Event Recap – 7 Secrets to Recruiting High-Impact Board Members

Earlier this month we held our first webinar, “Building Your Dream Team: 7 Secrets to Recruiting High-Impact Board Members,” in a series of Nonprofit Board Empowerment virtual events we have coming up. The goal of the series is to equip nonprofit leaders and boards with the tools they need to succeed. Follow us on LinkedIn to find out what’s coming next. We’d love to connect and see you at a future event!

If you missed it (or were too captivated to take notes) we’ve put together a summary so you can glean some of the great insights that were revealed by the seven nationally recognized experts that spoke. Feel free to use this at your next board meeting or share it with your fellow nonprofit colleagues.

Key Takeaways

• Boards need voices that “sing out” to offer different perspectives.
• Organizations must codify what they believe is important for being on their nonprofit board and then look for people that embody those characteristics.
• Build the kind of board you want to serve on.
• The process around finding new board members needs to have intentionality and clarity.
• Find people who already think your mission matters and recruit them to serve on your board.
• Look for board members that share your energy and will champion your outcomes.
• Do not overlook the younger generations’ desire to serve and make a difference.

Detailed Insights
Each of our experts pulled from their deep well of nonprofit experience to share effective real-world strategies to recruit and retain high-impact, high-integrity, mission-aligned board members. The insights they shared sparked ideas and offered clarity around a question that nonprofit boards ask every day:

“How do I find the right board members to ensure our organization achieves its mission?”

While every organization will approach this challenge differently, there are some great ways to find the right board members that many Board Chairs and Executive Directors haven’t yet considered.

Secret 1: Target Your Humble Heroes I

Maria Kolby-Wolfe – President and CEO, Washington Women's Foundation
Serving at the confluence of environmental advocacy, philanthropy, and leadership across her entire career, Maria has proudly aligned herself with nonprofit leadership roles that seek to establish justice for all.
Connect with Maria on LinkedIn >

Traditionally, new board members are exclusively found by tapping the professional networks of existing board members, but Maria Kolby-Wolfe explains that if this is the only place you’re looking for board members, the result tends to be a homogenous board that thinks alike. Maria highlights the need for voices that “sing out” to offer different, richer perspectives.

So, where do you find those voices?

Your staff members are a great source for new board members because they work so closely with the organization’s key stakeholders, so they are likely aware of people that have the right characteristics to succeed on the board. They also have their own professional networks, which include people with a variety of talents as well. Include their recommendations in the search for new board members.
​
And yet, no one knows the other side of the social issue your organization is addressing like the people who are experiencing it. Including the people you serve is another great way to bring very real perspective into the room.

However, simply knowing where to find great talent isn’t enough! Maria reminds us that organizations need to codify what they believe is important for being on their nonprofit board and then look for people that embody those characteristics. It needs to be a deliberate process of finding people that are passionate about the right things and have the right attitude and skills needed to succeed and then asking them to lead, instead of doing what too many organizations do and asking people to lead in the hopes that the passion will develop along the way.

Secret 2: Target Your Humble Heroes II

Cedra DuFlon-Heide – Board Chair, Washington Women's Foundation
Bringing extensive HR leadership experience to the role, Cedra has been a part of WaWF for more than 20 years in a variety of grant and board committee roles with the goal of promoting a more equitable community alongside other likeminded women.
Connect with Cedra on LinkedIn >

Cedra DuFlon-Heide elaborates that another great place to find voices that sing out is among existing Board Committee Members. These people offer the best of both worlds because they’re already marinated in the work your organization does but will also bring fresh perspective to the role. Look for people with a strong work ethic and deep passion for the cause to find someone that can handle the rigors of the role.

The unique benefit of searching within your committees for possible Board Members is that you get the opportunity to see them in action. In fact, some organizations so strongly view their committees as proving grounds for future Board Members that they make serving on a committee for a year a requirement for being on the Board. Your organization may want to do the same to build a pipeline of future Board Members that have the kind of experience and dedication you’re trying to find.

Secret 3: Build the Board People Want to Serve On

Amanda Kearney-Smith – Principal Owner, The Nonprofit Strategy Group
With professional experience that spans teaching and advising, metal health services, and homelessness support, Amanda is passionate about serving others and advancing transformative leadership and advocacy in behavioral health.
Connect with Amanda on LinkedIn >

Amanda Kearney-Smith offers wisdom on how to create the kind of board that qualified professionals will be lining up to join. She draws on her own experience when she says that the kinds of boards that attract people are those that:

• Are collaborative and built on trust.
• Leverage each member’s individual strengths.
• Demonstrate that members’ contributions have meaning and add value to the work being done.
• Help build new skills and contribute to professional development.
• Take a strategic and proactive approach to leadership.

​She summarizes it perfectly when she says, “Build the board YOU want to serve on, and other people will want to serve on it too!”

