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Recruiting Trustees: Finding the Right DNA

Recruiting Trustees: Finding the Right DNA. Valerie Horton, CLiC Executive Director. Thanks to Jim Conner and WebJunction. Why Recruiting is Important?. Community representative Advocate & fund raiser Information exchange Provide governance and leadership

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Recruiting Trustees: Finding the Right DNA

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  1. Recruiting Trustees:Finding the Right DNA Valerie Horton, CLiC Executive Director Thanks to Jim Conner and WebJunction

  2. Why Recruiting is Important? • Community representative • Advocate & fund raiser • Information exchange • Provide governance and leadership • Act as buffer with local officials

  3. Step 1: Board Assessment Strength and weaknesses? • Existing skills or resources? • What’s missing?

  4. Does your Board Represent your Community?

  5. “Most nonprofit organizations recruit trustees based on friendships or on other personal connections to the organization’s leadership.” Are You Too Comfortable? Bridge Star Study Boston, 2005

  6. Are you Stagnant? New people, new ideas can wake- up a board

  7. Step 2: Selecting the Best After you’ve identified what qualities or skills are missing from your board, you have the code to find the right match

  8. Desperately Seeking… • Fund raising abilities • Passion • Judgment • Courage • Commitment • Integrity • Communications • Open-mindedness • Concern and pride for the community

  9. Where are these Paragons? Traditional Sources • Friends Groups • Frequent library users • Leaders in service clubs, church and civic groups • People a record of achievement in their life or for the community

  10. Non-Traditional Sources • Local media personnel • Service Professions • Recreational/tourist professionals • Major employers in the community • Non-fiction writers

  11. Board members and library staff should be constantly scanning for potential, new board members Scanning Culture

  12. You found ‘em, how do you HOOK ‘EM?

  13. Step 3:The Art of the “ASK”

  14. Be Welcoming

  15. don’t undervalue the task People tend to value the difficult and highly selective NEVER SAY: • The job is undemanding • It won’t take much time • Have obstacles to getting on the Board

  16. Your Message should be: We’re a professional, well-run board This is a critically important job You are the best person “IT’S AN HONOR” to serve

  17. Ease Personal Concerns • Define commitments • Invitation to observe • Explain training • “Place at the table”

  18. Address Concerns • Fiscal and legal issues • Sarbanes-Oxley • 'Public Company Accounting Reform and Investor Protection Act' 2002 • Answer: A professional, well-run board won’t have problems and should give new members confidence

  19. Solicit their thoughts • Dialog on: • Experience with the library • What works, what doesn’t • New services • View of the community • Future of libraries

  20. Diversity RecruitmentCamila Alire and Jacqueline Ayala • Canvass your churches, social organizations, government, and social services agencies • Adult Latino library users • Program attendees • Program presenters • Library staff

  21. Latino Communities have Formal & Informal Leaders • Formal leaders: • Minority business owners, directors of agencies, educators, or government employees • Informal leaders: • Parents, church activists, Parent Teacher Organization

  22. The End Building a great board one strand at a time…

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