Onboarding and Mentoring New Board Members

My last two posts talked about recruiting the “right” people to serve on your board and establishing and enforcing term limits to assure that you have room for new members to continually infuse your organization with fresh ideas and perspectives. However, having the right people on your board will not assure an effective board if they do not feel like they belong or understand how your organization works and their role in it.

An effective on-boarding and mentoring process helps overcome those challenges to assure that all board members get acclimated quickly to the specific information and culture of your organization.

Best practices in nonprofit board governance suggest the following to effectively integrate new board members into your organization.

1. Provide a Comprehensive Orientation to their fellow board members, the organization, and board processes. Long-time board members tend to take for granted things like when board meetings occur and the cadence of the year, but new members need to learn these. Rather than relying on them to learn by doing, the executive director, board chair, or designated board member(s) should give them a clear, comprehensive overview and orientation that should include:

   - The organization's history, mission, and programs
   - Board roles and responsibilities
   - Bylaws and governance policies
   - Strategic plan and key initiatives
   - Financial statements and budget
   - Current board members and staff names, titles, and contact information

   Providing a written board manual with the above elements (either on-line or printed) will give them something to which they can refer throughout their board term. In addition to sharing this information with them and how to access it if on-line, an in-person orientation session allows you to review this information and answer their questions while you begin to develop what hopefully will become a long-term, productive relationship.

2. Launch a Board Mentoring Program. Pairing each new member with an experienced board member who can serve as a mentor gives them a ready resource to answer questions, provide context on board dynamics, and help get them up to speed. Carefully choose your board mentors to perpetuate the kinds of behaviors that you want and end disruptive behaviors. Asking the mentor to meet with or talk to the new board member before their first official meeting and to sit next to them at their first meeting (if in person) can also help them start on the right foot with a friendly face to answer any “dumb” questions that they may have.

3. Engage New Members Quickly. Board member’s enthusiasm – and trepidation – tends to peak in the early days, weeks, and months on a new board. Do not wait to integrate them into your work and workflow. To accomplish this, assign new members to a committee that aligns with their skills and interests within their first 30 days. If you have active committees, they will find a ready network of like-minded people with whom they can begin the work of the organization and become engaged. They also see how they fit into the organization. If you do not have committees or active committees, you can give them a specific project or task, either in partnership with another board member, volunteer, or alone. Finally, because not everyone feels comfortable speaking up in a new environment, your board chair and others should invite their input during meetings, especially during decision-making discussions. You invited them to serve on your board because you need and value their insights and experiences; make sure that you engage them enough to take advantage of all that they have to offer.

4. Provide Ongoing Training and Support. Early in the new board member’s tenure – and throughout the year for all board members, offer board training sessions on different aspects of nonprofit governance best practices where you see gaps or want to reinforce. You should also share resources on the organization's focus area. Regular check-ins with new board members – a great role for mentors -- can address questions or concerns before they become problematic. Finally, during their first 120 days, solicit feedback from new board members on the onboarding process and board governance in general. Good board practice dictates that you formally conduct annual board reviews; you might informally check in with new members prior to this formal process to take their pulse.

These steps will help new board members feel welcomed, informed, and prepared to contribute effectively to your nonprofit's mission, making them the invaluable members who move your organization forward to its next level of excellence and you hate to see term off in 6 or 9 years.