Elements of Effective Board Member Orientations
Must Have Components for Successful Nonprofit Trustee Education
Aug 12, 2009
Serving on the board of a nonprofit organization is a job, albeit a nonpaying one. Like any job, understanding and complying with clearly defined expectations are key to being a productive board member. Orientation of new board members is an important process for communicating and beginning to instill those expectations and duties in new directors. Here are a few tips for an effective board orientation.
Key Participants
It is recommended that the board president and executive director conduct the orientation. This conveys the importance of the board member’s duties and role in the organization. This also provides the president and executive director an opportunity to visit with the new members and begin to get a sense as to who these new directors are.
Orientation need not focus on just one new individual at a time. Meeting with two or three new members gives the incoming directors an opportunity to meet and begin to get to know who the others are.
Elements of an Effective Board Orientation
Orientation should include the following elements:
- Welcome and Introductions - this gives the president the opportunity to communicate just how grateful the organization is that the new members have agreed to serve.
- Mission and Vision – this is the heart of the organization and is the reason new members have volunteered. Describing the mission and vision tells new members why their work is important and should inspire them.
- Organization History – a brief overview of the origins of the agency provides an idea as to why the entity came into existence and how it responded to past changes and evolved over time.
- Organization Governance – This describes the organization of the board (number of directors, offices, terms of service, committees, etc) and staff (organizational chart, departments, functions etc). This section should identify expectations for service such as number of board meetings, committee meetings and should start to provide new members with an idea as to what their commitment will involve.
- Services – new board members need to be aware of and eventually familiar with the services of the organization.
- Review of Key Documents – The strategic plan, budget and financial statements should be reviewed.
- Board Member Job Description – the president should go over the actual duties of the board members. This is the time to clarify the board’s expectations and allow new members to fully consider their ability to serve.
- Questions – new members should be encouraged to ask questions and be told who to contact in the event they have a concern after orientation is concluded.
New board members should leave their orientation feeling inspired and positive about the work that they are about to begin. They should be clear about what is expected of them and feel comfortable that they can meet those expectations.
 |
