In Part 2: Above Board, we looked at evaluating and managing Board performance, honest communications and creating a culture of trust and safety. This post will outline how to keep your Board engaged and deeply committed to your organization and their roles – which will keep them from getting bored.
A volunteer role is most fulfilling and fun when you get true value for your involvement – whether it’s personal or professional growth, meeting great new people, having meaningful experiences or a feeling of accomplishment and giving back to the community. Being a Board member is no different. Here are some guidelines to keeping Board members engaged with their role.
Keep big and important issues up front – Boards are there to deal with the big things, yet many get caught up in the weeds. I’ve heard the phrase when consulting with EDs and CEOs that they don’t need someone to tell them “whether to have chicken or fish for the gala” – basically issues that aren’t that important. That’s not why the brainpower has come to the table. The Board should be having the big ticket discussions of significance for the short and long-term survival and growth of the organization – strategy, governance, financial sustainability and resource management. The best Board meetings I’ve been to are the ones where people are leaning forward because they are thrilled to be there and are connected to the issue being discussed. These meetings can go from raw excitement to heated disagreements, and uncomfortable moments to uproarious laughter. They should trust each other enough to go to these ‘icky’ places to experience real growth and change, and know they can still be colleagues afterwards. Build in at least one ‘high-stakes’ discussion at each Board meeting and watch the commitment and energy rise. Ensure the meeting structure is well-developed to accomplish this and that they are facilitated strongly by the Chair to keep things moving along and above all, respectful. Between meetings, stay in touch – consult, connect, celebrate, inspire, share, and keep the Strategic Plan, mission and vision alive and top of mind for everyone.
Connect them to your cause – A predictor of satisfaction in any role is feeling connected to what you are doing and knowing your work has deeper meaning. As charities and social-profit organizations, there should be no shortage of opportunities for Board members to see, hear and experience why their role matters. Have them tour a facility, attend key events, get clients or people impacted by your cause to write letters to them, read success stories at Board meetings and email them videos of exciting developments within the organization. Don’t hold back on creativity – while your financial statements and by-laws don’t have much room for it, when showing Board members why they are valuable, it’s exactly the space to exercise it. Whatever it takes for them to understand that they are making a profound difference.
Provide them with real value – Other than knowing your role means something to the community, being a Board member can come with other benefits to make the experience meaningful. Being on a Board is a chance to sharpen your existing skills or learn new ones. Just because someone has a finance background, don’t assume that is how they want to be involved as a Board member – maybe they want to try something completely new. If you stay connected with Board members about their goals for growth and learning, you can gear their involvement to match that. Being on a Board is also a great chance to network with others. Create opportunities for your Board to meet your donors, key volunteers and your community members – this will be mutually beneficial because people appreciate connecting with your Board.
Celebrate their success - Celebrate the heck out of them! There is no such thing as overvaluing a strong Board member. Acknowledge every positive thing they have accomplished - fundraising, making new connections, supporting the Strategic Plan, reviewing your by-laws, making thank you calls to donors or recruiting other Board members. They do so much for the good of the organization that they should feel appreciated for it. Have your Chair point out contributions from anyone who has gone over and above at a Board meeting, call them to say thanks, take them out for a coffee, write them a thank you card, highlight them in a newsletter – the same as you would do for any major contributor. Never forget that this is a volunteer role and they are doing this in their own time.
You could be a Board member for the most incredible organization, but it won’t matter if you don’t feel jazzed up about your role. Get your Board members having engaging conversations and giving them a rewarding experience will have them feeling good about what they are doing and they will remain energized and committed.
One last point about keeping your Board engaged – be engaged yourself! You just can't inspire and motivate a Board if they don't think you're inspired and motivated.
In summary
I hope you’ve enjoyed this series and it has provided some insights about working with Boards. It is possible to have your Board “OAN”ing their role by getting them On Board, staying Above Board and keeping them Not Bored. They form a strong foundation of success for any organization’s performance, so investing in your Board is very worthwhile – besides, a great experience is what they deserve. I’m forever learning, and grateful that I get to work with remarkable people who continually guide me towards a better path. Anything I’ve learned and shared here is a direct result of amazing mentors and colleagues in this sector. This series is dedicated to all of those people leading by example and modelling what strong Boards and organizations should look like.
Rickesh Lakhani passionately believes that every donor deserves to feel excellent about giving, and that the duty of a fundraiser is to bring passion towards enhancing the donor experience every day. He is adamant about always putting people first, then process, and that fundraisers, charities and social profit groups should not be afraid to have a personality. Rickesh is the Executive Director at Future Possibilities for Kids, where they provide leadership and life skills development programs for children and youth from underserved communities. Prior to this, Rickesh was the Director, Campaign at United Way York Region, leading an $8M annual fundraising campaign. He is on the Board of Directors for the Association for Fundraising Professionals of Greater Toronto and is the lead organizer of Be Good Be Social York Region, a conference promoting social media for social good. You can reach Rickesh on twitter here.
