When Joe agreed to join the board of a local food pantry, he was taken aback by the Board Chairman's insistence that he attend a two-hour Board Orientation. Joe's a busy guy, and he tried to get out of the meeting every way he could. He explained he'd served on boards before and knew what he was doing. He had a lot of appointments that week and wasn't sure if he could fit the orientation in.

Nothing he said could dissuade the Board Chair, who insisted that the orientation was part of the commitment. If Joe wanted to serve on the board, he had to attend the orientation. Joe sort of remembered reading that in the job description, and because he believed in the organization and its mission, he agreed. Grudgingly.

What he learned surprised him. He thought he knew about the organization and the responsibilities of a board member before. But he learned so many things about the organization's programs, services, and strategic plan, and he was much more engaged, enthusiastic, and productive as a board member from day one. He realized that with every other board he served on it took him at least a year to gain the knowledge he needed in order to make decisions and help those organizations meet their mission and vision.

Today Joe is a leading advocate for a thorough Board Orientation and makes it a priority to attend all new member orientations, both to support the organization and get re-energized. He finds he always learns something new.

This month's download is a checklist to help you create a board member orientation that will enthuse your new board members and maybe your existing ones as well!

Enthusiastically Seeking Knowledge,

Bea Northcott
Training Associate