Do You Have the Welcome Mat in Front of the Right Door?   

Every nonprofit organization that The Oertel Group works with bemoans not having enough engaged, committed board members with the skills needed to help. Board and staff members describe their challenges in this area as not knowing enough people and/or the people they know are overcommitted.  

Certainly today, many people experience "time poverty" - not enough time for their work and family responsibilities.  It though is also true that many people want to make a meaningful contribution to their communities.  The challenge and opportunity for each organization is to align their needs with the time, interests and capabilities of people who genuinely want to help out.  

Organizations sometimes focus almost exclusively on recruiting people to the board of directors.  Given the varying time, interests and capabilities of people, let alone the needs of the organization - this focus is too narrow.  Or it results in a poor match of individual to the board and its work. The Oertel Group recommends that organizations look more broadly at how people can be involved - this facilitates finding the best fit for the person and the organization.  This is not to imply that everyone is right for every organization - sometimes there is just not a good fit and as such, the match should not be forced.  

Multiple Ways for Involving People:  We have listed below a wide range of ways in which organizations can involve people.  For each option, boards (or staff members as appropriate) need to define the role, size (a desired minimum and maximum number of members or people for a function), meeting requirements/frequency, expectations for personal contributions and/or involvement in fundraising, use of20the names of the group's members in promotional materials, accountability (usually defined as a liaison up through the board or staff), and any other significant parameters.  

We are not recommending that each organization have all of the following structures.  The board and staff need to decide which options would be most helpful and whether the volunteer group can be effectively managed by the board and staff.  Ways in which individuals could be involved are: 

� Board of Directors: The Board of Directors is the legal group responsible for oversight of the organization.  There is also generally an expectation of board members making personal contributions and being involved in fundraising. 
� Board Committees: Non-board members could serve on board committees provided this is stated in the organization's bylaws and that such committees are advisory in nature (i.e. their recommendations must come to the board for action; committees with non-board members can not be delegated authority to act on behalf of the board and therefore usually non-board members will not serve on an Executive Committee.)  Having non-board members serve on committees provides an opportunity to involve individuals that have lower time and financial commitments than the board of directors.  Groundrules such as confidentiality should be established for this type of involvement.
� Honorary Group:  A group of individuals that operates in a more honorary capacity with the role of each member generally defined as opening doors, allowing the organization to use the individual's name, providing access to their contacts, making a significant financial contribution and providing their expertise on specific issues facing the organization. Honorary groups may use names such as Board of Governors, Founder's Circle, or create a name of significance to the organization.  This type of structure can also be an excellent one for long-standing board members who still want to be involved with the organization but are less interested in continuing to serve as an active board member.
� Constituent Group:  Some organizations find value in organizing all or some of its constituents for purposes of affiliation, outreach or advice.  Such groups may be named an Advisory Council or create a name that more reflects the mission of the organization.
� Fundraising Guilds or Auxiliaries:  Organizations can organize volunteers into committees that organize specific special events and/or create a more formal entity such as a guild or auxiliary through which their members commit to fundraising for general or project support over a longer period of time.  Guidelines should be developed for how guilds and auxiliaries will operate including use of the nonprofit tax exemption, budgets, financial procedures and scope of decision-making.
� Project/Administrative Volunteers: Other interested individuals can be involved in tasks related to the work of the organization (both programmatic and administrative). This type of involvement will usually be ongoing but may be a small number of hours per week or month. 
The Oertel Group can assist your organization with assessing these options and developing strategies that make the most sense for you for involving people in a way that is meaningful to them and effective for the organization.

If you are interested in learning more about our services, please contact us at 323-257-1125 or via email.