Have you ever been at the gym or grocery store, simply going about your day as usual, all of a sudden you are approached by someone who begins discussing a local nonprofit? As the conversation comes to an end, you are now a member of the Board of Directors of that same nonprofit as your friend who approached you just minutes earlier. If this has ever happened to you, it was not the way this type of situation should occur. If this has not happened to you, remember this blog entry and start running as fast as you can, or at least refrain from saying sure.
This is a common occurrence among nonprofit organizations, especially with the nonprofits that are smaller or in smaller communities. The reason this should raise red flags is because it sends a clear signal that this organization does not have any formal policies and procedures that they they follow. Board recruitment has several stages and they typically follow a pattern such as this: Identify, Cultivate, Recruit, Orient, Involve, Educate, Evaluate, Rotate. This pattern is typically cyclical because it is a continuous cycle.
Although the Board building pattern is typically the same across the nonprofit sector many of the stages are skipped, the typical cycle looks like this: Recruit, Involve, and Rotate (sometimes). Typically Board's recruit individuals to get involved instantly, usually learning what they can about the organization and their role from Board meetings along the way. When it is done in this manner, the most important steps in this process are skipped, and that is Orient and Educate.
An orientation serves as the time where clear roles and expectations are laid out for new board members. During this time they will get an overview of the organization (i.e. mission, programs, etc., what committee they will serve on and a position description for the role on the committee and the Board.
Most individuals understand that as a board member there are certain responsibilities that come along with the position, i.e. executive oversight, financial oversight and resource development. Some would say that making sure that the Board is focused on the mission is an understood role, however many new board members are not informed of the mission due to the manner in which they were brought on to the Board. When asked to join a Board, if an individual says yes, Board leadership often assumes they know the mission and purpose of the organization.
This is why Education and orientation are important. In order to get the most out of volunteers it is important to educate them to the specific duties of their role on the Board. The information that is provided to them must be adequate, basic information or handing out of documents for training will not ensure that every board member has an understanding of their role. Boards must recognize that inadequate information can leave individuals confident that they understand their roles even when they do not (Wright & Millesen, 2007).
Role ambiguity will lead to a high turnover in Boards because not knowing exactly what it is that you are there for, will make you less committed. If changes are not made to the training of board members a new cycle will exist within the organization. This cycle will continue until it is broken or the organization fails. Therefore, I suggest if you are on a Board that has unwillingly instituted this vicious Board Development Cycle, it is time to implement a new cycle, one that includes orientation and education of new members.
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