The Lifecycle of a Board Member

We’re all familiar with the basics, you identify prospects, recruit, onboard/orient, and then at some point they transition from “current” board member to “prior” board member and you cross your fingers and hope for the best in terms of continued engagement (and let’s be honest – financial support).

We all have different approaches to the identification and recruitment, and honestly there are some basics to follow, and some differences depending on your organization, your current board, and your best advocates.

You likely have a process for onboarding your new board members … or maybe you don’t, in which case it happens on its on for better or worse. Wouldn’t it be better to have some control over it? To be able to set the tone early with your newest board members?

Take a little time to talk with them in a small group setting or one on one. Walk them through a board handbook that includes a typical meeting packet, what does that meeting look like, how does the discussion flow, what does the board focus on, or what do you wish they would focus on?

Share your internal policies and procedures with them, in case they are interested, or have a question about something later. Review briefly your bylaws and articles of incorporation.

What are your biggest challenges on the horizon? What are you most proud of achieving in recent years? What do you want the organization to achieve in the near future? What do you feel the new board member can contribute?

I’ve often talked with board members who aren’t sure what they are contributing, or even that they are helping! Give them feedback along the way – and be specific. What did they do that furthered a specific piece of the strategic plan? What did they do or say that reflected your organizational values to others? If you see something in them that they aren’t seeing, TELL THEM. If you think they would bring something valuable to the leadership team, TELL THEM.

I have found incredible value in using succession planning or transition planning not only for the key leadership role but also for board positions. The same principles apply. You want to ensure smooth transitions, well-thought-out planning for future security and sustainability. Sure sounds like that applies to your board too?

You can use these succession discussions to identify gaps in skills on the board and with staff. Your goal is to fill those gaps whenever you can. You can also review board term limits and how that impact leadership roles on the board. Do you have a pipeline for your board officer positions? Ae you actively growing your board leadership?

Ok, you’ve recruited and onboarded. You’ve set the stage for board transitions. Now what?

Have I said it often enough, do I need to say it again? Strategic planning is a great tool for board engagement (and critical to organizational planning). There are other blog posts about that (I get a little passionate about how effective a good plan is, in so many ways!).

Now you’ve got your board engaged, thinking of the future, and then (if you follow my advice), they reach the end of their term. What next? Move them to the “prior” board list and hope for the best?

“All I ever need is a plan.”

I don’t do well with “hope for the best,” LOL!

First, you will want to think about offboarding. What is the actual process for transitioning some off the active board?

At a minimum, I would recommend some sort of exit interview, for lack of a better phrase. Schedule a brief meeting to review their time on the board. Go back to my suggested three questions from your first 90 days on the job. Ask them what the organization has done well in their time, what you could be doing better, and what they are most proud of as a board member. Listen.

You want to remind them that as a prior board member they will not have the same access to governance and financial documents on a regular basis. Reassure them that you are available to answer questions, happy to share the usual public documents (audits, IRS Form 990, etc). This is also the time to remind them that past documents shared during their board term are considered confidential.

Ask them how they would like to stay involved. Would they like regular updates through email? Newsletters? Would they like to continue a recurring gift (if they say yes, celebrate!!!).

Regular, maybe quarterly, updates to prior board members can be an easy way to keep them informed of key activities and exciting news without overwhelming them with information. Always be respectful of their preferences.

Your prior board members can be incredible advocates for your organization in the community. You want their entire experience with your organization to be positive, even through challenging times. You can do this!