Resources

Characteristics of Board Members

by William J. Moran, J.D., M.S.Ed.

Following is a sample memorandum listing some ideal characterisitics of board members.

M E M O R A N D U M
XYZ Health Clinic

TO:       Board Nominating Committee

FROM:  William Moran

DATE:   November 30, 2007

RE:       Attributes for New Board Members

We discussed the following attributes for new members to the XYZ Board. Candidates do not need to have all of these characteristics; they are just skills and characteristics that would help strengthen our board.

  1. Passion for the mission
  2. Strategic decision making ability
  3. Ability to access community resources
  4. Ability to access financial resources
  5. Ability to access volunteers
  6. Willingness and ability to give financially to XYZ
  7. Community connections
  8. Business leaders of the community
  9. Minority representation
  10. Consumer representative
  11. Human resource expertise
  12. Attorney
  13. Accountant/Banking/Financial individuals

The next step is for us to ask the Board, former Board, and others to help us identify individuals who would have these characteristics.

 

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© 2008 The Moran Company, “We find great nonprofit executives.” We specialize in searches for nonprofit executive directors, directors of development/fundraising staff, and other top nonprofit leadership. www.morancompany.com