Your nonprofit’s board can help shape a confident, thriving future for your organization—as long as you know how to make the most of their connections and expertise. Even if your board members are experienced and passionate about your mission, common challenges such as insufficient training or poor communication may undermine their success.
By assessing your board’s composition and performance, you can identify ways to improve your engagement strategy, inspire continuous innovation, and provide members with the resources they need to excel in their roles. Follow these three tips to start maximizing your board’s potential.
1. Recruit diverse board members committed to learning.
Every day, nonprofits tackle complex, deeply-rooted issues. To navigate this complexity and generate the impact you set out to create, you must have a strong foundation for governance and decision-making. The more diverse and inclusive your board is, the more viewpoints and experiences you can rely on to create innovative strategies to power your mission.
To find diverse board candidates for your nonprofit, start by:
- Assessing current board composition. Look at your current board and identify any gaps in expertise or perspectives that are limiting your nonprofit’s growth and strategic decision-making. Consider how new members of varying ages, socioeconomic backgrounds, and lived experiences could strengthen your board’s ability to oversee your mission.
- Remove unnecessary barriers. Whether you’re hiring employees or recruiting new board members, eliminate complicated requirements or unnecessary qualifications to appeal to a more diverse range of candidates. For example, rather than only considering individuals with prior board experience or advanced degrees, focus on practical knowledge and passion for your cause instead.
No matter how experienced your board members are, they must be open to new ideas and continuous learning. TopClass recommends providing your board with actionable online courses that update them on the latest governance and fundraising best practices. When your board members are committed to learning, they will be much better equipped to adapt to sector changes and anticipate any challenges your organization might face.
2. Involve board members in your fundraising strategy.
Many nonprofits believe that a board’s primary responsibilities are governance and oversight. By limiting board members to those areas, however, you could be missing out on transformative opportunities to raise more funds and build stronger relationships with donors.
After all, board members are valuable sources of expertise and connections. They can use their knowledge and networks to:
- Pitch new fundraising ideas that resonate with your community.
- Facilitate introductions with major donor prospects.
- Host casual events to steward donors.
- Raise money through peer-to-peer fundraising.
- Evaluate fundraising tools, from text-to-give software to crowdfunding platforms.
Not all of your board members will have previous fundraising experience. To boost their confidence and minimize discomfort, provide workshops on fundraising fundamentals and donor communication templates.
3. Tap into your board’s connections to build partnerships.
Fulfilling your nonprofit’s mission is a community effort. You can expand your resources and amplify your impact by building partnerships with businesses, universities, and other nonprofit organizations. Fortunately, you can find the seeds of many of these fruitful relationships in your board’s networks.
For example, when asking companies to sponsor your nonprofit’s event, Fundly recommends enlisting someone who knows the business contact personally. Doing so adds credibility to your proposal and increases your chances of finding a sponsor who’s aligned with your mission and values.
If you need volunteers, encourage board members to contact their university and professional connections. Whether you’re looking for skilled volunteers for a web design project or some helping hands to set up your next event, board members can use their existing networks to expand your reach.
If you’re not sure how to begin implementing these tips, you can always reach out to a nonprofit-specific consulting firm with in-depth experience in board management. They will look at your current board and help you develop actionable strategies for boosting its potential to support your mission and power your long-term success.
