How to Recruit Board Members (Expert Tips)

Every nonprofit organization wants strong leaders who can help shape and guide its organization’s mission. But before those leaders can be identified and join the board of directors as official board members, nonprofit organizations must first understand the best way to conduct their recruitment process. Whether you have no idea where to begin to find board members or have decades of experience recruiting new board members to join nonprofit organizations, your recruitment process must be thorough and detailed. That’s the best way to ensure your new board member is the right fit for your nonprofit.

Before you hold an official orientation to welcome a new board member to your board of directors, make sure you followed these steps during your recruitment process.

Identify What You Need in a New Board Member

No two nonprofit organizations are the same, so there’s no exact playbook that can be used for nonprofit board member recruitment. Before nonprofits can begin identifying and ranking candidates, they must first determine the role the desired new board member will play on their team. We have already outlined that a board of directors is at its best when a diverse group of people is working in concert — it doesn’t do a board of directors any good to add a new member who doesn’t fill a void the board is missing. That isn’t to say every new board member is going to be a miracle worker or provide solutions to every problem the board of directors might face, but the new board member should still bring a fresh point of view and provide a unique skill set that will bring the nonprofit closer to achieving its goals.

One valuable tool that can help identify the qualities your new board member should possess is by asking existing board members and other staff members in leadership positions to share any potential candidates they might have. Provide them with a document that includes questions about leadership qualities and past experiences as well as the candidate’s passions and future goals to gain a better understanding of not only the candidates but also the qualities that your leaders value most. 

Cleary Define Title and Responsibilities 

All nonprofit boards of directors have a vast range of fiduciary duties regardless of the mission or cause the organization is aiming to fix or address. All prospective board members must have a firm understanding of what would be expected of them as a board member. Nonprofits should clearly define the responsibilities and title of the new board member they are seeking at the beginning of the recruitment process. If you are searching for a board member with a technology background, for example, it’s important to specify the expertise you are hoping the new candidate will possess. 

Every potential candidate that is interested in joining your board of directors has some sort of passion for the nonprofit’s mission. It’s important to provide them with an honest and full picture that captures their responsibilities if they accept the position. You want to attract the best candidates, so don’t hold back. Make sure to craft a detailed description of the board member position that will also intrigue potential candidates. Adding perks that would come with the role, such as working with high-profile or impactful board members, is another way to attract prominent recruits.

Contact Qualified Candidates

The most skilled and passionate people aren’t sitting around waiting for opportunities to fall into their laps. They keep busy schedules and are constantly aiming to make a difference in the world. That’s why you need to proactively try to find board members instead of hoping strong candidates will come to you.

Creating a listing on LinkedIn or VolunteerMatch can also help attract recruits. Asking familiar community leaders about their interest in board service is another way to build a pool of potential candidates for your organization.

Interview Candidates

Congratulations! You’ve determined the responsibilities your new board member will have and identified your top candidates. The next step is conducting your interview process efficiently and transparently.

Consider having a senior board member interview candidates and then, once you’ve narrowed your interview process down to a few top candidates, invite them to attend a board meeting or to spend an hour volunteering with your organization. Those opportunities will give you a glimpse of how the candidates interact within the context of your organization while also showing their interactions with your organization’s existing leaders.

Don’t Rush Your Decision

You are approaching the end of what may have been a strenuous and perhaps stressful search to find your next board member. Don’t rush to make a final decision just because the finish line is in sight. 

Once you have narrowed your field down to two or three finalists, present them to your board of directors and receive their input. Who knows? Someone might have an opinion that could be a deciding factor in the decision-making process.

Welcome the New Member With an Orientation

You found the right board member and they accepted the position on your board of directors. Now what?

It’s time to make your new board member believe they made the right decision, which makes them feel comfortable in their ability to thrive in their new role. Provide the new board member with essential materials, such as a board manual, and connect them with a mentor from the board of directors who can help ease their transition to the team. 

Inviting the new board member to an organizational event and including them in your board’s management platform are two additional ways to help the new board member feel at home.

Regardless of how long the orientation lasts — some organizations may need three hours, while others need three days — it’s important that your new board member is enlightened about the organization’s history, development, staff, finances, and daily operations.