A new board member's first 30 days
What a new nonprofit board member should read, sign and ask in the first 30 days, and what the organization should send before the first meeting.
In the first 30 days a new board member should read the bylaws, the last few sets of minutes and the current financials, sign a conflict-of-interest disclosure, meet the executive director and the chair, and arrive at the first meeting with one question. The organization's part is to send those documents before anyone has to ask.
What the organization sends in week one
- The bylaws and the conflict-of-interest policy
- Minutes of the last three meetings
- The current budget, the latest financial statements and the most recent Form 990
- The strategic plan, if there is one
- The roster, with committees and terms
- The year's meeting dates
Send them as one link. That way the new director can find them again later.
Week one: read
Start with the bylaws. They say how long your term is, how the board votes, and what the board must approve. Then read the minutes, which show what the board has been deciding.
Read the financial statements last and write down what you don't follow. The treasurer would rather answer your questions now than in the middle of a budget vote.
Week two: sign and meet
Fill in the conflict-of-interest disclosure. List employers, other boards and family connections that could touch the organization's business.
Have a half-hour conversation with the executive director, and another with the chair. Ask each what the board is worried about this year.
Week three: see the work
Visit a program or sit in on a service.
Ask which committee needs you. Say yes to one.
Week four: your first meeting
Read the packet when it arrives. Come with one question about something in it. You aren't expected to have opinions on everything yet.
Listen for how the board works: who speaks, how decisions get made, what happens to action items afterward.
What to hold off on
A director has authority only as part of the board. Between meetings, requests to staff go through the executive director.
For the person running onboarding
Pair the new director with someone who has served a couple of years and will answer the questions they would rather not ask the whole board. Check in after the first meeting.
How Karma Compass helps
In Karma Compass a new director opens the packet, RSVPs and votes from links in their email, with no account to set up. The board's minutes and documents are in one place, so the reading list above is one link.
On the Pro plan, Ask Compass answers questions about your bylaws and cites the page, which helps a director who wants to check a rule without asking the secretary.
See how the board packet works in Karma Compass
Questions this post answers
What should a new nonprofit board member read first?
The bylaws, then the minutes of the last three meetings, then the current budget, financial statements and Form 990.
What should a new board member do before the first meeting?
Read the packet, sign the conflict-of-interest disclosure, meet the executive director and the chair, and prepare one question.
Can a new board member give instructions to staff?
Not on their own. A director's authority comes from the board acting together, and requests to staff between meetings go through the executive director.
What should a board onboarding packet include?
The bylaws, the conflict-of-interest policy, recent minutes, the budget and financial statements, the most recent Form 990, the roster with terms, and the year's meeting dates.
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