Episode 71: Nonprofit Governance - Board Recruitment
Do you have your mom, friends, roommate, and lady at the church on your board? Are you having trouble getting them to fundraise and pay board dues? Learn why not having a high caliber board of directors could be costing you and how to recruit high powered members to your nonprofit board.
LINKS:
Nonprofit Ready
NONPROFIT SPOTLIGHT: Pancreatic Cancer Action Network
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Podcast Transcript
Speaker 1 (00:03):
Welcome to On Air with Amber Wynn, where nonprofit leaders learned to fuse passion and commitment with proven business strategies to create long-term funding impact and sustainability. And now here's your host and resident, Philanthrepreneur, Amber Wynn.
Speaker 2 (00:27):
Hey, hey, Fam. It's your girl back on the scene. It's Amber Wynn doing the thing. Today we are in the second episode of our series on nonprofit governance, governance, referring to the nonprofit board of directors. In today's topic is board recruitment. I often have people say to me, oh, there's not any good board members out there, or I don't know where to find them. Or every time I put somebody on my board, they just do the same thing. Nothing. Listen, listen. Recruiting a viable board member requires intentionality. It requires work. And so today that's what we're going to talk about. We don't want you just to invite anybody on your board because that could end up being quite dangerous. You can recruit some crazy person on the board. We don't want that. We want you focused on doing the work in the community. And if you're trying to get people off of the board, then that's going to take time away from what you're supposed to be doing. So in this episode, we are going to talk to you about how to recruit high powered professionals on your board because that's what you really want. We'll dive deeper into that, but first, we're going to pause and when we come back, how to recruit high powered board members.
Speaker 3 (01:55):
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Speaker 2 (03:17):
Welcome back. You're on air with Amber Wynn, and today we are talking about board recruitment, nonprofit board recruitment. Let me be specific about that. Listen, I want you to think about board recruitment the same way you would think about hiring a staff member. A lot of times I have people say, Hey, I need to have more people on my board. Do you know anybody? That's fine. It makes sense for you to ask me because that's my space. But then I say, well, what type of person are you looking for? And they'll say, somebody who loves whatever their focus is. So let's just say it's an afterschool program. Somebody who understands education or somebody who's just willing to work. No, no. That is not the criteria that you want for your nonprofit board member. It is not somebody with a good heart or somebody who loves kids that has nothing to do with being an effective board member.
(04:17):
You want to recruit high powered professionals who have resources, financial resources, social capital, resources, resources like real estate, printing, visibility, so marketing. You want people on your board who can advance your organization. You don't just want somebody who has a good heart, somebody that's not going to move your organization forward, and I'm telling you, it makes a difference. If you have people on your board who love what you do, but they have no resources, then it defeats the purpose, right? So to recruit high powered professionals, there is a process. You should not just let somebody saunter onto your board. This is not how you recruit a board member. Hey, Amber. Hey Shalia, would you like to be on my board? I'd love to be on your board. Great. Our next board meeting is Thursday at seven o'clock. Wonderful. See you then. That is no. Now no people, no.
(05:29):
The way that you recruit a board member is you let them know that there are expectations. Most people who actually even have a recruitment process, they'll say, oh, well, we have an application. An application is better than nothing, but I'm going to encourage you to create what's called a board invitation. In this board invitation, the first thing you do is you set out your mission and you describe your programs so that the potential person understands what the organization is about. The third thing you want to do is to set out your expectations of your board member. When you give them this invitation, you're going to email it to them and you want them to review what you expect because you want the know before they join your board. In that expectation, you say, we expect you to participate in two thirds of our activities. We expect you to fundraise this amount of money.
(06:23):
We expect you to give in the form of board dues. This amount of money, we expect you to be ethical. We expect you to all of your expectations of your board or outlined in this board invitation. You don't get that in an application. An application talks about the person, where do you work and what are your hobbies and what's your board experience? You get to learn about them, but they don't get to learn about the culture of your organization, and that is a big difference. You want a person to read your invitation and say, I got to fundraise. How much that ain't going to happen? You want them to say, thank you so much, but I just don't have the capacity right now because they know in their heart that they're not going to be committed to your organization. Let them weed themselves out. But you definitely want to be intentional and you want to vet them.
