Consultants Offer Tips for New Board Members

The first 90 days after joining a nonprofit board is a critical time for new members to assess an organization’s needs, as well as its leadership and management style, reports The Wall Street Journal.

Terrie Temkin, a Florida consultant who founded the company Core Strategies for Nonprofits, says that, first and foremost, new members should be sure to attend all board-related events. These meetings provide critical face-to-face time with other members, but they also allow new members to observe the group dynamic and isolate hubs of leadership.

A “new board member has to find out where the power lies on the board and where the force of gravity is,” says Jim Kristie, editor of Directors & Boards magazine, who also serves on several nonprofit boards. “It’s like any other group. There are cliques, there are leaders, and then there are other directors who aren’t pulling their weight.”

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