Build a Better Board in 30 Days

By Carol E. Weisman
From Build a Better Board in 30 Days: A Practical Guide for Busy Trustees, (pp. 33-34 and 41-42)

Day 6: Find your successor.

You’ve joined the board of a nonprofit organization, not the bench of the United States Supreme Court. This is not a lifetime appointment. Looking for a replacement early provides an escape route should you be unable to fulfill your duties for any reason
and empowers other board members by succession planning.

When searching for a replacement do not promise that your choice will have your position when you vacate it. You may not have that authority, and if the person does a poor job, you will want the option to look elsewhere.

To groom a likely candidate, ask him or her to co-chair a committee or project with you. This is an opportunity to impart knowledge and to find out how the other person works.
Your successor should have an understanding of the mission of your organization, an ability to adapt to or improve the culture of the organization, and finally, an ability to motivate and work with people.

Finding a replacement will ensure the future of your nonprofit and promote your own mental health.

Day 8: Call a board member who’s missed a meeting.

Anyone who’s missed a meeting should be called by either another board member or by a staff person. The first question should always be “How are you?” Then stop and listen.

Sometimes meetings are missed because a board member just lost a parent, is ill, is involved in a corporate takeover, or is still fuming over the last meeting.

Whatever the reason, find out and take appropriate action. If the reason is personal, ask if you may share it with the board. For instance, consider the board member who was too ashamed to show up because he had just lost his job. He assumed the board was only interested in him because of his corporate connection. With permission from the member, the board chair sent out a fax with “the good news” that Ken was for hire. Ken
had another job within a month.

If an absence is going to be prolonged, perhaps because of a major illness, make plans for another member to complete any work the sick person was busy with. If a board member was just too busy, fill her in on the meeting and tell her you look forward to seeing her at the next one.

Care about your board members, and they’ll care about you.

Build a Better Board in 30 Days: A Practical Guide for Busy Trustees

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Excerpted from Build a Better Board in 30 Days: A Practical Guide for Busy Trustees, by Carol E. Weisman,© 1998, F.E. Robbins & Sons.

Found in the Energize website library at: http://www.energizeinc.com/art.html