{"id":31180,"date":"2022-08-10T09:10:08","date_gmt":"2022-08-10T13:10:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.qgiv.com\/blog\/10-volunteer-training-ideas-for-onboarding-all-types-of-volunteers-copy\/"},"modified":"2022-12-15T11:56:26","modified_gmt":"2022-12-15T16:56:26","slug":"onboarding-nonprofit-board-member","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.qgiv.com\/blog\/onboarding-nonprofit-board-member\/","title":{"rendered":"Nonprofit Board Member Onboarding: 12 Things to Cover"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Matt Hugg, President and Founder, Nonprofit.Courses – He\u2019s the author of the Guide to Nonprofit Consulting, and teaches nonprofit management at several universities, via the web, and in-person in the United States, Africa, Asia and Europe. Matt\u2019s past work includes fundraising for the University of the Arts, Ursinus College, University of Cincinnati and the Boy Scouts of America. He has a BS from Juniata College and an MA in Philanthropy and Development from St. Mary\u2019s University of Minnesota.<\/em><\/em><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

New board members are valuable resources. They bring a fresh perspective to your organization. They bring energy. They could also bring their own agenda. Whether you call it onboarding or a board orientation, it\u2019s essential that you start them out right.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For the sake of brevity, let\u2019s say that you did everything we covered in our first article, \u201c10 Tips for Onboarding All Types of Volunteers<\/a>.\u201d  If so, that\u2019s a great start. As you might expect with board members, there\u2019s a lot more to cover. You might want to break up your onboarding process into several sessions. In addition, you may find it helpful to use the Nonprofit.Courses\u2019 guide to nonprofit board training as a resource<\/a> to further improve your onboarding work. Let\u2019s begin.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Your Mission <\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

We\u2019ll only briefly touch on your mission here because it should have been covered earlier. However, by virtue of their position, new board members should be given the deep dive into your mission. Most are coming to you as well-intended laypeople, not experts. They don\u2019t need to become experts. That\u2019s why you have staff. Yet the public will expect knowledge, and their decision-making ability is enhanced if they have a significant working knowledge of your mission\u2019s discipline. That level of knowledge builds over time with ongoing training at board meetings, through tours, at events, and by other means. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Smile! <\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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It\u2019s very important that your volunteers know that you\u2019re happy they\u2019re taking time out of their busy schedules to help your organization achieve its mission. If the person assigned to welcome your new volunteers isn\u2019t the one who enlisted them\u2014and doesn\u2019t seem pleased about being there\u2014that\u2019s a huge deterrent to folks who are willing to help out without being paid to do so. Treat your volunteers like VIPs!  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Board Members\u2019 Purpose   <\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

After your mission, maybe the best place to start with any new board member is to clarify why they\u2019re on the board and how they got there. Clarify how you got their name. Was it someone in their network? Did you scan a list of community notables? Did they put themselves forward?  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

While you\u2019re discussing \u201cwhy are you here,\u201d discuss what skills they are expected to bring to the board. These may be professional skills, a deep interest in your mission, personal or professional connections, or some combination of these. Let\u2019s be honest, the ability to bring resources to your nonprofit could be a reason too\u2014whether those are financial, political, or goods and services. Discuss that too. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Also, don\u2019t ignore demographics. This can be a prickly subject. If the person in front of you represents a particular ethnic group, age, or geographic area that you want to build into, say it. It\u2019s probably obvious already. Talk about their membership in that context, and how you can both help your nonprofit make progress in that area.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Before you end the \u201cwhy you\u2019re here\u201d discussion, learn what your new board member wants out of the relationship. Ideally, they have a deep interest in your mission and are ready to pitch in their time, talent, and treasure. But that\u2019s not always what brings them to you. It may be that they owe a favor to whoever recruited them. Maybe their business values community service, and your nonprofit looked like a better choice than their other options (You see this sometimes with accountants and lawyers who are heading toward or who have just become a partner in their firm.). It could be that you have a prestigious board, and they want to be seen with the \u201cin\u201d crowd. Whatever it is, finding out is important for you to satisfy their needs, leading to a longer-term relationship and their enthusiastic advocacy for your cause. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Want to dig deeper into a board member\u2019s purpose? Check out Boardable\u2019s guide to nonprofit board member responsibilities<\/a> for more information.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What\u2019s a Nonprofit? <\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Before you get too far, it’s important to clarify what a nonprofit is. Yes, it\u2019s basic, but too many board members, especially those with deep business backgrounds, just think of nonprofits as \u201cbusinesses who take charitable gifts.\u201d  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The key points to cover include: <\/p>\n\n\n\n