March 25, 2015
Kelly DunphyVice President, Orr Associates, Inc. (OAI)
Caite GilmoreDirector, Orr Associates, Inc. (OAI)
Making the Most of Your Board
Session One: Board Recruitment
• Session One: Board Recruitment (March 11, 2015)
• Session Two: Best Practices for Onboarding and Engaging Board Members (March 18, 2015)
• Session Three: Involving Your Board in Fundraising (March 25, 2015)
Making the Most of Your Board Series
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1. Introductions
2. The Board Recruitment Process
3. Case Studies
4. Q&A
5. Wrap-Up/Preview for Session Two
Agenda
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Kelly Dunphy
• Vice President, Fundraising and Development, OAI
• 15 years of fundraising experience, 8 years with OAI
• Clients projects include:
Outsourced development leadership
Board development
Development planning
Capital campaigns
Event fundraising
Strategic planning
• Serves as Chief Development Officer for Boys & Girls Harbor
• Previously worked at Share Our Strength
About Us
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Caite Gilmore
• Director, OAI
• 10 years of fundraising experience, 2 years with OAI
• Expertise in:
Development planning
Outsourced development management
Campaign counsel
Event fundraising
Board building
Strategic planning
• Serves as the Chief Development Officer for College Summit
• Previously worked at the Foundation for the National Institutes of Health, the Robin Hood Foundation, NYU Langone, and American Museum of Natural History
About Us
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Develop a Committee
Assess your Board
Create Materials for Recruitment
Identify New Board Members
Formulate the Appropriate Strategies for Recruitment
The Board Recruitment Process
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The Special Role of the Governance/Nominating Committee
The Governance/Nominating Committee should:
• Identify, cultivate, recruit and orient new members
• Identify board leadership through a well considered succession plan
• Evaluate the board’s performance
• Evaluate the performance of individual board members
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Identifying Your Board Candidate Profile
• Building your biggest strategic asset
We spend more time hiring a staff leader than choosing a Board leader
• Clarify what you are looking for – what are the “gaps” on your Board
Keep in mind your organization’s plan and its immediate and long-term priorities• Seek new board members for what they can do to help address priorities
Spend as much time identifying the qualities as the function to fill
Think about spending significant time with these leaders• What is the chemistry?
• Team player? Or loyal opposition?
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Sample Board ProfileName Affiliation
Fundraising
Capacity Residence EthnicitySector Skills/Expertise/Attributes AgeGenderLe
gal
Hig
h Te
chG
over
nmen
tFi
nanc
e/Ba
nkin
gRe
al E
stat
e/D
evel
opm
ent
Ex-O
ffic
ioN
on-P
rofit
Educ
atio
nO
ther
Bus
ines
sM
anag
emen
t/H
uman
Res
ourc
es
Mar
ketin
g/PR
/Com
mun
icat
ions
Fina
nce/
Inve
stm
ents
Gov
. Aff
airs
/Rel
atio
ns/A
dvoc
acy
Fund
rais
ing
Art
s In
tere
st/E
xper
tise
Entr
epre
neur
ship
M F to 34 35-49 50-64 65+
X X X $$$ Florida X White X
X X $$ Maryland X White X
X X $$ Maryland Black X
X X X $$$$ Maryland X White X
X X $ Maryland X Asian X
X X $$ Maryland X White X
X X $$$ Maryland X White X
X X $$$ Maryland X Asian X
X X $$$$ Maryland X Latino X
X X $$$$$ Maryland X White X
X X $$ Maryland X Black X
X X $$$$ Maryland X White X
X X X X $$ Maryland X White X
X X $$$$$ Maryland X White X
X X $$$$ Maryland X Latino X
X X $$$$ Maryland X White X
X X $$$ Maryland X White X
X X $$$ Maryland X Black X
X $ Virginia X White X
X X $$$ Maryland X White X
X X $$$ Maryland X White X
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Sectors Skills Demographics Other Factors
Defense Legal Age Nonprofit Board Experience
High Tech Finance & Accounting Gender Personal Wealth
Government Investment Race “Plays well with others”
Developers Human Resources Residence Corporate or foundation ties
Legal Government Relations Ties to other organizations
Education Marketing
Health Care IT
Banking Fundraising
Retail
Nonprofit
Elements of an Excellent Board: Diversity
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• Print Materials:
Job description that clearly outlines the time and financial commitments
Board roster
Case statement or other marketing materials
Annual report
• Briefing Memo:
Prospect profile
Your elevator pitch and the case for joining your board
Benefits of board membership
Research candidates before you start meeting with them
Tools for Board Recruitment
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• One page
• Should include expectations in all or most of the following categories:
Advocacy for the organization and its mission
Service/attendance (term limits, meetings)
Fundraising activity/financial support
Governance
Knowledge of the organization
Access to information and confidentiality
Accountability
Job Description
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• Pros of a set give/get amount:
Clear expectation
Clear measurement
Sets the bar high for new Board members
The collective amount can be impressive to other funders
Give and Get Requirement
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• How to set the right amount:
First, look at what your board members are already doing, both giving and fundraising
Do some comparative analysis and see what other orgs in your community are doing
Think about where your organizations is headed, the vision, your plans for growth, and the resources you need to get there
• There will always be exceptions:
20%-30% of your board will be there for their talent and time; they bring mission and program expertise; but they should still give at a personally significant level
How to handle grandfathering in those current board members who cannot meet the specific amount
Give and Get Requirement (cont’d)
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• Current board members
Hold a prospecting session at your next board meeting
Meet 1:1 with board members for a “sphere of influence” exercise
• Other stakeholders or “connectors”
• Current corporate partners
• Current major donors
• Past board members
• Board placement organizations
• Chamber of Commerce or Board of Trade
Identifying Board Prospects… Relationship, Relationship, Relationship
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Recruiting Philosophy
• Recruit from a philosophy of strength and passion
Expect that there are people who want to join your board
Find the matches that invigorate you, make you want to work with them
• Even if several openings, recruit a pool for each one; several candidates
allows you to pick and choose
This mindset will help you select the best match
Similar to hiring process
This also makes the process transparent
Keeps you in control
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• How is this nonprofit related to my network?
