Where to find new board members

1. Consider your volunteers

Your volunteers already work closely with you, know plenty about your group and obviously support your work and efforts. It makes sense you approach those who are already "sold" on your group and its work to become more involved.

2. Consider your clients/client group

Your clients and/or client group are familiar with your work - having benefitted from it, as well as perhaps having offered advice on making your efforts most effective.

Having a client on your board can further enhance the level of input from this sector of your group, and in turn improve the focus of your efforts.

3. Consider your donors

Your donors have previously shown their support through financial means or other generosity. They may be illing to increase their support, or change the way they support you by joining the board.

4. Good Moves and the Board Matching Service

The Board Matching Service offers an avenues to attract quality new board members (and other staff as well!)

It is a great place to start investigating for new board blood. Before you start searching, finalise your position description and what you want or need from your potential new recruit so you attract those who best fit the bill.

5. Search in other places

Another common complaint is that groups struggle to recruit young people, business people or those from multicultural backgrounds to their boards because they can't find them.

While this might be valid in a few cases, more likely it is a case of groups not looking in the right places.

For example:

• Find where young people congregate, either in an actually physical space or virtually through the internet and social media, and work through these channels.
• Engage business people through their networks - chambers of commerce, or through groups like Rotary, Apex, Zonta or Lions.
• Find multicultural board representatives through the many government registers in each state and territory, or chat with people of multicultural background who already work with you to see if they are willing to jump aboard.

6. Input from funders

Perhaps government grant program officers, foundations or other funding organisations can provide suggestions on prospective board members.

Of course, it isn't their role to try and shoe-horn someone of their choosing onto your board. But those who fund you obviously care enough about your group and its work to provide money for it, so perhaps they might be able to offer suggestions on potential board members as well.

7. Ask

The famous AFL coach John Kennedy once exhorted of his players: "Don't think, do!"

Similarly, your group must take the simple step forward and actually ask someone you have identified as a potential board member whether they wish to join.

If you don't ask, you won't know.

8. Read the papers, watch the news, monitor the media

You never know when a newspaper article, TV show or radio interview might turn up a potential board member.

Whenever an opportunity like this arises, consider sending that person a note or getting in touch, commenting on their media appearance and asking if he or she would be interested in getting involved as a volunteer board member.

Even if the person doesn't respond to the invitation to meet, you will have caught the favourable attention of an influential community member.

9. To the committee, from the committee

Some people might not be able to jump straight onto your board.

One alternative is to offer them a spot on one of your committees; they can, from there, observe your group, do their bit and then consider making a bigger commitment by joining the board.

Another option is to look at your existing committee members to see if there is anyone already there who could fill a board role.

10. Brainstorm

An old fashioned brainstorming session can still work.

If you've already analysed the types of people you would like to recruit to your board, board members and officers can compile a list of well-connected people that might want to join you.

Maybe ask 10 of them to a lunch meeting. Tell them at the lunch they'll learn more about the organisation and what it's looking for in potential board members.

If these people aren't interested, your could then ask them if there is anyone else they might be able to recommend. You could then follow up that list of potential recruits, opening your conversation with them by saying they had been recommended by "so-and-so".