's executive director for 14 of its 30 years,
and with CompassPoint in a strong
place, I've decided it's the right time for me to explore new fields and challenges. I'm proud to have been a part of
CompassPoint's work serving community organizations, speaking out for community leaders and organizations, and
contributing to a national dialogue about how to bring about social change. I am pleased to say I am NOT
burned out, nor am I retiring. I have time
for at least one more major project or leadership position, and I want to get
started on that soon… (Please refer to
the CompassPoint website, www.compasspoint.org to find out more) and please look out for next month's issue of
Board Café as we look forward to sharing the Board Café survey results with our readers –Jan Masaoka
Put the Mission on the Agenda We love this idea: At the top of every board meeting agenda, put the organization's mission and vision statements. It feels good at the meeting to see it as you work through the agenda, and everyone stays clear about it. Thanks to Big Brothers Big Sisters of Santa Cruz for this idea (at least that's where we got it—I'm sure many others already do it too!). Get Ready for November Election Nonprofits can't endorse candidates, but we can register people to vote, educate voters about what stands various candidates have taken, support and oppose legislation, and hold candidates nights. A good resource page for "do's and don'ts is http://www.independentsector.org/programs/gr/ElectionResources.html. A great idea from Massachusetts Votes (and DC Votes, etc): pick one good question ("If elected, would you support _____?") and publish the answers. Still Time to Submit Board Café Reader Survey Thanks so much to the 5,000 + readers who responded to the Board Café survey (which we sent in lieu of a regular issue last month). Still time to answer: go to http://websurveyor.net/wsb.dll/7620/boardcafe06.htm. Next issue: Results! This issue's "Main Course"Five Fast Ways to Recruit New Board Members 1. Post your "Great Board Member Wanted" ad on free websites that match people seeking boards to join with nonprofits seeking board members. We like:
3. Our 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 wouldn't 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 organization 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. 4. 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 organization'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! 5. Board Member Swap: Pick four local organizations where you don't know anyone, but you'd like to (examples: NAACP, Japanese American Citizens League, Accountants for the Public Interest, community hospital). (Tip: Your local Yahoo site (http://www.yahoo.com/) is a good place to look for lists under "Community.") Ask each officer to call one of the four local organizations and ask to have coffee with one of their leaders. Over coffee suggest that your two organizations recommend "retiring" board members to each other as a way of establishing organizational links and strengthening ties among communities. Q: Our board is kind of crummy, and I'm embarrassed to ask anyone I respect onto the board I'm on. But we desperately need new members! What should I do? A: Use one of the above strategies, but with this kicker: "I even feel guilty asking someone like you to join a board that's as weak and confused as this one. But this organization has a unique role to play in solving the problem of ________. What's really needed is a total overhaul of the board. I'd like you to work with me and two others of the same mind to work with the new director to recruit six new members and really make this board work. We meet every month for two hours on Tuesday morning (specifics). Would you work with me on that committee? Next month in the Board Café Who you—Board Café readers—are, what you like, don't like, and what you think about American nonprofit boards. The Board Café EmporiumDifferent
items each issue . . . and many are free
|
Contact Information | |
| Author/Contact: | Jan Masaoka |
| URL: | http://www.boardcafe.org |
| Email: | boardcafe@compasspoint.org |
| Addtional Info: | © 2006 CompassPoint Nonprofit Services |
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