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Proper onboarding and training are essential for new nonprofit board members. A well-planned training program will help individual board members understand your organization’s vision, work well within your system, and feel empowered during decision-making. You can also use technology like a learning management system (LMS) to make the program more accessible for everyone.
At Cadmium, we’re here to provide associations and nonprofits with the tools and information they need to succeed. Whether you’re wondering, “What are the top five LMS options for associations and nonprofits?” or how to create an effective nonprofit governance board training system, we have you covered.
How To Train A Nonprofit Board
There’s a lot to consider as you’re planning nonprofit board leadership training. Let’s start with some effective strategies that make nonprofit board of directors training programs successful.
Effective Board Training Strategies
Some of the most effective board training strategies include:
- Making training available virtually: Whether you have remote members on your board or just want to improve the accessibility of your training program, making it available online will help. Using technology like an LMS, you can create an easy step-by-step learning system that new board members can access anywhere and at any time.
- Offering peer support: Having a peer support or mentorship program for new board members can help them feel like they aren’t starting all on their own. Experienced board members can answer questions, offer guidance, and help new board members feel like part of the team.
- Make training interactive: Making training interactive through workshops, hands-on activities, or scenario-based training is a great way to apply information that new board members are getting from the program. You can even add interactive virtual activities right in your LMS to add to the learning experience.
- Provide continuous feedback and support: Board members will benefit from feedback and support along the way. Even after they complete the training program, make sure you check in to see how things are going.
Key Nonprofit Board Training Topics To Include
What topics should your board training program include? Here’s a quick checklist:
- Your organization’s bylaws and policies: You want to clearly provide any core rules, regulations, or codes of conduct so board members know what guidelines to follow during all organizational activities and decisions.
- Governance: How does the board of directors control and guide the organization? Cover core topics like decision-making structures, accountability, stakeholder relations, and organizational goals here.
- Financial oversight: Review financial responsibilities that board members have, such as reviewing budgets, managing expenses, and setting controls to protect the organization’s assets. It can also help to include important dates or times when key decisions happen, such as your yearly budget review.
- Strategic planning: You’ll want to help board members build skills to become effective strategic planners. That includes resource allocation, stakeholder engagement, risk management, and monitoring progress.
- Fundraising: Board members typically hold funding responsibilities, whether it’s contributing funds themselves or performing fundraising events. Here, you can list strategies that board members can use to raise funds with tips for success.
- Legal and ethical responsibilities: There are many laws and ethics involved while guiding a nonprofit’s decisions. You should provide the core details here, such as protecting sensitive information, the need for accurate financial reporting, and the organization’s social responsibility to the community.
Onboarding Vs Ongoing Training
Board member training doesn’t have to stop after onboarding. You should provide ongoing training that supports effective decision-making, especially as your organization’s structure or goals shift.
Creating refresher courses or new learning programs based on the industry’s current needs can be a great way to help board members continue growing.
When you use an LMS, you can continuously update the courses on your platform to add new programs or update existing ones to reflect changes.
What Are The Three Duties Of A Nonprofit Board Member?
As you’re developing nonprofit board governance models and nonprofit board governance best practices for your training program, considering the three core duties of board members can help. They go as follows:
- Duty of care: Board members should care about the organization and the community they serve. Understanding responsibilities and making informed decisions will help uphold that sense of care throughout the board’s actions.
- Duty of loyalty: Board members should prioritize the organization's mission and always aim to make responsible decisions that lead to greater success and impact on the community.
- Duty of obedience: Rules and regulations matter. Board members must adhere to the mission and regulatory requirements since they set guiding principles for everything the organization does.
What Are The 3 W’s You Should Look For In A Prospective Board Member?
In addition to creating a successful nonprofit board orientation checklist, you’ll want to ensure you’re choosing new board members who will perform well in the role. Looking for the 3 W’s can help. They are:
- Wealth: Funding is an essential part of a nonprofit’s success. Board members should be willing and able to contribute funds or fundraise for the organization.
- Work: Board members must be willing to work and put effort into their role, from completing training to staying consistent with meetings and the tasks they’re responsible for.
- Wisdom: The board members you select should bring relevant expertise and knowledge to the table to perform effectively in the role.
Conclusion: Best Practices And Next Steps For Effective Board Governance
Keep the points discussed in this article in mind as you begin selecting new board members and building your training program. Remember to consider your organization’s goals, vision, and mission to customize the program to align with the impact you want to make on your community.
When you’re looking for the right technology to support your board training program, Cadmium’s award-winning LMS built for associations and nonprofits, Elevate, can help.
Elevate will empower you to develop your curriculum, customize it to your organization’s branding and needs, make training accessible through an online platform, and track progress and results. It’s an easy-to-use system with a low learning curve to make creating training easy.
In addition to board training, you can also use Elevate to offer continuing education, knowledge sharing opportunities, and certifications that help the rest of your community, too. You can use it to form an organized center for knowledge that helps with all of your organization’s learning needs.
You might even find inspiration for training content or other topics by browsing resources from platforms like Blue Avocado, which shares insightful content tailored for the nonprofit sector.
Finally, ensure your governance committee is actively involved in refining your board composition, prepping each executive director, preparing members before their first board meeting, and clarifying the time commitment expected of everyone involved.
Click here to learn more about how Elevate can make a difference for your nonprofit or association.
