In last month’s edition of the e-letter, we discussed the benefits of recruiting Board members from the nonprofit world. This month, we’ll discuss the risks involved and three ways to reduce those risks.
When recruiting potential Trustees, you may set your sights on cultivating one or two high-powered, experienced nonprofit representatives. Do not rule out tapping the Board members, employees, and key volunteers who serve smaller, less-experienced organizations. Be aware, however, of the potential risks, which may take the form of the following problems.
- The organizations they have worked with may have relied on contributed income (e.g., fund-raising efforts, corporate donations, government grants) for a substantial portion of their income. As a result, they may not understand that a school’s operations must be supported by tuition, fees, and other “hard income” sources (e.g., auxiliary income from summer programs, facility rentals). Fund raising is dedicated to program enhancement, not to “bridging the gap” between income and costs.
- They may see volunteers as the best answer to rising personnel costs, enlisting their support to artificially hold down costs. They may even perceive that the school revolves around volunteers and misunderstand the Board’s role, viewing it as a constituent-representative or congressional body.
- Because many nonprofits run on passion, their representatives may tend to fight for single issues on your own Board, rather than seeing the larger picture.
- A school’s mission is different from that of most nonprofits. The private school’s Board—not the volunteers or other stakeholders—determines the institution’s mission. Individuals recruited from other nonprofits may not understand that a school’s mission is derived from a “trust” often spanning generations. Many private schools have deceased stakeholders (e.g., founders, early leaders, revered School Heads) and long traditions, that cannot be handled carelessly or ignored.
- Because many nonprofits are extremely small and have active Boards, the lines between policy and implementation may become fuzzy or disappear altogether. Those serving as Board members may even wish to run the school themselves.
To neutralize such threats and reduce the risks, focus on the following three strategies.
- Develop a comprehensive interview process. Determine your candidate’s strengths, the kinds of involvement they enjoy, and the ways they feel they can best contribute to your school. Then provide a detailed picture of life on your Board and provide perspective on its role. Explain the ways in which schools are different from what they may be accustomed to, both in operations and in Board structure and function.
- Perform careful reference checks of potential Board members. Make sure you speak to with those they have worked with while serving nonprofits.
- Implement a high-quality Trustee orientation program. Highlight your school’s history, traditions, planning documents, policies, procedures, and methodology. Draw out each element with meticulous accuracy.
Correctly selected, oriented, and nurtured by your Committee on Trustees, individuals from the nonprofit sector can be of great assistance in completing your Board’s necessary profile mix of planners, thinkers, doers, and donors. Observe the warning signs, cultivate selectively, train carefully, and your Board and school can benefit immensely.
An excellent addition to your Trustee orientation program is ISM’s The Trustee Handbook. Each Trustee who uses this handbook in a proactive, thoughtful way will be an effective Board member, enabling the Board to dynamically support, strategically lead, and wisely steward the school in its care.
Additional ISM articles of interest
ISM Monthly Update for Trustees Vol. 11 No. 10 Planning the Board’s Annual Retreat
ISM Monthly Update for Development Vol. 7 No. 10 Are Your Board Members Stepping Up to the Plate?
ISM Monthly Update for Trustees Vol. 11 No. 8 Objectivity and the Board
Additional ISM articles of interest for Gold Consortium members
I&P Vol. 38 No. 5 Super Board/Board Relationships
I&P Vol. 35 No. 5 The Board Policy Manual
