Making the Most of Your Time as a Board Member
To get the most out of your commitment to serve as a Board member of a nonprofit organization, think of your service tenure as an investment of time and resources. Like any investment, you need to choose wisely and strive for high performance. Our 4-part Pathways to Effective Board Leadership Series will help you assess and choose a leadership path that is aligned to your passion and capacity to serve so that you are in a position to complete your Board service without regrets or second guesses.
To be an effective Board member you must consider how your own personal wants and needs align with the organization you are serving. With proper alignment you will find yourself more committed to being an active participant in the governance process. You will also find engagement with fellow Board members and staff more rewarding and satisfying. Aligning the organization’s needs with your passion to serve is a sure-fire recipe for success.
During your Board service tenure there will be many important decision points. Some of these decisions will impact how you will serve as a Board member, such as whether to accept an officer position or serve multiple terms. Sometimes you may find yourself pressured to make a quick decision. Do not hesitate to hit the “pause button.” This is especially important when decisions involve committing to new tasks and added Board responsibilities. A little extra self-reflection can help you to avoid taking a wrong turn.
While our New Board Member Planning and Preparation Series focused on the period from appointment through the first year of Board service, this Pathways to Effective Board Leadership Series is divided into 4 chronological parts beginning with your second year, representing 4 key stages in the “lifecycle” of your Board service:
Part 1 of 4 – Learning to Lead as an Experienced Board Member
Part 2 of 4 – Choosing to Serve as an Officer for a Nonprofit Organization
Part 3 of 4 – Choosing to Serve an Additional Term as a Nonprofit Board Member
Part 4 of 4 – Ending Your Nonprofit Board Service on a High Note
You can access all four parts of the series here.
You will find guidance on how to approach each of these stages and related decision points in your Board service lifecycle through a self-assessment consideration process that examines how your own skills, interests, and capacity to serve line up with the organization’s needs and expectations.
Planning Tip – Before committing to joining the Board of a nonprofit organization, inquire whether the organization provides active “career counseling” to help its Board members to have a fulfilling and positive Board experience. High-performing organizations will actively assist Board members with making appropriate leadership choices. They will also regularly solicit feedback and, yes, provide advice and counseling to help Board members effectively navigate their Board service term. This investment in time and planning always pays big dividends.
In short, this series is designed to help you plan for and optimize the key opportunities in your Board service lifecycle by helping you to choose the leadership path that is best aligned to the needs of the organization as well as yourself.
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