• About
    ▼
    • Contact Us
    • Our History
    • Why Brokers Matter
    • Success Stories
    • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Insurance Coverages
    ▼
    • Workers Compensation
    • Directors and Officers
    • General Liability
    • Commercial Auto and Property
    • Umbrella
    • Volunteer Accident
    • Bonds for Nonprofits
    • Pollution
  • Who We Insure
    ▼
    • Conservation Corps
    • Trails and Biking Organizations
    • Land Trusts and Conservancies
    • Wilderness Alliances
    • Botanical Gardens/Public Gardens/Arboretums
    • Environmental Education Organizations and Outdoor Leadership Schools
    • Fire Safe Councils and Private Forestry Contractors
    • Municipalities
    • NonProfit Friends Groups and Alliances
    • AmeriCorps Programs
  • Financial Assurances
  • Conservation Safety
  • Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Conservation United Conservation United Request A Quote
  • Home
  • About
    • Contact Us
    • Our History
    • Why Brokers Matter
    • Success Stories
    • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Insurance Coverages
    • Workers Compensation
    • Directors and Officers
    • General Liability
    • Commercial Auto and Property
    • Umbrella
    • Volunteer Accident
    • Bonds for Nonprofits
    • Pollution
  • Who We Insure
    • Conservation Corps
    • Trails and Biking Organizations
    • Land Trusts and Conservancies
    • Wilderness Alliances
    • Botanical Gardens/Public Gardens/Arboretums
    • Environmental Education Organizations and Outdoor Leadership Schools
    • Fire Safe Councils and Private Forestry Contractors
    • Municipalities
    • NonProfit Friends Groups and Alliances
    • AmeriCorps Programs
  • Financial Assurances
  • Conservation Safety

Conservation United: Best Practices for Board Orientation

Date: October 27, 2021
Category:
  • Business Insurance
  • Insurance
Author: Risk Management

The board of directors plays a vital role in establishing and maintaining the organizational structure of a nonprofit. This elected group oversees the organization’s activities and meets periodically to discuss and vote on business affairs.

Given the critical role board members play in an organization’s overall success, these individuals need to be up-to-speed on the organization’s mission and goals. That’s where board orientation comes into play.

Board orientation is when new board members are provided with detailed information on the organization and their role within it. Whether the process is approached formally or informally, an engaging board orientation can encourage new board members to become committed ambassadors and advocates of the nonprofit’s mission.

This article discusses some best practices surrounding board orientation and what to cover during the process.

 

Importance of Board Orientation

Effective board orientations acquaint newly elected board members with their role, the organization, and the team. A thorough, engaging onboarding process can make new board members passionate about achieving the strategic mission and vision of the nonprofit.

To ensure critical topics are covered, begin the orientation process by issuing a binder to new board members. This binder should be provided before their first meeting so they have the opportunity to review and make notes for questions. Topics should include:

  • The nonprofit’s history—Include inspirational language when recapping the nonprofit’s history to continue inspiring and reminding the new board members why they want to be involved with the organization.
  • Year-to-date highlights of the board—A summary of past accomplishments, as well as new initiatives, can get the new board members excited about the nonprofit’s mission and goals.
  • Board roles and responsibilities—Ensure that new board members understand how each position works together to achieve organizational goals by providing information on each role.
  • Current board members—Providing a list of current board members can help new members get acquainted with their new colleagues.
  • List of all committees and their members—To further educate new board members on the structure of the nonprofit, include a list of committees (if applicable), detailing who sits on each.
  • List of upcoming meetings with a schedule—Giving board members advance notice of all sessions can help boost attendance.
  • Strategic planning document—An executive summary or vision document can give board members an overview of the nonprofit’s direction.
  • Approved budget for the year—Inform the new board members of the approved budget so they have a realistic idea of what can be accomplished within their role and by the board.
  • Audit financial statement—Give the new board members a sense of the organization’s financial stability from an expert objective third party.
  • Recent financials—This information can provide an understanding of the organization’s actual revenue and expenses.
  • Bylaws—Nonprofit bylaws provide the rules and procedures included in running the organization. If new board members don’t fully understand the nonprofit’s bylaws, they could potentially open up the organization to considerable directors and officers’ liabilities.
  • Board meeting minutes—The past three meetings’ minutes should be sufficient in helping the new board members catch up on recent and current happenings.
  • Agendas for the first board meeting they’ll attend—Board orientation usually occurs before the new members’ first board meeting, so including the agenda can help them prepare.

The chair of the board, executive director, chair of the recruitment committee, lead program person, and lead development person should all be present during board orientation to welcome, inspire and educate the new board members. Typically, the meeting itself will be run by the recruitment chair since they brought the new members on board and should work to retain them by building upon their established relationship. The chair of recruitment can create a presentation for board orientation that thoroughly examines:

  • The mission, purpose, and framework of operations
  • What the board does
  • Organizational structure
  • How voting works
  • Current projects and vision for the future
  • Strategic direction
  • Financial overview of the organization
  • Expectations
  • Meeting schedule

 

Board orientation should provide important information about the organization to new board members and begin to build working relationships among board members to promote a supportive environment. A thorough orientation can also reduce the likelihood of liabilities arising since new members will have a better understanding of the policies and procedures of the nonprofit and the board of directors. For more guidance, contact Conservation United today.

 

Primary Sidebar

Recent Posts

  • Foreign Entity Registration – Organizations that are expanding, working in other States.
  • General Liability Exposures Every Conservation Organization Should Know
  • Using Small Equipment Safely on Trail Projects
  • Hiring a Subcontractor? Conservation United’s Subcontractor Management Plan can help!
  • 5 HR Trends to Monitor in 2022

Recent Comments

    Archives

    • October 2022
    • September 2022
    • March 2022
    • February 2022
    • January 2022
    • December 2021
    • November 2021
    • October 2021
    • September 2021
    • August 2021
    • July 2021
    • June 2021
    • May 2021
    • April 2021
    • March 2021
    • February 2021
    • January 2021
    • December 2020
    • October 2020
    • September 2020
    • August 2020
    • July 2020
    • June 2020
    • May 2020
    • April 2020
    • March 2020
    • February 2020
    • January 2020
    • December 2019
    • September 2019

    Categories

    • Business Insurance
    • California
    • Colorado
    • HR Compliance Bulletin
    • Insurance
    • Legal Update
    • Maryland
    • New York
    • OSHA
    • Safety Matters
    • Uncategorized
    • Wage & Hour
    • Workers Compensation

    Meta

    • Log in
    • Entries feed
    • Comments feed
    • WordPress.org
    (855) 570-2797
    Request A Quote
    • Home
    • Contact Us
    • About
    • Insurance Coverages
    • Who We Insure
    • Financial Assurances
    • Conservation Safety
    • Privacy Policy
    • Blog

    ©2023 Conservation United • All rights reserved
    Website Design and SEO by Stamm Web Solutions