(07:14):
So first thing, create a board invitation, and by the way, I'm going to drop a link in my bio so you can access what that looks like. What is a board invitation? The board invitation, it's going to set out the expectations. It's going to let them know what the process is for coming onto your board. They don't get to just saunter. It is a process. After you give them the board invitation, they sign, there's a little section at the bottom that says, I understand what the expectations are and I am willing to move on to the next phase in the process. The next phase after they understand what your process is, is to then undergo an interview. It should be the executive director, a board member, at least two people, but you can have three. And the reason why you don't want to just to be one person and the potential candidate is because you want to get different perspectives.
(08:09):
You may see or hear one thing and another person may see and hear another thing. So at least one board member and an executive director, you have set questions, which is also included in this packet, this board recruitment packet. You ask them questions, you ask them poignant questions, what was your role the last time you were on a board? If they say, we did this, we did this, you want to clarify and say, did you do it or did we do it? Because you're not recruiting we you're recruiting that person. So you want to know specifically, some boards are so developed that they have committees that are doing the work or a person, if they're a high enough professional, they could be having their administrative assistant to do things. You want to know how they're stepping into your, so you do the interview, you ask these questions that have already been curated for you to get to the point.
(09:01):
The other thing you want to know is what are their strengths? What are their weaknesses? If they say, oh, I'm very busy. You don't want that person on your board because you're going to be chasing them down all the time to do the work, but you're going to poignantly ask that question, what are you going to bring to the organization? If they can't tell you what they're going to bring to the organization? That means they haven't done the homework, and if they haven't done the homework, they're not even committed. So you want to ask these questions, get a feel for them, get a vibe for them, and in that interview, you're going to let them know, well, our board is expected to contribute. This is our contribution. Are you fine with that? They should be willing to say yes without stopping or skipping a beat.
(09:45):
There you go. Skipping a beat because they've already read the board invitation. If they said, well, I'm not used to donating or whatever, you don't want them on your board, so this is a screening process. You are screening your board members because when they get to the other side, they're ready to lead. They're ready to go. They have an understanding that the expectation is that they're going to fundraise. So let's review. You've got the invitation, the board invitation where you set out the expectations. You've got the interview where you and another board member interviews them, see if they're a good fit. If they answer the questions in a way that gets you excited, then you say to them at the end of the interview, thank you so much. The next step in the process is we're going to take this back to our board and we're going to vote.
(10:30):
We are interviewing other potential candidates. We just want to let you know you'll be invited to sit on the board if it's a unanimous vote. You say this because if you see some cray cray in that person, you want to be able to respectfully decline. You don't want them to think, oh, well, I went through this process and I'm automatically on the board. No, no, you're being vetted. So if both of you or all of you say, Uh, I see some red flags. Then you send out that letter saying, thank you so much. You didn't receive a unanimous vote, but here are other, so you want to give yourself the out after you vote. If you say, I think this person is amazing, we definitely want to put them on the board. Then you send them a letter saying, we're so excited to invite you to sit on the board.
(11:15):
The next board orientation is this date. You don't just bring anybody on your board without orienting them. You want to onboard them powerfully so that they understand here is how we operate. Doing that onboarding, doing that. Orientation shouldn't be more than an hour. You really go deep into your programs. This is what this program does. Here are the goals. Here's where we need your help. You tell them in this orientation, we brought you on board because you are a real estate person and we're looking for a building. We brought you on board because you are in the entertainment industry and we need more like you. Be upfront and let them know what the expectations are. You let them know when you meet, how often you meet so that they can put it in their calendar during the orientation, and so that you don't have to chase after them, right?
(12:05):
You're going to provide them with the calendar. The calendar has your activities, it has the board meetings. You're going to set these people up powerfully so that you create a culture. Your culture is created in your orientation. Your culture is created because you've given them the expectations and they know what to do. Nine times out of 10 boards are ineffective because they have no structure and no leadership. They have no structure and no leadership because you as the founder or the executive director have no idea what they're supposed to be doing, and you haven't created that structure, right? So yeah, a part of it is your board, but most of it is you because you have not recruited seasoned individuals. If you have a board of people who've sat on boards and they know what they're doing, your job would be easier. But if you recruit your cousin and your mama and your roommate, they have no idea what they're doing, so it is unrealistic or unreasonable for you to expect them to step up to the plate.
