Volunteers in the Public and Nonprofi t Sectors 137
After reviewing the KSAOCs needed by new board members, the
names of possible new members should be identifi ed. These names might
be retrieved from a list of people previously considered to be board mem-
bers: professional people whose names are given to the agency by a board
bank sponsored by the United Way or Junior League, other volunteers,
and individuals providing professional services to the agency. People associ-
ated with the agency, such as clients, employees, or other board members,
often recommend prospective board members.
Nonprofits need to be vigilant about recruiting board members
committed to serving the organization ’ s best interest. They need to seek
members who have special skills they can bring to the board. For example,
Seattle Emergency Housing made a point of recruiting a former bud-
get analyst at the United Way to review its fi nancial statements, as well
as a city employee with expertise and knowledge about public funding
(Knauft, Berger, & Gray, 1991). The Spring of Tampa Bay provides pro-
grams and services to victims of domestic violence. Its board of directors
has members from the fi elds of law enforcement, medicine, law (judges
and attorneys), accounting, public relations, human resources manage-
ment, fi nance, fi nancial planning and general business administration,
and community volunteers.
The expertise and competence of board members that a nonprofi t
needs often change over time. For example, the Tampa Theatre is a movie
palace that was built in 1926. After it began to deteriorate in the 1970s,
a nonprofi t group, the Tampa Theatre, was established to preserve and
revitalize it. In 1978, the theater was named to the National Register of
Historic Places. At fi rst, since the mission of the nonprofi t emphasized
restoration and preservation, most of the board members were individ-
uals with real estate, architecture, fi nance, and construction expertise.
Now the emphasis is on programming and community outreach, so board
members with different skills are being sought.
Bylaws or statutes usually specify the procedures that should be
followed to formally nominate candidates, as well as the selection
procedures. After new board members have been selected, they should
be provided with an orientation outlining their responsibilities
as board members. They should also be informed about the organization ’ s
mission, objectives, and administrative and management structures.
Brown (2007) found that board development practices lead to strong board
members, and strong board members are a predictor of engaged
board performance.