When a new individual is elected or appointed to your Board it is worth considering how you will induct them to your organisation ,and to the Board, to ensure they are able to have maximum impact and you benefit from the skill and contribution they can bring.

An induction should introduce the new Board member to the work of the Board and provide them with insight into the direction of the organisation so they are familiar with the strategic plan, vision and mission.

Some organisations run a formal induction where a Board member meets with various existing Board members and staff of the organisation to discuss the organisation and strategy.  Other organisations run a more informal induction which may still involve meetings but perhaps over a coffee or a lunch to answer questions and focus on topics that the new Board member wished to explore in more depth.  Regardless of the induction method, it is important that the Board member is familiar with  key people in the organisation before they attend their first Board meeting.  This will help them feel comfortable communicating and expressing their views at the meeting.

You should also prepare induction materials for new Board members to accompany any induction meetings.  This may be in the form of an induction manual or it may be an electronic file share system.  A good induction will provide all the information a new Board members might want to see, such as staffing structure, other Board member contact details and responsibilities, accounts, strategic plans, previous Board minutes.  There are some examples of induction programmes and checklists that organisations use for Board inductions below.

It is important to remember that Board members will likely hold atleast one other role and maybe more.  Therefore the induction that you provide them with must be detailed enough to give them enough information to perform their role effectively, however it should not overload them with paperwork or electronic files that they won't be able to read in full.  Getting the level of information right for a Board induction is crucial.

In some cases the induction programme may also include a mentoring programme, where the new Board member is mentored for a period of time by a more experienced member of the Board. This will help a new member of the Board to quickly get to grips with the value of the organisation and get familiar with the decision making process.

Examples of contents for Board induction manuals can be dowloaded below.

Downloads:

BSUK Board Induction Process.pdf

A description of the board induction process in Baseball Softball UK.

English Golf Partnership Induction Pack.doc

English Golf Partnership Induction for Board members.

London Play - Trustee Induction Pack.doc

London Play - induction pack given to trustees.

London Youth Games Trustee Induction Pack Contents.pdf

Trustee induction checklist for the London Youth Games.

Rounders England Induction Checklist.doc

Checklist for Rounders England Board induction

Cabinet Office - Board Inductions.pdf

Induction pack used by the Cabinet office for Board appointments for Non-Departmental public bodies