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Building a Better Board

Learn how to identify the needs of your community, staff, and board, and utilize existing skills, knowledge, and connections to support your mission and strategic plan. Communicate effectively, educate current board members, cultivate open discussions, engage and involve members, invite prospective members, orient new members, celebrate milestones, and rotate board members. Additional resources available.

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Building a Better Board

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  1. Building a Better Board Recruiting Developing Engaging

  2. Building your board Identify the needs of your community, your staff, and your board

  3. After identifying needs, analyze what skills, knowledge, and connections are all ready available – whether they are being used or not.What do you need to support your mission and strategic plan? When a flower doesn’t bloom, you fix the environment in which it grows, not the flower. ~Heijer

  4. Building your board Communicate those needs to your board. Make it a priority.

  5. A good relationship starts with good communication. Communicate with the board as a group and with members as individuals.Make sure conversations are two-way and everyone is informed and involved. I know that you believe you understand what you think I said, but I am not sure that you realize that what you heard is not what I meant. ~Robert McCloskey, US State Dept.

  6. Building your board Educate your current board members. Remind them why they are there.

  7. Educate members about united way. Don’t assume they know.Remind members about their strengths and ask them for insight.Give them opportunities to learn and get connected. A man without education is like a building without a foundation. ~Anonymous

  8. Building your board Cultivate an environment of open and honest discussions.

  9. Find ways to connect with your board members. Get them interested and keep them informed.All discussions should be honest, open, and purposeful.Give Board members opportunities to deal with genuine issues with real consequence. Being on a board is not just about showing up for the meetings. A board member needs to materially contribute to the success of the business. ~Scott Weiss

  10. Building your board Engage current and prospective board members. Use their strengths to get them involved. Make it important.

  11. Discover your board members interests and availabilities. Give them an opportunity to use those in united way’s best interest. Engage prospective members on committees or special projects.Ask for and appreciate their opinions. We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence then, is not an act, but a habit ~Aristotle

  12. Building your board Invite prospective board members to an informal event or gathering with your current members. Evaluate “goodness of fit” before extending an invitation to join your board.

  13. Tell potential members why they are wanted and needed. Invite questions. Don’t minimize expectations or make promises you can’t keepEncourage them to get a feel for united way’s work before making a long-term commitment. Asking for help when you need it does not show weakness, it shows tremendous strength. ~Anonymous

  14. Building your board Orient new members. Give them a job description and make sure they know the expectations and why they are there.

  15. Give new members information about the organization, history, programs, finances, by-laws, committees, etc. They will gravitate towards what is important to them.Be sure to make introductions, not just by name/position/affiliation, but also the attributes each member brings to United Way. The first step toward getting somewhere is to decide you are not going to stay where you are. ~Unknown

  16. Building your board Celebrate milestones, recognize victories, and show appreciation.

  17. Appreciate individual contributions to the board as well as Board accomplishments, and united way achievements.Find reasons to celebrate and socialize. Recognize victories outside United Way. The more you praise and celebrate your life, the more there is in life to celebrate ~Oprah Winfrey

  18. Building your board Rotate board members. Ask for recommendations. Keep past members involved through committees and activities.

  19. Establish term limits and do not automatically re-elect any member for additional terms.Reassigning vs. ResigningDon’t burn bridges – When a board member leaves, keep them engaged and involved. Everyone brings happiness. Some when they come, others when they leave. ~Unknown

  20. Resources for Board Development:BoardSource www.boardsource.org Free for Untied Ways

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