I hear from a lot of volunteer involving organisations that finding board members is difficult, and that most of their current board members are (or, in some cases, ought to be) aging out. Most seem to want younger people to step up. Recruiting younger people for board positions isn’t really that hard, but it will always stay on your wish list if that’s all you do to make it happen – wish for it!
I attended a webinar yesterday put on by Carlton University’s Charity Insights Canada Project (CICP). In the course of the webinar, the presenter showed some data from one of their weekly surveys, giving data on where Canadian charities are focusing their efforts on recruiting younger generations. Here’s an infographic from their research:
Notice something? Only 19% out of 788 respondents (ie: fewer than 150) stated that they actually had a strategy in place to recruit younger people to their boards. All the rest of them are just wishing!
I’m going to make the assumption that most don’t know how to create such a strategy. I have been quite successful in recruiting younger people to boards that I’ve served on, so I’m going to share my strategy, in the hopes that it will work as well for you as it has for me.
First, ensure your board is running effectively.
There is zero point in trying to recruit people to a dysfunctional board. They won’t stick around. Make sure your meetings start and end on time; that disagreements are about ideas and direction, not about personalities; that you are actually making a difference, not just meeting for the sake of meeting.
Second, rethink what you consider as “board-ready” skills.
It’s easy to screen out people unintentionally by having expectations that many people can’t meet. Rather than recruiting purely on traditional credentials, lean more into lived experience, digital knowledge or different world views. Just because someone doesn’t have corporate or white collar experience doesn’t mean that they won’t be able to offer valid contributions to a board. Hey, my experience is in the trades, and I’ve served effectively (I think!) on a number of different boards.
Next, decide what “younger” looks like.
Are you wanting youth? 30 to 50 year olds? Younger retirees? Or, if you want my advice, a few of each? Each stage will have different needs and limitations, and will be looking for different benefits. Youth is a time where changing jobs and locations is common. You may have to hold your meetings online so they can attend wherever they end up. 30 to 50 year olds tend to have family responsibilities in addition to career ones. You may need to excuse them from serving on multiple committees. Younger retirees tend to do a lot of traveling; another reason for online meetings.
Also think about what benefits you can offer people at each of these stages. A recent retiree won’t care about gaining board experience for their resume. A 30 to 50 year old will. A youth may want school credits and the leadership experience. Make a list of the different benefits that you can offer each group.
Here’s an example.
Say you’re looking for youth, and you also need someone to back up and be the successor for your Treasurer. Talk to the local college’s accounting professor and ask who they think would make a good board member. Offer to have your current Treasurer mentor them and say you’ll provide a certificate of hours or whatever the department needs to provide extra credit to the student. Bring them onto the board, have them shadow the Treasurer, and they can step into that role when the Treasurer’s term is up.
There are a few other things you need to consider.
When recruiting younger people for board positions, especially with those who have never served on boards before, there may be a feeling of imposter syndrome, caused by a lack of understanding of financial statements, fiduciary responsibilities or governance procedure. Provide new members with at least basic training in these areas, and ensure that all their questions are answered respectfully.
And provide them with a mentor! Not only does having someone to ask questions of make them feel more confident, there is nothing that will keep someone engaged more than having strong relationships with other board members.
Lastly, a warning.
Make sure that when you’re recruiting younger people for board positions that you are doing it because you genuinely want their input. I have been on boards where youth or individuals from other underrepresented groups are recruited so that the board can “look” diverse. Tokenism is an ugly thing. It will not serve you or your cause. Avoid it.
According to Carlton University’s survey, 81% of non-profits in Canada do not have a strategy for engaging younger people on their boards, despite a stated need for more board members. I hope this helps.
