Recruiting Recruiting Trustees:Trustees:

Finding the Right DNAFinding the Right DNA

Valerie Horton, CLiC Valerie Horton, CLiC Executive DirectorExecutive Director

Thanks to Jim Conner and WebJunction

Why Recruiting is Important?Why Recruiting is Important?

Community representativeCommunity representative Advocate & fund raiserAdvocate & fund raiser Information exchange Information exchange Provide governance and leadershipProvide governance and leadership Act as buffer with local officialsAct as buffer with local officials

Step 1: Board AssessmentStep 1: Board Assessment

Strength and weaknesses?Strength and weaknesses?• Existing skills or resources?Existing skills or resources?• What’s missing?What’s missing?

Does your Board Does your Board Represent your Community?Represent your Community?

Are You Too Comfortable?Are You Too Comfortable?

““Most nonprofit Most nonprofit organizations organizations recruit trustees recruit trustees based on based on friendships or on friendships or on other personal other personal connections to the connections to the organization’s organization’s leadership.”leadership.”

Bridge Star Study Boston, 2005

Are you Stagnant?Are you Stagnant?

New New people, people, new ideas new ideas can wake- can wake- up a boardup a board

Step 2: Step 2: Selecting the BestSelecting the Best

After you’ve After you’ve identified what identified what qualities or skills qualities or skills are missing from are missing from your board, you your board, you have the code to have the code to find the right find the right matchmatch

Desperately Seeking…Desperately Seeking…

Fund raising abilitiesFund raising abilities Passion Passion Judgment Judgment Courage Courage Commitment Commitment Integrity Integrity Communications Communications Open-mindednessOpen-mindedness Concern and pride for the communityConcern and pride for the community

Where are these Paragons?Where are these Paragons?

Traditional Sources

Friends Groups Frequent library users Leaders in service clubs, church and

civic groups People a record of achievement in

their life or for the community

Non-Traditional Sources

Local media personnel

Service Professions

Recreational/tourist professionals

Major employers in the community

Non-fiction writers

Scanning Culture Scanning Culture

Board members and library staff should be constantly scanning for potential, new board members

You found ‘em, You found ‘em, how do you how do you HOOK ‘EM?HOOK ‘EM?

Step 3:Step 3:The Art of the “ASK”The Art of the “ASK”

Be Welcoming

Be Welcoming

don’tdon’t

undervalue

undervalue the task

the task

NEVER SAY:NEVER SAY:• The job is The job is

undemandingundemanding• It won’t take much It won’t take much

timetime Have obstacles to Have obstacles to

getting on the getting on the BoardBoard

People tend to value the difficult and highly selective

Your Message should be:Your Message should be:

We’re a professional, We’re a professional, well-run boardwell-run board

This is a critically This is a critically important jobimportant job

You are the best You are the best personperson

““IT’S AN HONOR” to IT’S AN HONOR” to serveserve

Ease Personal ConcernsEase Personal Concerns

Define commitmentsDefine commitments Invitation to observeInvitation to observe Explain trainingExplain training ““Place at the table” Place at the table”

Address ConcernsAddress Concerns

Fiscal and legal issuesFiscal and legal issues Sarbanes-Oxley Sarbanes-Oxley

• 'Public Company Accounting Reform and 'Public Company Accounting Reform and Investor Protection Act' 2002Investor Protection Act' 2002

Answer: A professional, well-run Answer: A professional, well-run board won’t have problems and board won’t have problems and should give new members should give new members confidenceconfidence

Solicit their thoughts

Dialog on:•Experience with the library

•What works, what doesn’t•New services•View of the community•Future of libraries

Diversity RecruitmentDiversity RecruitmentCamila Alire and Jacqueline Ayala Camila Alire and Jacqueline Ayala

Canvass your churches, social Canvass your churches, social organizations, government, and organizations, government, and social services agenciessocial services agencies

Adult Latino library usersAdult Latino library users• Program attendeesProgram attendees• Program presentersProgram presenters

Library staffLibrary staff

Latino Communities have Latino Communities have Formal & Informal Leaders Formal & Informal Leaders

•Formal leaders:Formal leaders: Minority business owners, Minority business owners, directors of agencies, educators, directors of agencies, educators, or government employees or government employees

•Informal leaders:Informal leaders: Parents, church activists, Parent Parents, church activists, Parent Teacher OrganizationTeacher Organization

The EndThe End

Building a great board one Building a great board one strand at a time…strand at a time…