Improving Your Relationship with Your Board - Part 1: Board Engagement

Can your board members passionately articulate your organization's mission in the community? Do they readily embrace their fundraising role? Are they present and actively participating in board and committee meetings? 

In this first episode in a series on board relations, we’re going to discuss five quick, concrete ideas you can implement in relatively short order to help improve your board’s level of engagement. 

Connect with host Jill Fowler on LinkedIn and Instagram.

This episode was brought to you by Songbird Leadership -- Amplify your organization's mission through outcome-based executive coaching, strategic planning, and capacity building.

Transcript

Thank you for joining us today. I’m your host, Jill Fowler of Songbird Leadership.

A common time and energy suck for nonprofit leaders is board related. Either there is misalignment between themselves and the board. Or board members aren’t as engaged as they could be. Or maybe things are going along okay with the board, but they could be even better. Regardless of your situation, it doesn’t have to be this way! And it shouldn’t for the health of the organization. Yet, I repeatedly hear executive directors lament about their board. Wouldn’t it be great if you didn’t have to spend all that time focusing on and stressing about your board? 

This is a very broad and important topic, so we’re going to tackle it as a three-part series of shorter episodes. Today’s is for the leader whose board is in need of an engagement boost. Can your board members passionately articulate your organization's mission in the community? Do they readily embrace their fundraising role? Are they present and actively participating in board and committee meetings? If you answered no, keep listening. We’re going to discuss five quick, concrete ideas you can implement in relatively short order to help improve your board’s level of engagement. Let’s get started.

First and foremost, create a personal connection with your mission. Your board members serve on your board for a reason and, most likely, it has something to do with their passion for your organization's mission. Whether they have a personal story or connection to it or not, it's helpful to regularly remind them of the amazing community impact your organization makes on a regular basis.

At each board meeting, have a staff member or volunteer share a story about how their work has recently made a difference in the community. It will increase your board's emotional connection to your organization, while also giving them something impactful to share when speaking with potential donors.

Secondly, tap into their individual strengths and interests.  Your board members will feel more connected to your organization when given the opportunity to utilize their talents and expertise in ways that are interesting to them. Get to know their individual strengths and consider how to leverage them to serve both the board member and the organization well.  Win-win.

Start by identifying the areas of knowledge necessary for your organization’s operation - this could be marketing, HR, design, finance, something industry-specific, etc. Survey your board members to determine if these skills are present, at what level, and how they feel they can best utilize them for the good of your organization. Then, act on it! As an added bonus, this also helps to ensure that your board has a diverse skillset that meets all of your organization's needs. If you're missing something, you can then recruit for it.

Our third tip for better board engagement is to fine-tune your board member onboarding and training. Orientation is a prime opportunity to set expectations for new members, as well as to share meaningful stories of your organization's important work, match their interests with your opportunities, and create buy-in. And it shouldn't stop there. Provide regular board development opportunities throughout the year that focus on topics of interest to both the group and the organization.

Be sure to offer a consistent onboarding experience every year. By doing so, all board members will benefit from like experiences, and you won't have to keep reinventing the wheel. Now, this doesn't mean your onboarding can't change or develop over time - just take care to bring current members up to speed content-wise when you do make some adjustments.

Our fourth tip is to communicate! This may sound basic, but all too often, board members come to meetings, silently sit through the proceedings, and leave without meaningfully engaging with anyone, especially if your meetings are virtual. This is a missed opportunity! Whether it be during a meeting or via some other vehicle, it is vital that all board members receive and participate in communication with you and each other to get the most from their experience and be most engaged.  

One way to increase inter-board communication is to create a new member mentoring program in which established board members are connected with new members. The pairs should be "buddies" during the new member's first few board meetings and also have regular check-in opportunities throughout the year to support the new member's engagement. It can be as structured of a relationship as you’d like, as long as there is accountability woven into the experience.

Finally, involve your board members in your efforts, as needed or appropriate. Have them lead a fundraiser or volunteer or attend a community event. There is no better way to get buy-in than to provide hands-on experience. Get your board members involved in their own engagement and seek their input and expertise. You'll be pleasantly surprised with their innovative ideas. Plus, it's one less initiative for your plate.  

Since buy-in often starts at the top, partner with your Board Chair and charge your Executive Committee members with creating a board engagement plan. If this proves to be a challenge, start with your newer board members and capitalize on their fresh perspectives and excitement for their new role.  

All of this speaks to defining the overall culture within your board group, which is not an easy or a quick activity. Be patient and don't give up. By purposefully creating regular awareness of and opportunity for engagement throughout the board member experience, you'll see the development you desire over time.