Embrace board terms to ensure a diverse, engaged board

• Date: 01 September 2020
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.1002/ban.31151
• Published date: 01 September 2020
• Author: Nicholas King

Editor: Jeff Stratton

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Embrace board terms to ensure a diverse,

engaged board

BY NICHOLAS KING

In the nonprofit world, it’s not uncommon for

executive directors to lament a lack of board

participation and, too often, a lack of diversity

to boot. Yet, too many nonprofits continue to

retain what some experts say are major contrib-

utors to both of these problems—open-ended

board terms.

According to Jay Love, co-founder of the fun-

draising software firm Bloomerang, the non-

profit sector has slowly gotten the message that

term limits are necessary. Still, about a quarter

of nonprofits have open-ended terms, he said.

“This is one of the best ways to transform an

existing board and get members to commit their

time, and financially support the organization,”

Love said.

Term limits help because they give board

members a sense that there’s a “light at the end

of the tunnel,” Love said.

“You have to let them know there’s a limit” to

what is expected of them, he said. Otherwise,

board members might feel burdened by a seem-

ingly never-ending obligation to volunteer and

donate to the cause—and that translates into

less enthusiasm and, eventually, less participa-

tion and support.

Or, to look at it another way: Term limits

make members anxious to get the most out of

their limited time, and build a legacy of their

involvement.

Term limits also help address diversity issues

that crop up—whether that’s a lack of racial or

ethnic diversity or simply diversity of thought,

he said.

“It’s a chance to bring youth and new per-

spectives to the board,” he said, which helps

keep organizations from falling into the trap of

groupthink.

And for the board members that have tuned

out and no longer offer value to the organiza-

tion, they will automatically transition off the

board when their terms come up—solving the

problem without ruffling too many feathers,

Love added.

Limiting board terms will help organizations

keep fresh ideas flowing, Love said, and ensure

a free exchange of knowledge, opinions and ex-

pertise that leads to optimal board decisions. ■

September 2020 Vol. 37, No. 1 Editor: Jeff Stratton

INSIDE THIS ISSUE

New process can help identify qualied

recruits 3

The importance of building diversity

among boards, staff 6

Strategies to handle board member ‘types’ 8