Who else is involved?
Who’s asking?
• How does this nonprofit’s mission align with my company’s philanthropic priorities?
• Is the nonprofit successful at what they do?
• What are they asking me to do?
Time
$$
Fundraising
• How can I make a difference?
What are the challenges the non-profit is facing?
How does my expertise help?
What Are They Thinking
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How to Approach Corporate Professionals
• Start with peer to peer (often a current board member)
CEO to CEO / MD to MD / level to level
Get introduction from peer and make sure peer is part of the ask process
• ED must have basic knowledge of what they do:
Latest news about their company and industry
Read Wall Street Journal, Forbes, and The Economist
Must relate to them
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Cultivation/Recruitment Steps
• Site visit or opportunity to showcase your organization’s mission
• Breakfast or lunch with current board member(s)
• Meeting with the Executive Director
• Board meeting visit
• “Interview” with the Board Chair and 1-2 other board members (or the Governance Committee Chair if you have one)
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Board Recruitment is a Year-Long Function
Identify needs for the next several years using a profile of your
current board
Determine renewals and retirements and have
conversations with both; Identify candidates who meet identified
needs
Interview candidates using a job description - determine a “slate” to be presented to the full board;
cultivation could take several steps
Approve the slate - inform new and renewed board members
Orient new board members
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A Founder's Board
• Case Study: NYC-based charity serving youth
20-year old organization
Founder is still Executive Director
Potential issues:
• Used personal network to recruit board – lack of turnover
• Failure to adapt to changing needs/directions
How they made it work:
• Board recruitment is a constant priority
• Board members are moved off the board due to non-performance
• Created a separate “Sustaining Board” to keep “non-performers” engaged
• Involved board members in strategic planning process
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• Case Study: DC-based charity serving youth
20-year old organization
Potential issues:
• Founder/CEO built board, but recruitment not a priority in recent years
• Bylaws allowed for 15 years of board membership – lack of turnover
• No established give/get amount led to wide array of giving
• Deeply involved in operations; needed new “doers”
• Small donor base – needed access to new networks of potential donors
How they made it work:
• Re-energized the dormant Governance & Nominating Committee, charged by CEO and Board Chair with leading a campaign to recruit at least 3 new board members over a one-year period.
• Created Advisory Committee of non-board members to access new networks
• Revised bylaws to establish shorter term limits to encourage turnover
• Adopted a new Job Description with give/get amount for new board members
• Currently considering a “Sustaining/Emeritus Board” to keep valuable termed-out members engaged
A Committed, but Tired Board
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• Case Study: NYC-based youth social services organization
30-year old organization
Issues:
• Board membership included several non-performers
• No established give/get amount
• Gap in industries and skill sets, particularly in finance, which is a key industry in NYC from which to target board members
• Same donors year after year – needed access to new networks of potential donors
A Board in Need of Transition
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• Case Study: NYC-based youth social services organization
How they improved:
• Recruited a special committee from existing board members, with an objective to identify and recruit new board members from the finance, media, and real estate industries
• Established a minimum give/get of $25,000 for new board members
• Adopted a new board job description
• Board Chair and CEO were highly engaged in the project and acknowledged that the process could take at least a year
• Recruited 9 new board members in 12 months, all committed to the new give/get policy and job description
• The project injected much-needed energy into the board overall, and helped improve existing board member participation as well
A Board in Need of Transition
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