(13:01):
They don't know what they're stepping up to. That's why it's important that you recruit high powered professionals who have connections to resources that can move your organization forward, who have likely sat on boards before, have some experience on what it is they're supposed to do, and they can help you and you can partner in moving your organization forward. If you understand this and you create this recruitment process, it is going to enhance your organization. It is going to move you forward, and you can focus less on doing what the board is supposed to do and more of doing what an executive director is supposed to do. So that is the board recruitment process. Again, I'm going to drop in the link the board recruitment packet, because you don't have to create it. It is already packaged for you. This is something that I've created to help nonprofit organizations intentionally and powerfully recruit their board members. Okay, so we're going to pause for a minute, but when we come back, we're going to have your question and ask Amber when we come back,
Speaker 4 (14:11):
Calling or texting all small business owners and nonprofits. Did you know 95% of text messages are read and responded to within three minutes of being received? Nothing is more direct or immediate, and that's just one reason to add SMS capability to any constant contact plan. Another, it's smart marketing, really smart with all of your digital marketing tools in one place. Constant contact makes sure you are connecting with the right people at the right time in the channels they prefer so you can reach, engage, and keep more customers. Whether you're promoting a sale, announcing an event, or encouraging donations, adding SMS to your digital marketing strategy just makes sense and a lot of dollars too. Constant contact.
Speaker 2 (15:11):
Welcome back to On Air with Amber Wynn, and today we are tackling board recruitment in our nonprofit governance series, talking about all things nonprofit, board of directors, and now it is time for me to answer your pressing questions. Today's question comes from Niecy from Victorville. Niecy emailed me and here's her question. Hi, this is Niecy. I'm writing you from Victorville. I just started my nonprofit. Congratulations, Niecy. I just started my nonprofit and wanted to know how much should I pay my board? Look at my face, listen to my voice, Niecy, everybody, zero. The answer is zero. If you have a nonprofit board, that board is a volunteer board. Now, I said before in the last episode how it is very common. It is a common practice for people who don't really understand the role of a nonprofit board of directors to conflate that and misconstrue how you engage with them with the corporate board.
(16:29):
In a corporate board, you are hiring people for their expertise to help you weather the storm. It's more about financial protection, right? That is not the case for a nonprofit board. The nonprofit is a public charity, and so when you recruit a board member, they are volunteering their expertise because it is a public charity. They're not getting paid for it because the monies that come in should go to support the nonprofit and not to pay an individual. That money should go to support the mission, and so the answer to your question is zero. You do not pay your board members.
(17:11):
The reason why a board member joins your board is because they are excited about your mission, right? I'll talk a little bit more about that in one of the next episodes, but to just directly answer your question, the answer is no. I've had people say, well, how am I supposed to keep them? And they're asking me how much they're going to get paid. If they're asking you how much they're going to get paid, rescind your offer because that means that they don't know what they're supposed to be doing. Okay? And if you don't understand that, then I'm going to encourage you to seek out more information. One of our sponsors, nonprofit Ready? There are modules on that platform to educate you about the role of a board member. Also read my eBook that I'm going to provide a link in my bio for you where you can read about what the role and responsibility of a board member is, but you do not pay them.
(18:12):
That does not come with the nonprofit board of directors. Niecy, thank you so much for your question. If you have questions for me, you can reach me on any of my social media. I am on Instagram, I'm on Facebook, I'm on Twitter. My website is www.amberwyn.net, and you can always email me directly at amber@amberwyn.net. I love your questions and I'm here to answer them. So now we're going to move to my favorite part of the episode when I get to highlight a nonprofit that is doing amazing work, and this nonprofit is the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network, commonly referred to as PanCan. PanCan has been at the forefront of finding a cure, increasing outcomes for cancer patients with pancreatic cancer. It is one of the worst cancers out there, and they've been doing the work to try and increase outcomes. Pan can's vision is to create a world in which all patients with pancreatic cancer will thrive. Their mission is to take bold action to improve the lives of everyone impacted by pancreatic cancer, by advancing scientific research, building community, sharing knowledge, and advocating for patients. Let's take a look at PanCan.
Speaker 5 (19:35):
Hi, I'm Julie Fleshman, pan Can's president and CEO. I'm thrilled to share that the five-year survival rate for pancreatic cancer has gone up to 12% for the first time since 2017. Five-year survival has increased two years in a row. You helped make this possible. Thanks to you more pancreatic cancer patients are surviving and able to cherish key life moments, the wedding of a loved one, welcoming a grandchild, celebrating an anniversary, and so much more. Even as we celebrate this progress, we know there is so much more work to be done. We will continue to take bold action on behalf of people facing this disease by investing in research, by advocating for more research funding, and by providing free support to patients and families. You can continue this fight by making a donation today@pancan.org.
