How to Engage Your Board Members

(and How to Keep Them That Way)

Concepts from Guidestar, February 2013

http://goo.gl/Lwyktu

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Are Your Board Members Truly Engaged?

1.Make It Easy• Orient them well from Day 1.• Provide them regular updates on the goals the

board has set for itself and how it is performing. • Find opportunities for board members to get

involved and advertise them regularly in board meetings and communications. – Provide a variety of opportunities—not everyone

wants to serve on the gala or fundraiser committee. – Do you have sectors of the community that you're

trying to gain access to?

3 Keys to Keeping Them Engaged

2.Work Them!• Help them see the difference they are making with

their talents.– The best board members want to use their talents to

make a difference.• Don’t judge engagement by meeting attendance– Do they make themselves available to you between

meetings?– Are they working behind the scenes or on a more

individual basis?

3 Keys to Keeping Them Engaged

3 Keys to Keeping Them Engaged3. Show Them the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly• Every organization has challenges—and

they're rarely just a need for more money.• If they only hear about the good things being

done then they may assume that their talents are not needed

• Let board members know what issues and challenges you're working on. – When they help solve an issue, make a big deal

about how they helped to incentivize fellow board members.

The Payoff

• Effectively engaging your board members takes an investment in time—and the willingness to customize your approach for each board member. But having an engaged board of high performers will pay off with significant returns!