Secret 4: Professionalize the Process

Richard D. Eveleigh MPA – Principal, The Nonprofit Strategy Group
With a background as a mental health services provider and educator, and a proven track record in nonprofit leadership, Richard exhibits a deep commitment to fostering equitable, resource-rich communities for all.
Connect with Richard on LinkedIn >

Richard Eveleigh explains that the board member recruitment process should include:

• Finding people who are going to lean into the mission.
• Humanizing the process over an in-person meeting.
• Engaging in dialog to find mutual alignment.
• Honestly assessing whether the person fits with what the board is looking for and needs.
• Clearly conveying expectations for the role ahead of time around responsibilities and time commitments.
• Giving them time to reflect and then following up to gauge their interest.
• Possibly allowing them to attend a board meeting before making the decision so they can get a true sense of what being on the board will look like.

The goal is to professionalize the process so you have a clear plan in place to follow even when operating under constraints or pressures.

Secret 5: Qualify All Prospects

Dr. Catherine Cushinberry – Senior Associate, The Valtas Group
As a seasoned nonprofit executive with almost thirty years of experience across youth development, education, and social services Catherine is passionate about assisting organizations in critical areas like executive coaching, retreats and training, development and fundraising, organizational culture, and change management.
Connect with Catherine on LinkedIn >

Dr. Catherine Cushinberry reiterates the need for intentionality when looking for new board members. She explains that because every organization needs a great board to thrive, the process around finding new board members needs to have intentionality and clarity around who you choose and how you choose them.
Her number one tip is: Don’t convince people why your mission matters – find people who already think it matters and get them on board.

She shrewdly observes, “If you’re running after people to get them on your board then you better believe you’ll have to run after them while they’re on the board too!” She says that the secret is finding board members who are willing to be with you through everything that’s coming and will stay excited even in the thick of things. Even when there’s pressure to find people quickly, don’t shortcut or bypass the process because being intentional is always going to be worth it in the long run!

Secret 6: Match Your Passion

Dudley Callison – Senior Associate, The Valtas Group
As a nonprofit leader with more than 25 years of experience in faith-based, nonprofit leadership Dudley enjoys helping nonprofits think creatively about financial sustainability, organizational health and talent retention, leadership transitions, board and staff alignment, and strategic planning focused on proven outcomes.
Connect with Dudley on LinkedIn >

Dudley Callison advises looking within related industries for professionals that are passionate about your cause. But don’t just look at the owners or CEOs in those spaces, consider people in distinct areas of the company (like marketing or HR) that can help in places where the organization needs strategic direction.

Additionally, he recommends paying attention in all the unconnected spaces of your life (the gym, the coffee shop, the coworking space, etc.) to people who reverberate your passion for the organization. He says, “Strike the tuning fork and listen for that pitch being matched.” Speak freely about your organization and pay attention to how people respond. Bringing in people who are already passionate about what you do ensures you’ll have board members that will share your energy and champion your outcomes.

Secret 7: Unleash the Untapped Power of Youth

Marty Zimmerman – President & Founder, ZIM Consulting
With more than 20 years of nonprofit development experience and numerous awards received along the way, Marty has a wealth of leadership knowledge to offer.
Connect with Marty on LinkedIn >

​Marty Zimmerman outlines several key reasons why asking younger people to serve on your board is a largely untapped way to find great talent. He explains that younger generations make up a large segment of the population but that young people are underrepresented on nonprofit boards, which means there’s a huge pool of people to choose from that have the skills and willingness to serve.

Marty explains that young people are more equity and justice-focused, community impact-driven, willing to challenge the status quo, and natural digital storytellers. And, contrary to the stereotypes, they are well-funded (because they have personal networks with money that they can tap), hard-working, and willing to invest their time into roles that add meaning to their lives.

As a result, generationally diverse boards are often far more effective and adaptive to current trends. He implores organizations to stop looking at a board as a place where a nonprofit professional’s career ends and start looking at it as a place where their career can begin.

BONUS: Quick Tips for Building a Healthy Board Culture
Now that you know how to recruit high-impact board members, ensure your board is set up for success by following these nonprofit board best practices:

• Give staff the credit
• Stay mission-aligned
• Support transitions
• Ask for data
• Don’t dominate the room
• Hold each other accountable
• Be future-focused
• Practice humility and curiosity
• Celebrate milestones
• Be accessible
• Know when to step aside
• Read the financials
• Be adaptable
• Stay connected to community needs
• Promote transparency
• Keep joy in the work
• Be all in

When your organization is undergoing a period of transition, we can help! We offer interim leadership, executive search, and board advisory services to some of today’s most dynamic nonprofits. Our approach is different. We don’t just help organizations fill a role – we equip them for success. Contact us today to start a conversation!