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What Are the Responsibilities of Individual Board Members?
Individual board member responsibilities
- Attend all board and committee meetings and functions, such as special events.
- Be informed about the organization's mission, services, policies, and programs.
- Review agenda and supporting materials prior to board and committee meetings.
- Serve on committees or task forces and offer to take on special assignments.
- Make a personal financial contribution to the organization.
- Inform others about the organization.
- Suggest possible nominees to the board who can make significant contributions to the work of the board and the organization.
- Keep up-to-date on developments in the organization's field.
- Follow conflict-of-interest and confidentiality policies.
- Refrain from making special requests of the staff.
- Assist the board in carrying out its fiduciary responsibilities, such as reviewing the organization's annual financial statements.
Personal characteristics to consider
- Ability to: listen, analyze, think clearly and creatively, work well with people individually and in a group.
- Willing to: prepare for and attend board and committee meetings, ask questions, take responsibility and follow through on a given assignment, contribute personal and financial resources in a generous way according to circumstances, open doors in the community, evaluate oneself.
- Develop certain skills if you do not already possess them, such as to: cultivate and solicit funds, cultivate and recruit board members and other volunteers, read and understand financial statements, learn more about the substantive program area of the organization.
- Possess: honesty, sensitivity to and tolerance of differing views, a friendly, responsive, and patient approach, community-building skills, personal integrity, a developed sense of values, concern for your nonprofit's development, a sense of humor.
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What Are the Responsibilities of Individual Board Members?
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Of Interest
What Are the Legal Responsibilities of Nonprofit Boards?
Under well-established principles of nonprofit corporation law, a board member must meet certain standards of conduct and attention in carrying out his or her responsibilities to the organization. These standards—usually described as the duty of care, the duty of loyalty, and the duty of obedience—are explained in this article from BoardSource.
Fiduciary Responsibilities of Board Members
One of the main responsibilities of nonprofit board members is to maintain financial accountability of their organization. Board members act as trustees of the organization’s assets and must exercise due diligence to oversee that the organization is well-managed and that its financial situation remains sound. Here is an outline, provided by BoardSource, on how nonprofit board members can fulfill their role as fiduciaries.
What Are the Basic Responsibilities of Nonprofit Boards?
Ten basic responsibilities of nonprofit boards and their individual members are outlined in this BoardSource article.