How to Easily Recruit Stellar Board Members

A Founder came to me a few years ago to help her get her Board together. Through the training, she was able to put together a Potential Board Decision Package. For her, just getting clear about what she wanted in a board and the expectations she had, made all the difference. 6 months later she emailed me saying she had signed up three new board members and it was easier than she thought.

Potential board decision packages are important and I wouldn’t recruit without one, the clarity that comes from walking through the process is invaluable. Here are the three steps.

Step 1:  What Skills Do You Need?

The first step is to create a list of skills you need based on the goals you have for the coming year and the skills you are lacking currently. A board Matrix spreadsheet is good to visually see what you need.

Step 2:  Create your list

First, brainstorm with your board 50 people with the skills you are looking for. If you don’t have a board yet, then ask a friend or family member for help. In this brainstorming session, don’t worry about it if it’s possible, just get your brain thinking. Second, start  with people you or your board actually know in real life. Yes, Oprah would be great to have on the board but does anyone have her direct number? If not, mark them off the list. Continue until you have 25 people who are real possibilities.

Step 3: Create your board decision package

Now that you have a list of people who you want on the board, it’s time to clarify your expectations and lay out for your potential board member all that information they need to make an informed decision. I’ve written about it in my blog post Nonprofit Board Resources.

Join the Get It Done training February 10th – 13th go deeper with these steps and get your board decision package done. Check out the training.