A board of directors for nonprofits can be a crucial group of people who will give life to your organization’s goals. However, new board members need to be aware of their responsibilities and roles before they sign up so that they can participate fully.
The first thing to remind new board members that they are not in charge of the day-today operations of the non-profit. These tasks are the responsibility of the executive director, paid employees, and volunteers. The job of the board is to oversee and provide direction.
In order to do this they need to be knowledgeable about the organizational finances and operations. They must be aware of what their legal and fiduciary duties are, how to assess the executive director, and the organization’s governance policies.
The new board members must be able to effectively oversee and direct fundraising efforts. Certain nonprofits require all board members to contribute financially and others solicit donations without requiring them. The most successful fundraisers will be those who can identify the best way of earning money, and support the board as they implement it.
To assist description them in doing this, the organization should offer a clear position description for board members, as well as regular communication channels (both in-person and remotely through tools such as MemberClicks the software used to manage associations) to keep board members up to date on what’s going on. The organization should also make it easy for board members to access information by offering them an area on the website, where they can access agendas, documents and minutes of meetings.