Speaker 2 (20:40):
Well, you have the information. If you're interested in supporting this organization, you can reach them at www.pancan.org or if you want to donate, participate in some of their fundraising, hit 'em up. All right, so as we wind down, it is time for mindset minute, and that's when I share with you my insights, my thoughts about a specific topic. In this minute, I want to focus on how you can recruit high powered professionals. As I stated before the break, I have people say to me all the time, well, we're a small organization. If I don't pay them, then how am I supposed to get high powered board members? I'm going to tell you the best way to get high powered nonprofit board members on your team. Make it easy. Make it easy. When we say high powered professionals, I'm talking about people who can pick up the phone and get you a check.
(21:47):
I'm talking about people who can pick up the phone and get you a venue, a person who can pick up the phone and get you access to something high powered. A high powered individual is busy, and so they're not going to be interested in coming to a meeting and nothing happens. They're going to stop coming. If you don't have structure in your organization, you are going to lose your high powered professionals. They don't have time for it. You need to make sure that you have your board packets. In the board packets, you've got an agenda, and in that agenda, you've got times so that they know what topics are going to be covered. You want to make sure that you get them that packet, not when they arrive at the meeting, but a week before, so that they can peruse it and know what they're dealing with.
(22:33):
You want to make sure you have financial statements so that they feel comfortable with the way that the organization is being ran. You want to make sure that your dates are consistent. Don't have random dates you don't want every month for you to say, Hey, guys, when can you meet? A high powered professional is not interested in that? Make it easy At the beginning of the year, you set your calendar dates or how about this? It's consistent that the board meets on the first Thursday of every month at 7:00 PM That makes it easy. If you have all of these moving dates, that makes it complicated. The person knows, no matter what, I can't schedule a meeting with you on that time. I'm on a board and we have our board meetings the first Thursday of every month at 7:00 PM That makes it easy, so when you are a founder, executive director and you're saying, oh, I can't keep this people, I need you to pause and stop and look at yourself.
(23:29):
Have you created a structure that makes it easy for a high powered person to be on your board? If your mission is inspiring, they're going to want to join, but if your house is raggedy, they're going to fall off, so pause, stop and think. What can you do to make it easy for your board? The last thing I'm going to say with that is even when it comes to fundraising, people say, oh, my board doesn't fundraise. I'm like, okay, give me three things that they should fundraise for. Oh, well, they should know. I'm asking you, what are the three things that your board should fundraise for? Well, we always need money for salaries, and is that written somewhere? As an ambassador, my life is not day-to-day with you. That's your responsibility as the executive director making it easy is putting together a one pager that explains what the needs are for the organization.
(24:21):
Because if your board has that, when someone's out there and they see an opportunity, they can say, Hey, guess what? My organization needs a van. But if they don't know it, they don't know it. That's why it's also important in your board invitation to say, we expect you to participate in less two thirds of and at least two thirds of the activities. If your board is at two thirds of your activities, they get to experience what your organization does. If your board meets separately and they never see the organization and they're just relying on the stories that the executive director comes and shows, they're not connected to the organization, make your board come to at least two thirds of the activities so they can have some personal experience, and they can then go back and relate to that. If you are telling them stories, they're not connected to that.
(25:09):
They're going to repeat the stories, but they can't follow up with any extra questions. They only know what you told them. So when we talk about board recruitment, when we talk about effective and engaged board members, you want to bring them into the organization so that they can be ambassadors to your organization, and it starts with you making it easy, creating the infrastructure that's going to allow them to then go out and talk about the amazing things that your organization is doing and to be able to ask for money for it. Okay, so that's it for my Mindset minute. That's it for this week's episode on Nonprofit Governance. Next week, we're going to continue the conversation, but until then, I want you to take care of yourself, like you take care of your community, and I'll see you next time.
Speaker 1 (25:58):
Thanks for listening. If you enjoyed this episode, subscribe and leave a review on iTunes. Head over to www.amberwynn.net/podcast for the links and resources mentioned in today's podcast. See you next time.
