governance works

Board Recruitment

Great board members breathe life into organisations.

Boards, trustees and management committees must be able to contribute to the effective development of ideas, direction and organisational achievement.

Good board members – with a mix of skills, experience and energy – can make a real difference to the success of an organisation.

Recruiting excellent board members is one of the most critical tasks facing any voluntary organisation or public sector body.

Willing volunteers do exist.

Voluntary organisations and public sector bodies often have limited time and contacts, quickly exhausting all their resources.

Many organisations struggle to identify and recruit the right people to their boards. Lack of good quality candidates can lead boards to lower their standards for selection, and as a result there is a tendency to believe that no one will want to become a board member.

However, enthusiastic, experienced volunteers do exist – they just need to be found.

Improving the way boards, trustees and management committees work.

Governance Works provides a one-to-one service to help organisations in the not-for-profit sector develop their governance structures. In the last year, we have improved board performance and governance systems for over 30 organisations.

Attracting high calibre board members is often the first step in developing a strong and flexible governance structure. We fully understand the challenges facing voluntary organisations and public sector bodies, and have developed a service to help organisations recruit suitable board members.

Governance Works’ five steps for recruiting board members

1. Designing a recruitment and selection process

We talk to key members of the organisation to identify gaps or vacancies in the current board. We then create a bespoke board member recruitment strategy preparing any necessary policies, procedures and terms of reference.

2. Training the board to use the recruitment system

Boards need to know how to identify and recruit the most suitable board members. We coach the board as it delivers the recruitment process for the first time, ensuring that the board is self-sufficient and fully capable of delivering similar recruitment strategies in the future.

3. Organising a targeted recruitment campaign

Increasing the available pool of potential board members is fundamental to successful recruitment. We build a targeted recruitment campaign using a variety of techniques to attract the right people.

4. Identifying and matching candidates

We co-ordinate the selection process, identify and present suitable candidates to the board, and assist with the selection of potential candidates.

5. Inducting new board members

Once new members have accepted the position, they are inducted as board members to the organisation. We create all the induction materials and conduct the induction process.

All five steps may not be necessary for some organisations. Our service is flexible and can be adapted to enhance existing practices in your organisation.

Contact Us

If you are involved in a not-for-profit organisation and want to improve how you recruit board members, we can help you.

Call or email us, and based on a conversation with a member of your board and / or the Director (paid worker), we can prepare a detailed proposal for you to consider. Funding is available from a number of organisations to help with costs – please see our links.