Finding dedicated, enthusiastic board members is critical for a nonprofit’s success. And yet, it is often left as a last-minute to do. Luckily, a little pre-work can help you create a culture of shared responsibility and clarity that makes finding your next board member feel natural. Here are some concrete steps you can take to optimize the board recruitment process.
Decide: What Are We Looking For?
Board members set organizational strategy and ensure the nonprofit is run ethically, legally, and in a way that is financially sustainable. Before you identify potential candidates, it’s worthwhile to spend some time with a board matrix to figure out which skills and perspectives you want to prioritize in your next recruiting cycle.
Once a board matrix is set up, you can use the openings on your matrix to identify what audiences will be best to target in your search. It can also help you communicate clearly to your audience who you’re looking for, giving potential board members an idea of whether they’ll be a good fit from the outset.
Think Creatively: Where Do We Find Them?
Often, you don’t have to look as far as you think: Look at the folks already engaged with your organization. One question we often get asked is whether MNA has a job board for potential board members. The answer is no—because we feel that a better strategy than a statewide open call is to look at your own network of volunteers, donors, and clients.
Organizations can grow their own board members by strategically stepping up lower-level volunteers or program participants into roles with more meaning and responsibility as time goes along. Showing up at events, volunteering, donating, subscribing, and following are all signals that these folks may be ready for deeper engagement with your nonprofit.
Whether they’re trail users, concertgoers, affordable housing renters, or dog adopters, the hard work—convincing them of the value of your organization—is already done.
After you’ve thought about your current constituents, consider their networks, too! I just talked with a senior center that has had great luck diversifying their board by adding children and grandchildren of their current senior program participants.
Build Awareness: Board Members Aren’t Other People, They’re Us.
Plant the seed of board service before you need to fill a spot. To grow your own board members, prioritize building two types of awareness:
Board Awareness
Does your community know what board service is and how they might get involved?
The more you do to underscore that your board is full of regular people having a good time and not a bunch of fancy people sitting around talking about napkin colors, the better.
- Reels and social media posts about your board work are a great way to let people peek behind the curtain.
- Board member appreciation posts on your social media pages and newsletter not only make your board members feel proud and appreciated, they also communicate to your followers that being a being a board member is a meaningful way to serve. As a bonus, when board members share these posts to their own networks, they grow the audience your organization is reaching! Here are some nice examples from our members:
Red Cross of Montana | Montana Grazing Lands | Humanities Montana
- Invite your board members to celebrate organizational milestones and post about their own reasons for serving on their social pages—look for folks who use not only Facebook, but also LinkedIn, Reddit, Instagram, and TikTok.
General Awareness
Keep your volunteer pipeline flowing by spreading the word. Consider:
- Related community organizations. Does your organization support young families? Ask the local elementary school if you can put a blurb in the newsletter or ask a daycare in town if you can come speak for five minutes at their next potluck.
- Your local chamber of commerce—many have nonprofit membership rates and are a great place to network with the local business community. Ask if they have a young professionals group, too. I’m obsessed with this Mission Match nonprofit speed dating event the Helena Chamber hosted. Here’ s another example.
- Corporate Sponsors: would the local bank that has supported your work for the last five years share a post, an ad, or let you speak to their employees about board service?
- Professionals whose jobs are relationship or sales-based. If you’re looking to reach newcomers to town, a realtor could bring a lot to your board, and they will be eager to build relationships outside their existing circles.
- Email signatures and newsletters—one of my colleagues joined a board after noticing an invitation to board service at the bottom of the organization’s newsletter.
- Good Ol’ Fashioned Flyers—these are usually best placed at your operating hub—remember, folks who are already engaged are likely your best target for board service.
- MNA’s new nonprofit member directory can help community members find you. Here’s a goofy example and here are instructions for updating your profile.
Get Everyone on the Same Page
Educate your board members and staff on their role in the board recruiting process. Make sure everyone knows:
- What you’re looking for in potential new board members
- What they should do when they identify a potential candidate—do they let the ED or governance committee know? Who is responsible for having the first conversation? What about follow-up conversations?
- The timeline for board applications and approving new members
Important: don’t lose track of your prospects! Storing names in a spreadsheet can be a useful way to keep tabs on relationships with potential board members.
Now Hook Them: Practice the Pitch!
If your board and staff can communicate clearly about the benefits of serving and the application process, your network of potential candidates grows exponentially.
Build time into your board or staff meetings for folks to practice their pitch. Consider the prospect’s own reasons for volunteering.
Not Hot: “You are a warm body and we are looking for warm bodies.”
Hot: “I’m on [organization]’s board, and I noticed you were a huge help at both of our volunteer workdays this spring. When I heard you mention you’d like to start your own business, it made me realize what an impactful board member you’d be. We value board members who think like entrepreneurs, and board service is a great way to learn about managing the finances of an organization. Will you join me?”
To aid in clarity, have a page on your website that clearly communicates the expectations of board service. That way, potential prospects know what they’re signing up for. The last thing you want is to find a great new board member, only to have them leave after a few months because their expectation of the commitment didn’t align with the reality of your board service.
We love these nonprofits’ board recruitment pages because they communicate:
- Why board service is good for the volunteer.
- What board service looks like at their org, including time commitment and meeting schedule
- That their board is well organized and values clear communication and expectations.
United Way of Yellowstone County | The Making Place, Columbia Falls
Take the First Step Today
Remember you can take any of these small steps today to make meaningful progress!
- Build a spreadsheet to track prospects
- Add a board recruiting page to your website
- Tailor your social content to include more board posts
- Take a second look at your program participants and their families for potential candidates
- Set up a time your board can practice its pitch for board service
Board members are a crucial but often overlooked aspect of nonprofit success. We hope these tips help you build a roster of board members who can help you deepen your community relationships and strengthen your organization’s resilience.