How to Increase Board Member Engagement
Since I recently transitioned off of the board of directors at Handmade Arcade after completing my term, I’ve been spending some time thinking about board member engagement and thought I’d share some of my thoughts!
First of all, a little about my views on nonprofit structure, so you know where I’m coming from. After spending a decade inside of small, lean nonprofit organizations, I have some strong opinions about what’s constraining their capacity and making the work harder:
The hierarchical structure of nonprofits, as mandated by state and federal laws, is often counter to nonprofit organizations’ values of equity and cultural goals.
I often recommend that organizations work toward flattening their management structures to elevate and develop the next generation of leadership. The nonprofit workforce feels like it’s dwindling, and, anecdotally, some of the best nonprofit leaders are leaving the sector for consulting or corporate gigs due to burnout and unhealthy nonprofit environments.
Boards that exist in an “ivory tower” (a state of privileged seclusion or separation from the facts and practicalities of the real world) can easily shirk their duty of care and allow toxic cultures to flourish and abusive treatment of employees to fly under the radar. I believe that boards should have open lines of communication with staff, or, barring that, a dedicated board representative to whom staff can come directly with complaints concerning the executive director.
Being a board member is a job. It’s a volunteer job, but it’s still a job. There is work involved, even on “governing” boards and other boards that aren’t considered “working” boards. If someone isn’t willing to do the work of a board member, then they shouldn’t take up space on a board.
Now that that’s out of the way, let’s discuss how to work toward a higher level of board member engagement. If you’re facing an already disengaged board, I’d (gently) say that you’re acting too late in the process. Setting up the conditions for an engaged board of directors should happen long before you even so much as meet a prospective board member:
Identify the skills needed on the board. I feel like so many organizations skip over this step and jump straight to recruiting. Don’t make this mistake! Document the responsibilities of board members and create a process for ensuring expectations are clearly communicated and evaluated. A board skills matrix can be a great place to start so that you can be clear with your ask when publicizing that the board is recruiting.
Write it down! Document board member and officer responsibilities in writing (think: board “job descriptions”) and create a board member agreement that clearly defines expectations both in terms of responsibilities and in terms of how fellow board members or the staff leader will follow up if expectations aren’t being met.
Talk about it. The level of engagement expected of board members should be clearly and proactively articulated during prospective board member interviews. You are doing prospective board member interviews, aren’t you? Ideally, an established list of questions and things to discuss will be used during all interviews to ensure every prospective member is given the same information about board service. A designated board member (or the organization’s staff leader) should meet every prospective board member, alongside other board members who are involved in the process. This ensure continuity between candidates.
Onboard effectively. New board members should experience an established onboarding process, and there should be continuity between board members. Don’t have an onboarding process? Then you’re not ready to recruit new members to your board! The onboarding process should include learning about the organization and its programs, understanding how the board conducts business, learning what points of contact exist for which purposes, and meeting board members, especially the chair, outside of the structured environment of a board meeting. It’s great if the onboarding process also has a call to action or an exploration of how the new board member can jump into the work.
Create community agreements. Gosh, do I love community agreements.* Community agreements are about identifying what every person in a group needs from each other and commits to each other in order to feel safe, supported, open, productive, and trusting so that we can do our best work together. They’re a simple way to state overt needs and expectations, such as, “turnaround time on emails is three days.” Then, if someone doesn’t respond in three days, giving a gentle nudge won’t be unexpected or frowned upon. Folks will also learn to proactively communicate when they won’t be able to honor the expected turnaround time.
If you haven’t done this work and already have a disengaged board, don’t despair! There are steps you can take to get everyone back in alignment, starting with the work outlined above so you can level set with the board and establish expectations that may have been lacking before.
Share board expectations. Complete the work listed above, including talking with the board at large or with individual board members about the newly implemented documents and processes. During these conversations, ask board members to consider their ability to commit to the newly articulated expectations and requirements of the board. Give them an opportunity to graciously bow out if their capacity no longer aligns with expectations.
Make an ask and follow through. If board members double down on their commitment, great! You have a wonderful opportunity to engage them with a specific ask. Clearly articulate your expectations, including a timeline, how they’ll be held accountable, and when and how they can expect to hear from you if they’re not meeting the expectations they just agreed to.
Operationalize accountability. Create a system for tracking board member responsibilities and follow through. Having a dashboard you can check to learn which board member promised what by when can make accountability simple and remove subjective measures of board member commitment.
Know when to let go. If you’ve clearly articulated responsibilities and operationalized accountability, and you still have board members that remain disengaged and aren’t meeting expectations, let them know it’s time to make room for another board member who has more energy to give to the organization. A disengaged board member can become toxic to an organization and can demotivate even the most engaged board members if left unchecked. Like with staff, “hire” slowly and “fire” quickly to protect the culture of the board.
I hope this energizes you to engage your board, and I would love it if you’d tell me what step feels most actionable to you today. If you need assistance with anything I outlined above, let’s chat.
* I am forever indebted to Jackie Baker of Workhorse Collaborative for introducing me to the magic that is Community Agreements. Thanks, Jackie!
