Читать книгу Nonprofit Kit For Dummies - Stan Hutton, Beverly A. Browning - Страница 70

Building a board should be a continuing process. Therefore, we highly recommend that your organizational bylaws specify terms of service. Two 3-year terms or three 2-year terms are the most common term lengths for board service. In most cases, bylaws allow reelection to the board after one year’s absence. Limiting terms of service helps you maintain a fresh supply of new ideas, which are more likely to come from people who are new to your organization. Plus, limiting terms of service can help you recruit new board members because your potential recruits know their time commitment is of limited duration.

To avoid having all your board members leave in the same year, stagger the years when terms expire. You can allow someone to serve an extra year or ask others to serve shorter terms if necessary and if your bylaws allow it.

If you’re thinking about recruiting new board members, create a spreadsheet to help you visualize the skills you need to seek out when you’re looking for new members. Along the top of the grid, list the skills you think you need on your board. Along the side, list your current board members and place check marks under the skills they bring to the board.

Check out File 3-2 at www.wiley.com/go/nonprofitkitfd6e for a sample grid for planning board recruitment.

Where do you find new board members? Start with your organization’s address book. Whom do you know who may make a good member and be willing to serve? Who benefits from your agency’s work? Who are your agency’s neighbors? Who is actively involved as a volunteer for your agency? Some cities have nonprofit support organizations that can help in this regard. Consider asking your funders for suggestions and look at former board members of other high-functioning nonprofit organizations with similar missions.

Even if you don’t specify board terms, continuously recruiting new board members is important. As time passes, board members’ lives may change in ways that draw them away from your organization. Many nonprofit organizations lose vitality when their boards don’t refresh themselves with new members.