How To Build a Working Board

BY S. KIRK WALSH, FOUNDER OF THE AUSTIN BAT CAVE

This was the one of the first things I did when I began to work on getting Austin Bat Cave off the ground. That said, most of my friends in Austin are writers, and not all writers make the best board members in terms of connections into the community with check-writing capacity. I would recommend that the priorities of any new board are to fill the primary offices on the board: President, Vice President, Secretary, and Treasurer. The President is important for leadership purposes, but the Treasurer is key in keeping the organization’s financial health sound and steady. ABC ran into problems when we didn’t have a Treasurer. I think it’s important to find individuals who are passionate about the mission and are willing to work hard for the organizations. If possible, it’s helpful to find individuals with previous board experience with nonprofits, so they have some experience. Make them aware of the expectations (number of hours, monthly or week; financial responsibility; and attendance at events). It’s a big commitment, and you want your board members to be aware of their responsibilities before making the commitment.