Nonprofit Board Positions: Structure, Roles and Responsibilities

When your charity or nonprofit was established, the founding board members determined the structure of board positions and their associated responsibilities to ensure good governance.

Governance is a system of rules, principles, and protocols that outline how to run a nonprofit. Nonprofits demonstrate good governance when multiple people are involved in decision-making. Collectively, your board should bring together all the necessary skills to ensure robust nonprofit governance.

Today, gender, demographics, and cultural diversity are essential characteristics to consider when recruiting and choosing board members.

This article will cover four key areas that help form a capable, effective volunteer board:

1. How charity or not-for-profit board positions are structured
2. Roles and responsibilities of a board of directors
3. The importance of job descriptions for board positions in a nonprofit
4. Next steps: How to recruit the right candidates for a nonprofit

How to Structure Charity Board Positions

The board’s primary role of overseeing the charity’s affairs and activities must be considered when setting up or altering the structure for board positions. Unlike managerial roles, the board doesn’t get involved in managing the organisation’s daily activities and this must also be a consideration.

By design, charity board positions aren’t intended to be permanent. BoardSource, a global network of nonprofit leaders, recommends nonprofits having term limits. According to their most recent Leading with Intent report, just over 87% of nonprofit board positions have term limits. Charity boards commonly structure board positions with three-year terms, and they allow board members to serve two terms consecutively.

It’s generally best to stagger board terms to eliminate the risk of an entire board turning over simultaneously. The BoardEffect platform supports the board development cycle for each board position and your not-for-profit’s goals of recruitment and succession planning.

Most boards start with at least three board positions, including:

1. Board chair
2. Board secretary
3. Board treasurer

Some boards also elect or appoint a board vice-chair who takes over if the board chair or president can’t serve their duties. Depending on the board’s structure and preference, it’s also common for nonprofit boards to elect or appoint a few at-large board members to round out the group.

Download the Board Effectiveness Checklist to identify areas of improvement and apply best practices for a more effective, productive and successful board.

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Board Roles and Responsibilities

Your bylaws or a board policy will outline the roles and responsibilities for each board officer and board member roles.

A written job description and an outline of each board member’s duties and responsibilities is considered a best practice. It’s also a good practice to ask each board member to sign a form stating they understand their responsibilities.

The following descriptions provide a brief overview of each of the nonprofit board of director’s positions:

Board Chair

The board chair oversees the board’s work and often facilitates board meetings. Also, the board chair is generally the primary person who works with the executive director or senior management team to make sure things are running smoothly and keep the board informed.

These are some of the primary duties of a board chair:

• Recommends members for committees and appoints committee chairs
• Works in connection with the executive director to prepare board meeting agendas
• Arranges for or takes part in new board member orientations
• Takes the lead on the executive director’s annual performance evaluation
• Assists in recruiting qualified new board member candidates
• Serves as the nonprofit’s spokesperson as needed
• Takes the lead in the annual board member self-evaluation process

Vice-Chair

The vice-chair has the same duties and responsibilities as all other board members, including the duty of loyalty, the duty of obedience, and duty of care. The vice-chair generally serves as a backup leader to the board president so the board is never without leadership.

These are some of the duties of a vice chair:

• Runs board meetings as requested and in the board chair’s absence
• Serves as the nonprofit’s spokesperson as needed
• Assists with board chair duties
• Completes special duties as requested

Secretary

The board secretary’s duties help protect a not-for-profit organisation. Board secretaries have a variety of duties and responsibilities including:

• Schedules board meetings
• Assists in board member orientation
• Takes attendance at board meetings
• Takes accurate meeting minutes and getting them approved
• Maintains board records
• Ensures secure storage of official board documents and contracts
• Tracks board member terms
• Monitors legal compliance

Treasurer

The board treasurer position requires someone who has experience in financial accounting for charities or nonprofits. The treasurer also needs to make sure board members can access the financial reports in a timely manner, which is why it’s critical to use a board management software solution. The treasurer:

• Manages the budget
• Takes the lead in the annual audit
• Answers questions about the audit
• Chairs the finance committee
• Partners with the executive director to ensure the financial reports are continually updated

Board Members At-Large

The at-large board members are just as important as board positions for officers, as all board members have equal responsibility for the board’s actions and decisions.

At-large board members are expected to fulfill the following duties:

• Attend all board meetings
• Engage in board meetings actively
• Serve on at least one committee
• Donate to the board annually
• Support board decisions even when they voted against them

The Importance of Board Job Descriptions

Nearly anyone can serve on a charity or not-for-profit board of directors if they have the desire to serve. Board member candidates are generally recruited from the business population in their communities as businesspeople have many of the skills necessary for serving on a charity or nonprofit board.

While incoming board members may have an idea of what’s expected from them on the board, it’s best to develop a board description for officer and at-large board positions and put it in writing. If there is ever a question about competence, the board can refer back to the job description and compare notes.

You might find it helpful to use this board member job description template as a reference point. This nonprofit board member job description sample is also a handy resource for your board.

How to Find Nonprofit Board Positions

Interesting in serving as volunteer board member? It can be a valuable experience in many ways, and we’re providing some valuable tips for how to find a nonprofit board position.  It can help you increase your personal network and bolster your CV. A board member position allows you to apply your expertise and experience in a nonprofit arena.

Board experience can prove to be valuable in your career and other areas of your life, and it can give you experience in working with a board management software program. It’s also personally rewarding to donate your time to a worthy cause.

To find open nonprofit board member positions:

1. Take a proactive approach.
2. Look for open opportunities on LinkedIn.
3. Mention your desire to serve on a charity or nonprofit board to your coworkers and other people within your network.
4. Be open and vocal about your commitment to board service.
5. Inquire about open board positions for charities or not-for-profits that you support.

Something is sure to materialise quickly as not-for-profit boards are often looking for new board members.

Next Steps: Recruiting the Right Candidates for Nonprofit Board Member Positions

A good start to recruiting for your board of directors positions is to lay a good foundation by forming a nominating committee and filling a pipeline with candidates.

An annual board skills audit and self-evaluation will give you an idea of the skills your board needs, which will help your committee narrow down a list of qualified candidates.

Make it known that your board is looking for board members on social media sites, board member matching sites, and through your social and business networks.

If you would like to learn more about how BoardEffect can support your board, we would love to speak with you! Request a demo and let us share how we help more than 14,000 boards in 48 countries.