Recruiting board members is part of the development of your board and it is important to keep the momentum going. Start by reviewing your board member recruitment process. Now you have successfully recruited new board members, you should record what you have learned for next time, and think about how you will continue to make your board an attractive and worthwhile opportunity. By recording how you have decided to recruit board members now, the process will be much easier the next time you need to recruit, and you can make sure you repeat what worked. Why not adapt our model policy template for your own policy? See Activity 11: Board member recruitment policy.

Developing your board

The successful recruitment of new board members is not the end of the process. Your board should be committed to developing your board members, whether they are new or have been involved with the board for a while, so they can do the best job for your organisation. Development can be achieved in a number of ways, and does not need to cost a lot of money. You should also consider whether you can allocate any money or resources to board member development - it doesn’t have to be much.

Developing your board is particularly important if it is elected and representative rather than appointed. You may not have the skills needed for an effective board but you can achieve some of these through development and appropriate training.

Options for development include:

• Training courses. These can either be run externally or one of your board members, staff or volunteers with a particular skill could be responsible for running a training session. There are specialist courses for sports organisations as well as more general ‘trustee training courses’. You may want to consider appointing someone to champion the need for training and development, so the board and it’s members allocate the appropriate time and resources to this.
• Letting board members shadow honorary officers (if you have them), volunteers or staff to find out more about the role or project; or
• Long standing board members could mentor new board members
• How you develop your board is dependent on the skills of your current board members and what your budget will allow. If funding for training is an issue, your county sports partnership might be able to help you find funding for development.

And finally...

Remember that good board member recruitment is at the heart of an effective board and organisation. You might want to put board member recruitment on your board’s agenda as a rolling agenda item. If you take time to select the right people with the right skills and knowledge and invest in their development as well, you will have a strong and successful board that will be committed and passionate about their work and the work of your organisation.

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Back to - Introduction to Board Recruitment for Sport and Recreation Organisations

Downloads:

Activity 11 Board Recruitment Policy.pdf

Activity 11: Board member recruitment policy.