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Steps 3 – 5 in Building a ‘Resource Board’
Strategies and Tactics for Building a ‘Resource Board’

By Tom Colligan
Jeffrey Byrne & Associates, Inc.

Building your organization’s Board of Directors into a “Resource Board” is one of the primary responsibilities of the “Chief Employed Officer,” or CEO.

Recalling from previous articles in this series (October 15, 2004), a resource board is one that requires each person who serves on the board to bring a minimum level of financial resources either personally or through their direct connections, and often times both. Other qualities will always be required but a candidate for the board must first meet the ‘resource’ qualification to serve.

The next three steps in the process are when the volunteer/staff partnership is strengthened and blossoms. Much of this work should be completed by the CEO and reviewed and shaped by the very highest level leadership in the community (which you have already managed to recruit for your board development committee.)

Volunteers who feel that their time is used wisely and that they are associated with the best run and most effective organization in the community will become your organization’s strongest supporters. Although presented as Step 3, this planning is completed prior to and is part of the first meeting.

Step 3: DEVELOP A PLAN, INCLUDING ANNUAL GOALS AND SCHEDULE FOR COMMITTEE ACTIVITIES

Full attendance should be the primary objective of the committee’s first meeting and a series of exhibits should be mailed one week in advance, always marked confidential.

The agenda and materials should cover the following:

Committee “commission” or charge’.
The section of the by-laws that cover the nominating or development committee, board size, composition, terms, rotation, etc.
List of committee members with addresses, phone numbers, and e-mail addresses and a list of board members with the same information.
An analysis of what characteristics and skills are needed on the board to meet the challenges of the organization for the next 4 to 6 years.
A list of any existing vacancies resulting from rotation off due to term limits or resignation and a list of board members by class (year their term expires). This should also note how many more years each sitting board member is able to serve.
A blank evaluation sheet to evaluate existing board members whose terms are expiring but are eligible for re-election.
A blank evaluation sheet noting the recommended evaluation characteristics to be considered for new board members.
If a pool of names for prospective board members exists, this should also be included.
Finally and very important is a schedule of meeting dates and the tasks that should be accomplished at the 1-hour committee meeting. Ask each person to check their schedule as the meetings may reach as much as five months into the future. Also ask each member to bring their calendar so that conflicts can be resolved on the spot, assuring 100% attendance and participation. This will create a commitment by members to attend every meeting. If a conflict cannot be resolved offer to conference in the individual, but keep in mind that personal attendance is the objective.

Step 4: CREATE A CUMULATIVE LIST OF PROSPECTIVE MEMBERS

Maintaining an up-to-date list of individuals you would like to serve on the board takes discipline. This step is essential so you can develop prospect research and build an individualized recruitment strategy for each prospect. And it is not as hard as you think.

Begin with member, participant, major donor lists, and those who have a reputation for serving in significant capacities in other organizations. Scout board members from other successful organizations and don’t forget lists from the country clubs, major corporate boards, and foundation board members. If you have recruited the right kind of board development committee names of peers will also surface.

Step 5: CULTIVATE AND RECRUIT NEW BOARD MEMBERS

If you are recruiting the right caliber of board member, you will be asking for something much more valuable than their money when you ask for their TIME. Appropriate cultivation and the “recruitment ask” should be as thoroughly planned as any major gift ask.

Once you have a list of names, prepare a data sheet on each prospect. Begin by searching the Internet and spending time in the archives of your community newspapers to learn as much as possible about the prospect.

Be sure to personally interview the individual who suggested the name. The objective is to identify all the possible community, corporate, personal and organizational interconnections that will provide insight into your prospect’s interests and motivations. Only then will you be able to prepare a personal cultivation or “moves management” program.

Now roll up your sleeves and start connecting the dots. If the individual you want on your board has run a telethon for a major service organization and served on their board, find out how your organization might have connected with that organization or its clients through related programming. You’ll also want to know:

How many people have received services from your organization
Who served with him/her on the board
Who volunteers to help with the telethon
Who is their largest donor
Who do they vacation with, recreate with, etc.

The more questions you ask the more likely you will find the connections to those who love and want to serve your organization.

The cultivation process is a fine art. Begin by testing knowledge and inviting the prospect to see how your organization has impacted the community. Send a nice thank you note and a reprint of a feature article on your organization as a follow up. Ask one of his/her closely connected friends or associates acting as your advocate to gently solicit the prospect’s opinion on what he/she learned.

Arrange for the individual to attend a special event and continue working the process. This carefully planned process can take months, and sometimes years.

Finally when the time comes to invite him/her to the board, select the close friend or associate who has been most closely connected to the cultivation process. Make the invitation and be clear about expectations. This is not and should not be an interview for the board. You should already know if the prospect is appropriate for board membership and that he/she will accept.

A personal hand written note thanking your new volunteer for their affirmative answer should precede the notice to attend the orientation meeting.

In the next issue of News You Can Use, we will outline the final three steps you can take in building your own Resource Board. Strength of board leadership is an important criteria in a development audit and is essential to measuring internal and external readiness for a capital or major gift campaign through a Community Readiness Assessment ^SM. To learn more about how to strengthen your development efforts, or whether you are ready for a campaign, contact Jeffrey Byrne & Associates at 1-800-222-9233, or visit us on the web at www.jeffreybyrneandassociates.com.