Vipe Desai is a leader with decades of marketing, branding and governance experience who has served on more than a dozen boards.
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It is not easy to run a nonprofit business — that’s a common fact a lot of people are aware of. But it doesn’t mean that you can’t have a brilliant junior board or, as I like to refer to it, an associate board, that functions at a professional level to help drive your mission and programs.
An associate board may be new to some of you but, generally, it’s a body of individuals who support a nonprofit's official board and leadership. It's great for individuals who want to gain experience and expertise in board governance, project management, budgeting and fundraising but may not have all of the requirements in order to do so on the official board.
By being involved in the associate board these young and emerging leaders are able to gain the knowledge and experience that may be valuable in their career journey. An associate board is also a great development program for potential board members for your organization or to help them get onto other NPO boards.
Does every single organization need an associate board?
Maybe, maybe not, but an associate board is another way for nonprofits to bring a variety of talented young people together with a variety of skills around the common goal to serve the organization.
I serve as chairman of the board to a 45-year-young community-based organization that educates 100,000 children, teachers, parents and visitors annually through over 60 marine science and maritime history programs. The campus is well known for its ocean education center that offers in-depth marine science, maritime history and outdoor education programs.
Trying to put together a great associate board can be a challenging task, so here are a few tips that I’ve collected during my experience that other NPO leaders might find helpful:
1. Keep it local. By keeping your associate board members local, you can tap into the community with more potential for fundraising and advocacy.
2. Collaborate within your community. Many local businesses are interested in working closely with community NPOs while giving their employees an opportunity to support the community. Community-based collaboration offers nonprofit leaders a targeted and meaningful opportunity to further their missions.
3. Look for unique skill sets. This is good to remember when looking for a well-rounded associate board, ensuring that the people you choose for your board meet the expectations and skills you require. Do you need a financial expert? A social media manager? A marketer? All of these things need to be considered before you go out looking for a team.
4. Identify the requirements needed for board participation. Are they going to have to dedicate a lot of time to this? If so, do you have a good guide for them so they have a complete understanding of what's required of them? This helps so that you’re not wasting time with people who may join and then realize that it is not for them. Are they expected to attend events that are in the area? Do they need to donate some of their own money to the cause?
Now, if you can get a recruitment plan in place for your associate board, I’m confident your organization will be able to function at a higher level. I truly believe that many nonprofits could excel with a good associate board because of the combined experience and each individual's desire to be there. These boards are usually made up of passionate people driven toward a greater purpose. All of our associate board members for the Ocean Institute are so passionate about our environment and its sea life that they want to make a positive impact on it. They have helped spearhead successful fundraising initiatives, fresh partnerships, new events and programs that have helped us to reach new donors and more students.
Associate board candidates offer much-needed skills for nonprofits that include branding, communications, digital marketing, marketing, social media, public relations, web and graphic design, strategic partnerships, technology and more. It does take a lot of hard work and patience when starting a new associate board, but once it's up and running, a talented volunteer board can create exponential value to any organization.
One great hidden resource you can leverage to find members for your associate board is the Private Directors Association, where I’m also a member. Here you can find a well-qualified and eager list of candidates to serve on your associate board, and many can also be bumped up to your actual governing board.
If your organization is looking for new and exciting ways to boost and grow fundraising efforts and community engagement, an associate board might just be what you're looking for. Building out a team of passionate professionals who are connected to your mission will serve your organization well while also developing leaders to become productive members of your community.
Associate boards can be great investments.
The added value of building a non-governing associate board can serve to cultivate the next generation of talented leaders, build a pipeline for the organization’s governing board, bring additional expertise into the organization and improve the diversity of the organization’s leadership.
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