by Jerry Curtis

Created on: February 07, 2008

Selecting effective board members for a nonprofit organization is at the same time a simple, and sometimes difficult process, of finding the right person for an important but unpaid job. A proper mix of philosophy, experience, and outlook of the Board Members can mean the difference between a "rubber stamp" group who sit in on monthly meetings passively listening to the CEO, or, in the example I describe below, an effective, dynamic direction of the organization that is truly responsive to the needs of the people the organization serves.

Some years back, I was the Administrative Assistant in a newly formed nonprofit organization. Our company was contracted by a California County to give live-in drug and alcohol rehabilitation counseling and education to male and female addicts. Our sources of funding were through contributions, whatever the clients might be able to afford, but principally through a yearly contracted amount from the County that covered out operating expenses.

As a nonprofit organization, we were required to prepare a charter, company rules and regulations and to organize a Board of Directors. Our Director (CEO) was an experienced drug and alcohol counselor who had previous experience in setting up this type of an organization. His acumen in soliciting community members for our Board of Directors was borne out by the astute cross-section of the people he recruited for his five-member Board:

- A local small-businessman. This Board Member ran a heating and air conditioning company and was well known in the local Rotary Club. We were based in a small town, and this businessman was absolutely indispensable because of his personal and business contacts.

- A county civil servant, who worked in the criminal courts. This woman dealt daily with criminal cases involving drugs, alcohol, family crises, etc. She had direct contact with a principal source of our company's clients, and her expertise and experience in Drug and Alcohol problems in our county was a valuable contribution to the direction of the company.

- A local Catholic priest, who was a recovering alcoholic himself. This clergyman was of obvious benefit to our Board of Directors. Besides being one of the most humorous persons anywhere, he was a truly empathetic and compassionate addition to the board. He also served as an informal Chaplain to our live-in clients.

- An family physician. This MD was also experienced in treating diseases of addiction and had previous experience in drug and alcohol rehabilitation programs elsewhere. His technical and medical knowledge provided a vast contribution to our program.

- A California state social worker. This woman was a qualified counselor and social worker. Her insight and knowledge of family and personal problems caused by drugs and alcohol made her another valuable addition to our Board of Directors.

So, from the outset of our company's efforts to treat truly sick people, our strong and well-qualified Board of Directors added both firm direction and exceptional credibility within our community. By selecting effective board members, our Director placed our new nonprofit organization on a rock-solid foundation that resulted in the very best services to people who needed our help.

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