---
title: "Association Leadership: How Big is Your Board?"
id: "15120"
type: "post"
slug: "association-leadership-how-big-is-your-board"
published_at: "2013-01-02T12:00:40+00:00"
modified_at: "2026-03-15T19:23:38+00:00"
url: "https://associationsnow.com/2013/01/02/association-leadership-how-big-is-your-board/"
markdown_url: "https://associationsnow.com/2013/01/02/association-leadership-how-big-is-your-board.md"
excerpt: "One simple facet of your association’s governance structure has a major influence on its operations: board size. Is a small board more efficient? Is a big board more representative? Does size matter at all? Only you can decide. Here are..."
taxonomy_category:
  - "Governance"
taxonomy_post_tag:
  - "Association Management Systems"
  - "AssociationsNow"
  - "board size"
  - "Governance"
  - "Leadership"
taxonomy_content_format:
  - "Article"
taxonomy_role:
  - "Association CEO / Executive Director"
taxonomy_persona:
  - "Executive Leadership"
---

[Home](https://associationsnow.com/)
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 » Association Leadership: How Big is Your Board?

At your next board meeting, take a moment to count the number of directors on the board. Do you know why your association’s board is that size? It might seem trivial, but the number of people on an association board has an undeniable effect on its operations and on its directors’ interactions.

What is the right size? Well, that’s debatable. So debatable, in fact, that six association executives participated in an Oxford-style debate at ASAE’s 2012 Annual Meeting on this very topic. Small-board proponents cited greater flexibility, accountability, and administrative efficiency. Their opponents said large boards, properly structured, can accomplish all of that while being more inclusive and democratic.

Every association has its own needs, so there is likely no one-size-fits-all answer. But any discussion about governance structure should weigh the pros and cons of various board sizes. On the following pages, we present the key arguments for small and large boards, adapted from the conference debate.

Jump to:

- [Smaller Association Boards Are Better](http://associationsnow.com/2013/01/volunteer-leadership-small-boards-are-better/)
- [Big Association Boards Are Not Bad](http://associationsnow.com/2013/01/volunteer-leadership-big-association-boards-are-not-bad/)

### The Debaters

These arguments are adapted from debate notes and comments graciously provided by:

**Paul A. Markowski, CAE,**executive vice president and CEO, American College of Chest Physicians

**Nancy Green, FASAE, CAE,**executive director, National Association for Gifted Children

**Susan K. Neely,**president and CEO, American Beverage Association

**Glenn Tecker,**chairman and co-CEO, Tecker International LLC

**Ann Turner, Ph.D., FASAE, CAE,** executive director, American Association for Laboratory Animal Science and the AALAS Foundation

**Scott Steen, FASAE, CAE,**CEO, American Forests

**Elissa M. Myers,**president, Advice & Consensus

[Joe Rominiecki](https://associationsnow.com/author/joe-rominiecki/)

Joe Rominiecki is a contributing editor to Associations Now.

[More articles by this author](https://associationsnow.com/author/joe-rominiecki/)

Tags: [#Association Management Systems](https://associationsnow.com/tag/association-management-systems/)
 [#board size](https://associationsnow.com/tag/board-size/)
 [#Governance](https://associationsnow.com/tag/governance/)
 [#Leadership](https://associationsnow.com/tag/leadership/)

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