Board Recruitment: Activating Artifacts

I have had the privilege to serve on multiple boards, steering committees, and commissions since 2008. Every opportunity gave me a new reason to expand as a woman of color in leadership, flex as a powerful professional and person, and strengthen my community by using my voice in the service of others who don't get to sit at the tables I get to sit at. The following are just some of the tables I've had the privilege of pulling up my chair to, you can see my full resume HERE:

• Advisory Council Member | California Medicine Scholars Program (CMSP), Nov 2024 - present
• Steering Committee Member | Bay Area K16 Collaborative,    July 2022 - present
• Inaugural Board Chair and Member | LEAD Filipino, Jan 2021 - present
• Community Engagement Advisory Board Member | CA Cradle to Career Data System (C2C), May 2022 - Aug 2024
• Advocacy Fellow, Advisory Task Force, and Policy Council | National College Attainment Network (NCAN), Oct 2021 - Sept 2024
• Steering Committee member | Southern CA College Attainment Network (SoCal CAN), June 2009 - Dec 2016
• Chair & Member | Women Development & Earth Foundation (USA and Philippines), Dec 2008 - Dec 2014

Tips for Recruiting New Board Members

As someone who has been recruited for a board, and who recruits board members, I have learned a lot about what works and what does NOT work. The following are my Do NOWs, Do LATERs, and Do NOTs. For both the Do Nows and Do Laters, I will recommend how you can use artifacts to activate people to support your cause.

Whether a board prospect joins your board or not, every person you talk to about joining your board should be convinced that they should support you in some way, shape, or form. Don't let the ask to join your Board be the END, let it be the BEGINNING.

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DO NOW

DO NOWs are the things you want to do in the next three (3) months if you are actively recruiting board members. 

NOW (if you haven't already)

• ARTIFACTS! Develop a clear procedure and agenda template to drive discussions with board prospects. This can include, but is not limited to:
  • What to share BEFORE the meeting (e.g. share a board overview handout 1 week before);
  • What to discuss DURING the meeting (introductions, about the org, board responsibilities and meeting schedule, answer recruit's questions, next steps); and
  • What to do AFTER the meeting (send follow-up within 2-3 days with the handout and any materials requested by board recruit, invite to upcoming events).

Within 1 MONTH

• ARTIFACT!  Develop a 1-2 page handout that is board-member facing which:
  • ​Describes the nonprofit. Includes history, mission, vision, values, principles, programs, etc.
  • Describes the Board of Director Responsibilities. This can include, but is not limited to:
    • ​Terms: How long is a term (2-4 years) and are there term limits (2-3 terms).
    • Meeting Participation: How often are the meetings, how long and where are they (e.g. Zoom), what is on a typical board meeting agenda, and is there an expectation on attendance (75%).
    • Fundraising Requirement: Is there a fundraising commitment, like a Give (personal contribution) or Get (support fundraising), and is there a minimum expected amount ($2K annually).
  • Important links. This can include the website but websites should NEVER be the go-to for board members since they are expected to support internal decision making. 
    • Useful links include the organization website, direct links to the pages about who is on the board, who is on the team, who are the current funding or other partners, annual reports, etc.
    • Note that organization websites only have approved public-facing content. Board recruits need access to information about the operations and governance of the organization that is often not available on websites.

Within 3 MONTHS

• ARTIFACT! Develop an internal one-page flier to support staff in navigating questions with board prospects. This can include, but is not limited to:
  • Who can speak with board prospects. For example,
    
    • It could be the Executive Director (ED) or Chief Executive Officer (CEO).
      
    • On more mature boards it can also be the Board chair or any board member, as well as Director- and other C-suite level staff.
  • What documents or webpages to reference when meeting with the board to answer questions.
  • The types of questions the org has received from prospective board members in the past and what the answers are.

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DO LATER

DO LATERs are the things you want to make a plan to prepare for and accomplish in the next three to 12 months in order to have the most robust, comprehensive suite of procedures and artifacts for your board recruitment.

Within 6 MONTHS

• ARTIFACT! Draft a Board Packet in partnership with the Board Chair, Vice Chair, Treasurer, and Secretary (depending on what roles exist on the board).
• If possible, launch a Board Packet Ad Hoc Committee for a short project so that any board member can work on this project, meet on an as needed-basis to arrive at a consensus, and prepare to present to the full board.
• ARTIFACT! Determine if Board Members should sign a Board Agreement. If so, draft the agreement to include:
  • ​Purpose of board members
  • If they have the ability to assign a delegate (someone who can attend and make decisions on their behalf and in their place, also called an "alternate")
  • What they are agreeing to (their expectations)
  • What the benefits are (what do they get, e.g., listed on the website)
  • How long the term is (signing for one year? two?)

Withing 12 MONTHS

• Have a board-approved Board Packet (requires agendizing at a regularly scheduled board meeting and board approval).
• Distribute the Board Packet to all current board members.
• Make a plan for the ED/CEO to review the Board Packet with board members 1) individually as part of quarterly or annual check-ins and 2) at least once as a board during a regularly scheduled board meeting.
• Integrate the Board Packet into the board recruitment procedures (e.g., share before meeting with a prospect, share as part of onboarding a new member).

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Do NOT

DO NOTs are the things you want to AVOID doing when you prospect and recruit new or returning board members.

Do NOT:

• Leave it at the conversation/meeting.
  
  • Follow up within 2-3 days to recap what you shared, reiterate the ask and any timelines, and thank them for their time and consideration.
• Include them on board-related emails or invitations UNTIL there is written confirmation of their interest. 
• Create Board Packets that are overly cumbersome and long as they will overwhelm members.
  
  • Instead, create no more than a 4-page packet that is ONLY focused on what impacts the board (description, requirements, benefits, committees).
    
  • Create other documents that can be shared with board members at their discretion and request for other things like the organization's history, operations, etc.

Do NOT make ASSUMPTIONS, such as:

• If they say YES, they can commit to everything you THINK a board member should do.
  
  • If what you THINK is not written down explicitly, until it is, the board member will need to learn how to be a board member, which means they won't know in advance what they're committing to.
• If they say NO, it's over. Think of it as No now.
  
  • Make a plan to follow up to keep them engaged and if you truly believe they're the right fit, follow up NEXT year.

Do NOT EXPECT:

• The recruit to follow up with YOU. If they do, that's great. But YOU are the one with the ask so YOU should follow up to close out the conversation.

I hope that you enjoyed this article and that is has set you up for success to have the strongest, most mature and active board possible!

Have questions or want to get support creating your first set of board procedures? Contact Me!