Giving 2.0™ Guide: Key Questions When Considering Joining a Board

I. Your Interests

1. Which issue area(s)/cause(s) are you most passionate about? Why? Which organizations align with those interests?

2. What type of board are you thinking of joining—a fundraising, a titular, a working, a governing board, etc.?

3. What value add would you have for this board? Do your areas of expertise overlap with/differ from the current board members’?

II. Board Role and Responsibilities

1. Member responsibilities

1. Can the board share a description of responsibilities for specific roles? Committee functions (if relevant)?

2. How many meetings take place each year? What additional contributions (in time, money, etc.) are expected of each board member? Are you in a position to meet those expectations? 

3. Does the board have a “give or get” policy, requiring board members to either give a minimum amount of money themselves or to raise an equivalent sum from others? Are you in a position to meet those fundraising expectations?

4. Will you have time outside of board meetings to support, advise and work with the organization’s staff? Is that an expectation of board members? Is your skillset valuable in this regard?

5. Are board members expected to give names and addresses of friends to the organization? Are you prepared and comfortable to introduce 10 of your friends to the organization and act as an ambassador for the organization in your day-to-day life?

6. What additional responsibilities are required of board members outside of board meetings (e.g., are board members expected to serve on one or more board committees as well)? Are you in a position to commit that additional time?

2. Function within the organization

1. What is the explicit role of the board? Does the board have a say in the organization's decision-making? 

2. Can you see previous board agendas to assess the role and function of the board, as well as recent areas of focus? How much of the board’s time was actually spent on strategic decision-making?

3. What are the fiduciary responsibilities of the board, and what is the oversight process for managing and allocating organizational resources transparently and effectively? 

4. Does the board have term limits? What does succession planning look like on the board? What is the board actively doing to attract members with diverse backgrounds and experiences?

5. Does the organization have directors and officers (D&O) insurance to protect board members in the event of a legal dispute?

6. How often does the organization create a strategic plan and what is the board’s role, if any, in this process?

III. Organizational Health

1. Strategy and Self-Assessment

1. Are you comfortable with the overall health and management of the organization? Is the nonprofit appropriately managed given its lifecycle stage?

2. What are the board’s strategic plans for the year? How is the board measuring the success of those goals? How do the organization’s current programs relate to its mission and theory of change?

3. Does the board have a self-assessment process? How are those results shared and utilized to improve overall board practice and effectiveness?

4. What is the board’s annual process for assessing the performance of the CEO or executive director?

2. Community Reputation

1. Can you talk to current or past board members, attend a meeting or both? What do current/past board members say is the board’s greatest area for improvement? 

2. What does the community say about the organization? How does the organization work to ensure that community voices are represented at the board level? How does the board work to ensure it strengthens trusting relationships with the communities it serves? If possible, ask 5 to 10 people from the community about the organization’s work before you join the board.