A nonprofit board is an essential group of people who can breathe life into your organization’s mission. However, new board members need to be educated about their responsibilities and roles before they join so that they can participate fully.
The first thing to emphasize to new board members is that they are not responsible for running the day-today operations for the nonprofit. These tasks are the responsibility of the executive director, paid employees and volunteers. The function of the board is to oversee and provide guidance.
To accomplish this, they must be familiar with the organization’s operations and finances. They must know their fiduciary and legal obligations as well as how to evaluate the director, and the organization’s governance policies.
New board members must also be able to monitor and direct fundraising efforts effectively. Some organizations require all board members to contribute financially, while others encourage donations but do not require them to do so. The most successful fundraisers will be those who identify the best way of creating revenue, and then aid the board in their efforts to implement it.
To aid them in this, the organization must give board members a clear description of their role as well as regular communication channels that are both in person and remotely via tools such as MemberClicks association management software, to keep them current on the latest developments. The organization should make it easy for board members to find the information they need by creating a section on their website where they can access documents, agendas and minutes of meetings.
