The right board can help ensure your organization’s future success. How can your board member search committee ensure it builds a dynamic one?

Jay Love, chief relationship officer at Bloomerang, recently learned a “simple and yet so elegant” secret from Kent Stroman, the author of The Intentional Board. “Recruit only board members who could serve as board chairs,” writes Love in a recent Bloomerang blog post.

Sounds easy, right? But effective board chairs share a lot of key traits that can be hard to find, including generosity, natural leadership ability, passion for your group’s mission, and expertise in nonprofit governance.

“Most individuals with all or most of these qualities are in high demand and can be very selective in where they serve by their very nature,” says Love. “This means a much wider recruiting effort complete with more in-depth research is required to even find a few of these somewhat rare individuals.”

Steal These Tips

Steal These Three Growth Strategies from Top Fundraisers RIGHT NOW! :) https://t.co/XwMHc9FJSG (thanks for letting me and @sohinibaliga guest blog @WildApricot) #assnchat

— Elizabeth Engel (@ewengel) March 5, 2018

Some associations just seem to have a knack for recruiting major donors. How do they do it?

The Wild Apricot blog says many organizations treat all donors equally, but groups that have success with major donors give them special treatment.

“Fundraisers who manage relationships with donors—ranging from those who give $25 one time to those who make six- and seven-figure legacy contributions—have figured out how to make everyone along that continuum feel known and appreciated in a way that’s commensurate with their giving level,” write Elizabeth Engel and Sohini Baliga. “They do that by prioritizing ongoing two-way communication to find out what really matters to their donors, and using that information to deliver experiences that focus on treating donors equitably rather than equally.”

Other Links of Note

As leaders face the future, it’s important keep digital skills up to date. Digital Leaders shares the seven skills every nonprofit boss should have.

Even with the rise of office communication tools like Slack, your group’s intranet is still an important resource for your employees, argues CMSWire.

Looking for more volunteers? Engaging Volunteers reveals how to write an announcement for an enticing volunteer opportunity.

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