Consider advantages of board member term limits

• DOI: http://doi.org/10.1002/ban.31187
• Date: 01 December 2020
• Published date: 01 December 2020

December 2020 • Volume 37, Number 4 3

DOI 10.1002/ban© 2020 Wiley Periodicals LLC • All rights reserved

Consider advantages of board

member term limits

If they’re lucky, nonprofits will

be blessed with board members

who provide valuable insight and

experience that help the orga-

nization pursue its mission and

achieve long-term success.

However, there is a danger in

holding on to board members for

too long. In some cases, they may

become less and less attentive and

helpful the longer they serve, as

their passion starts to wane. They

may also become so dominant on

the board, due to their years with

the organization, that newer mem-

bers don’t feel comfortable voic-

ing their opinions. And in some

instances, they may begin to feel

their experience and institutional

knowledge gives them the right to

dispute the authority of the execu-

tive director to make decisions

within her purview.

If your organization is strug-

gling with any of these issues—or

a host of others that result from

having very long-serving board

members—it may be time to con-

sider adopting term limits.

According to BoardSource, a

national nonprofit dedicated to

advancing sound governance prin-

ciples in the philanthropy sector,

term limits offer a host of benefits

to organizations, including:

• They open up service oppor-

tunities for community members

who can devote only a few years

to board service.

• They make it easier to in-

crease diversity on the board,

which brings new ideas and new

perspectives to the decision-mak-

ing process.

• They help curb the stag-

nation, boredom and loss of

commitment that can sometimes

set in when board members serve

long terms.

• They help keep a check

on the concentration of power

within a small group of people on

the board, which can intimidate

new members and lead to myopic

thinking.

• They allow for a natural

and timely rotation of committee

assignments.

• They raise awareness of

group dynamics that develop on

boards, and provide opportuni-

ties to change and improve them.

Term limits can also be helpful

when it comes to showing undesir-

able members the door, providing

a respectful and efficient mecha-

nism for transitioning them off

the board. At the same time, they

allow charities to enlarge their

circle of supporters as committed

and engaged members rotate off

the board, BoardSource says.

There are some downsides, of

course. As BoardSource points out,

term limits do present a potential

loss of expertise or insight—as

well as organizational memory—

that has benefited the board and

organization over time. And, as

members time out in a routine

and orderly fashion, it means the

governance committee will need to

dedicate more time to the identifi-

cation, recruitment and orientation

of new board members.

But most experts agree that the

overall impact is positive, and will

pay dividends for years to come.

For information on ways to in-

corporate term limits into your or-

ganization’s bylaws, visit https://

boardsource.org. ■

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