Are you a nonprofit leader who thrives on emailing your 12 board members but only hearing back from one? Or a board leader eager to be one of only two or three members shouldering the weight of governance? Of course not! For most of us, the answer to both questions is a resounding “no”.
Board leadership and engagement remain persistent struggles for many social sector leaders. What if the solution to revitalizing your board lies less in “managing” and more in fostering relationships?
Common Struggles with Board Engagement and Leadership Capacity
Nonprofit leaders often voice similar frustrations about their boards:
- “My board doesn’t help with fundraising.”
- “I send out emails, and all I get is crickets.”
- “No one wants to step up to fill this one critical gap.”
These complaints highlight a recurring pattern: nonprofit executives often carry the bulk of decision-making and leadership responsibilities, with minimal board support. Some board leaders show up to meetings prepared, only to discover they’re among the few who’ve read the materials or volunteered for additional responsibilities.
The result is a leadership gap that stifles organizational growth. Boards become reactive rather than proactive, leaving the executive team to juggle everything from fundraising to program development. For boards to co-lead effectively—and for members to prepare for future chair roles—it’s vital to focus on understanding each person’s perspective, interests, and capacity to contribute from the outset.
Acknowledging That a Leader’s Time Is Precious
As a nonprofit leader, your time is one of your most valuable resources. With competing demands like fundraising, staff management, strategy development, and program delivery, it’s easy to see why relationship-building with your board might feel like an indulgence you can’t afford.
The refrain, “I don’t have time for this,” is valid. However, investing time in building relationships and creating processes that allow board members to connect meaningfully with one another can save time in the long run—and set the organization up for sustained success.
Building strong, collaborative relationships with board members not only engages them but also encourages ownership of their roles. When board members have clearly defined responsibilities, a strong understanding of organizational needs, and a personal connection to the cause, they are far more likely to take initiative and proactively support your mission.
Why Relationship-Building Is Key to Distributed Leadership
So how does relationship-building foster distributed leadership?
Distributive leadership involves shared responsibility and collaboration. To effectively distribute leadership—determining who should lead what, who to train, and so on—trusted relationships and a deep understanding of each board member’s potential contributions are essential.
Essentially, when distributed leadership is in place, there are more board members actively engaged in doing the collective work of the board. This creates more bodies and skills to do the work and helps to prepare more board members to move into formal roles such as committee chairs or officers of the board.
Investing in these relationships both inside and outside the boardroom helps create an environment where leadership is shared, reducing dependence on any single individual or small group.
How to Build Strong Relationships on Your Board
Given what we know about the importance of building trust in our community relationships, it stands to reason that boards with strong interpersonal relationships are more likely to make strategic decisions collaboratively, work toward a unified mission, and be more responsive to organization needs when that trust and relationship capital exists. Boards that work well together understand their collective role and share responsibility for organizational outcomes.
Fostering relationships for this purpose is about knowing your board members as individuals and tapping into their unique skills, interests, and expertise. Not every board member is going to engage with the organization in the same way—nor should they.
Some may want to contribute in a hands-on capacity, while others may prefer to support the organization through strategic advice or fundraising. By getting to know their professional interests and personal motivations, you can better understand where they can add value in ways that align with their comfort zones and expertise.
Resources to Strengthen Board Relationships
If you’re thinking, “There’s no time for this!”—I hear you. That’s why tools like an annual engagement calendar can be game-changers. This tool, which can be implemented by you and other board members, outlines tangible steps for grounding relationships throughout the year.
If you’d ever like to explore strategies for building a high-performing board, book a free consultation with Heightened Development here. Let’s create a team of rock stars together!
