As non-profit leader I learned to use summer as an opportunity to connect with volunteers and start my board development strategies. Over the years, I developed a proficient and intentional method that improved my efforts, year after year, in building a stronger group of volunteers.
Board members are the cornerstone to successful fundraising, yet too often organizations don’t give the regular and deliberate attention needed to growing and maintaining a strong board. We see it first-hand in our work with clients that when volunteer leadership is strong, committed and nurtured, the organization only stands to get better.
So where to start? Recently, our Donor By Design team established a process to Leadership and Board Development to help our clients build better boards. It is concise, efficient, and intentional with the goal of improving an organization’s ability to recruit and retain “Big L Leaders.”
The Process
Assessment – “Family Portrait”
Assess your current board to help determine if you have the most influential and committed volunteers. Review the skills, diversity, connections and relationships of your current board within the community. Create your “family portrait” to help identify the gaps and needs of your board and determine who is missing. Consider the top priorities for your organization and determine who you need to help you realize your vision. As you develop a new portrait, with a clear vision of what your board should be, you can begin to create a prospect and cultivation plan.
Identification – “Who and Why”
Next, develop a volunteer prospect list based on who brings the critical skills and competencies
to your board that will help you carry out your mission. Your prospects should have community connections, influence, passion and an overall knowledge of your organization’s mission. An important part of this phase is determining where you are likely to find your “Big L” leaders and who do you know that has access to them. Once you have your list of prospects, carefully assess and rank their capacity to meet the needs of your board.