Keep board members engaged and enthused about their service

• DOI: http://doi.org/10.1002/ban.30576
• Date: 01 December 2017
• Published date: 01 December 2017

Editor: Jeff Stratton

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View this newsletter online at wileyonlinelibrary.com • DOI: 10.1002/ban

Keep board members engaged

and enthused about their service

A key but unwritten responsibility for the execu-

tive director is board motivational coach.

Executive Director Kelly Rosenleaf (Missoula,

Montana; krosenleaf@childcareresources.org) said

it can be a “huge challenge” to keep board mem-

bers enthused and engaged.

She considers herself “intermittently successful”

in this aspect of her relationship with the board.

When it is going well, these ideas help:

1. Model passion and energy for the board.

“This part is easy for me—I am committed to our

mission, our programs, our role in the community,

and our staff and the board’s vital contribution,”

said Rosenleaf.

But this can change. “In honesty, several years

ago I went through a difficult period—a slump,

burnout,” said Rosenleaf. “And board energy and

commitment floundered.”

Rosenleaf soldiered through it, but said she

should have taken three months off instead. “The

staff and board would have done better without

me during a leave, and the slump lasted about six

months,” she said.

Board members will not be engaged and ener-

getic if the CEO is not. “This seems obvious; how-

ever, I know some burned-out, low-energy non-

profit leaders, and the whole organization is just

going through the motions,” Rosenleaf said.

2. Know why board members serve. “It’s help-

ful to know the motivation for board service of

individual members,” Rosenleaf said. “Some are

initially moved by the mission, but not all. Some

seek professional networking, some seek greater

community connection, some work someplace

where board service is expected and some seek to

share a skill set.”

There are lots of ways a board member might

contribute—and if there are particular opportu-

nities that match a board member’s motivation,

they are more likely to eagerly engage, Rosen-

leaf said.

“This involves individual meetings, preferably

annually with each member—this I confess I don’t

always do,” she said. “I prioritize meeting with new

members.”

Editor’s note: Look elsewhere in this issue for a

Board Member Data Sheet that can help you un-

derstand why your members serve.

3. Engage board members early on in their

service. “When board members get hooked in

early, when we have a task that is well-suited

to their skills or passion early in their service,

they develop a commitment to the organization,”

Rosenleaf said.

It’s best if that activity involves at least one

other board member too, to help develop board

December 2017 Vol. 34, No. 4 Editor: Jeff Stratton

continued on page 4

INSIDE THIS ISSUE

‘Give yourself time’ when you take

a new job 5

Board Member Data Sheet 6

Grade your board’s understanding

of its role 8