New Board Member Orientation for our organization has historically followed the same tried & true (read: boring & forgettable) formula: policy & procedure review, responsibility over view, get to know you games, etc. While these things are necessary & important, they don't really prepare new board members for their new roles as leaders. I am currently working on improving the new board member experience & would love to hear what your organizations have done. Fresh ideas for person-to-person, group meetings, suggested readings, what works, what definitely does not work-I want it all! Thanks for your help!
We hold a 3-hour face-to-face new board member orientation just prior to our first board meeting of the year and break it up into 'modules' where different staff members present different sections. Sometimes other members who aren't new will sit in and help with the conversation, ask questions, etc. It's pretty in-depth, and it seems to be pretty interactive. Happy to share our topics!
For one of my committees that has a lot of policy and procedure stuff to manage, I make a comprehensive notebook and send to people, but no one ever reads it. We've recently started doing one-on-one calls and webinars to review the materials but it still doesn't seem to stick. Probably depends on the subject matter...
In our board trainings, I always like to set aside time for a working session on strategic growth and implementation. Depending on length of service, it is an opportunity for each member to share where they see potential for growth, what obstacles are in the way of that growth, to brainstorm on what resources are necessary to drive the goals, and who would like to serve as the drivers. I find that this type of exercise lets them show some of their personality and interest, while giving them something practical to start discussion and solving, and always elicits tacticle take-aways and next steps.
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