04/11/2022

Find Stronger Board Candidates by Asking 'Why'

Hoping to find the right fit isn't enough

When it comes to board recruitment, don’t take yes for an answer.

Every association wants to have people who are interested in a seat on the board. The larger and more diverse the pool of interested individuals, the more opportunities the association has to set and meet meaningful strategic goals. But associations may not be doing all they could to understand why potential board members say “yes” to the opportunity—and then use that understanding to guide volunteer recruitment.

In his new book, Stop the Nonprofit Board Blame Game, speaker and consultant Hardy Smith discusses a host of reasons why boards can become dysfunctional. One of them goes all the way back to the recruitment process. "Knowing why an individual says 'yes' to a board position—or why they say 'no'—there's lessons to be learned there," Smith said.

Please select this link to read the complete article from Associations Now.