What is it about?
Nonprofits play an essential role in society. To realize their important missions, nonprofits rely on strong and committed leaders at both the organization level as well as the governance level. Nonprofits are obligated to have an active board of directors to operate. This reliance places the organization in a vulnerable position where they must recruit and engage with external stakeholders and identify individuals with the combination of talent needed to succeed as well as the passion for supporting the organization’s vision. Knowing that board members have a long- lasting impact on their organizations, this paper looks at the varying models of governance and the implications for choosing one model over another. Determining the best structure for a governance model represents one component to setting an organization up for success. Equally, if not more important, is ensuring that the board of directors is composed of motivated and committed individuals who are steadfast in their efforts to support the mission of the organization. In order to find the best people for the role, an organization must understand what drives and motivates an individual to serve on a board. The topic of motivation as it relates to governance boards, and how existing boards can use the motivating factors to recruit and retain board members is explored.
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Why is it important?
Nonprofits need to understand the reasons why individuals join and continue to serve on nonprofit boards. Understanding what motivates these individuals will help focus the boards’ recruitment efforts. Once the board understands the motivators, it can create an incentive plan targeting these specific motivators and individuals. Since nonprofits and for-profits are in direct competition for board members, should their recruitment policy be similar to for-profit recruitment policy? Understanding why board members volunteer to serve on nonprofit boards will help nonprofit organizations attract and retain the best board members
Perspectives
Organizations with diverse leaders and employees have a competitive advantage over homogeneous organizations. Different backgrounds and experiences can lead to improved results. Providing opportunities for individuals to bring their diverse expertise and knowledge forward improves internal operations in several ways. Diverse boards are more concerned with ethical practices and own a responsibility to take action to reduce perceived risks. Additionally, diversity among board members improves the quality of corporate decisions, offering better problem solving, increasing organizational competitiveness and providing new insights that lead to innovation.
Prof. Robert M Yawson, PhD
Quinnipiac University
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: RECRUITING FOR SUCCESS. DOES BOARD DIVERSITY MATTER?, April 2020, SAGE Publications,
DOI: 10.31124/advance.12083970.v1.
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