Board Recruitment & Composition
Getting the Right People in the Room
So often we think about board recruitment when we are looking for an answer to one (or more) of three needs of an organization. We need to attract members who can:
Connect us to money or donate themselves.
Attract visibility.
Support a specific need related to our mission.
But, a mature board recruitment process should consider both the skills of the individuals that will make up your board as well as the board composition and culture.
To accomplish this, you’ll want to start off with your strategic plan because that can tell you where your organization is and where it is going by answering three questions:
What leadership does this organization need now?
What leadership will it need three to five years from now?
Where do we already have strength - and where do we have gaps?
Once you have these answers you will see the key skillsets you are looking for in new board members and help you design a board secession plan. Intentional board composition does not mean creating a rigid checklist or recruiting one person to “cover” each category but to ensure that your membership covers all of these categories.
For example, beyond their ability to fundraise or donate themselves, a well-composed board should include:
Strategic thinkers who are comfortable with long-term planning and asking big-picture questions
Financial stewards who can read budgets, understand risk, and support fiscal oversight
Relationship builders who naturally open doors, connect networks, and strengthen partnerships
Community-connected leaders who bring lived experience or proximity to the populations the organization serves
Operators or implementers who understand how strategy translates into day-to-day execution
Governance-minded leaders who are willing to hold boundaries, uphold policy, and engage in accountability conversations
But board composition goes beyond skills or expertise. Equally important are qualities that are harder to capture on a résumé:
The time to participate meaningfully
The temperament to listen, collaborate, and disagree respectfully
A lived experience that brings new and differing perspectives
A board made up of people with similar backgrounds and lived experiences, power, or professional experiences will tend to:
Approach risk similarly
Frame problems in similar ways
Default to similar solutions
A strong board won’t have board members who look at things similarly, but instead will encourage diverse opinions that will guide better decision making.
Diversity of identity, experience, and perspective, when paired with thoughtful onboarding and strong facilitation, leads to better decision-making, deeper accountability, and more resilient leadership.
Recruiting With Clarity
Now that you know what you are looking for in potential new board members, you will want to focus on a transparent effective recruitment strategy.
Consider designating a nominating committee on your board responsible for board recruitment, vetting potential candidates, and managing your succession planning. They can ensure that you are recruiting effectively to meet the needs of your organization.
That starts with transparency. Prospective board members deserve a clear understanding of the organization and the expectations you will have of them. These include:
What the organization expects of them
How much time and financial commitment is required
What kind of engagement is valued
How success is defined for board service
What you hope they will contribute
The status of the organization within your strategic plan
When expectations are vague, boards end up managing misalignment later - often through frustration, disappointment, or burnout.
Avoid this by having a clear board application and assessment strategies, which are included in our toolkit.
Recruitment done well reduces the need for correction down the line. You’ll never assemble a “perfect” board, but can work towards ensuring that you have a dynamic leadership body that reflects the organization’s mission, values, and future direction — and that is willing to learn, adapt, and grow together.
