A nonprofit board is a vital group of individuals that can give life to your organization’s mission. However, new board members need to be informed of their responsibilities prior to when they join in order they are able to participate fully.
First be sure to remind new board members that they do not oversee the day-today operations of the nonprofit. These tasks fall within the responsibility of the executive director, paid employees, and volunteers. The function of the board is to provide oversight and guidance.
To accomplish this, they must be familiar with the organization’s finances and operations. They must know what their board ceo and staff legal and fiduciary obligations are, how they can assess the executive director, and the organization’s governance policies.
Board members who are new also have to be able effectively oversee and direct fundraising initiatives. Some organizations require that all board members make a financial contribution, while others simply encourage donations but do not require them. The most successful fundraisers will be those who identify the best strategy for generating revenue, and then assist the board as they implement it.
To aid them in this, the organization should provide a clear position description for board members, as well as regular communication channels (both in-person and via remote tools like MemberClicks’ association management software) to keep board members up to date on the latest developments. The organization should make it easy for the board members to find information by creating a section on their website where they can access documents, agendas and minutes of meetings.