7 Interview Questions to Ask the Nonprofit Board of Directors

Identifying and recruiting the best people to sit on a nonprofit organization’s board is critical.

Recruiting board members might sound intimidating, but it shouldn’t be! In this article, we will guide you through key questions to ask potential board members, equipping you with the resources and knowledge to carry out a successful interview process.

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With this guide, you will be able to identify and enlist strong, effective candidates for your nonprofit’s board of directors, ensuring a bright future for your organization.

Let’s start at the beginning. What is the role of a nonprofit board of directors?

The board of directors, or a nonprofit board, is a nonprofit’s governing entity led by individuals who have a strong interest in the success and longevity of the organization.

The board provides strategic and financial oversight, leaving the day to day operations and management to the organization’s staff. However, the board does perform high level tasks such as recruiting and supervising the nonprofit’s Executive Director and approving the organization’s annual budget.

Some of the key responsibilities of a board of directors are:

• Financial oversight
• Determining the nonprofit’s mission and primary objectives
• Ensuring the nonprofit is legally compliant
• Holding the nonprofit accountable and ensuring it is operating ethically
• Strengthening the organization’s operations through high level strategic planning
• Representing the organization in the public eye

Board members are technically not paid staff—the work they perform in service of the nonprofit is on a voluntary basis and out of a dedication to helping others and their community.

Oftentimes a board of directors is also required to perform fundraising and development tasks on behalf of the organization, making their own financial contributions while also working to secure additional funds, primarily by asking key people within their networks.

Typically, nonprofits identify and recruit board members who have access to wealth, networks, or have sector-specific skills that can be leveraged to advance the organization’s mission and goals.

Boards are often made up of corporate leaders and executives as well as other nonprofit or public sector leaders, bringing a breadth of expertise that is necessary to tackle urgent challenges and other issues that the nonprofit experiences.

While boards can vary in size, they are not optional for nonprofits. As a 501(c)(3) fiscal agent, the IRS requires that nonprofits have a governing board with at least 3 members.

Most boards are led by a board chair or president who leads all board activities and initiatives.

Sometimes board presidents will develop agendas for meetings while sometimes this role will fall to the board secretary, whose primary role is to take notes and keep a diligent record of all board meetings and discussions.

Another key role is the board treasurer who keeps track of the organization’s finances, oftentimes working with the nonprofit’s finance staff to guide important activities like the annual audit.

A great way to learn more about the role of the board of directors at nonprofit organizations is to research key people who sit on the nonprofit board of an organization you admire or trust. This can help inform you about the type of individuals you might want to recruit and how they can best leverage their skills to assist your nonprofit.
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Habitat for Humanity is a major national nonprofit with an extensive board of directors. Consider looking at this nonprofit (or others like it) for insight and guidance.

So you understand the role of the board of directors and why you need a strong team to lead your organization.

The next step is the tricky part—finding individuals who share your passion and dedication to your nonprofit’s mission and who have the talent and experience needed to govern it effectively.

Board recruitment can be a challenging undertaking—but you can be well prepared by knowing what questions to ask potential board members. Below are a few key questions that can help you get to know board candidates and grow board membership.

1. What have you heard about our nonprofit?

The most important item you will want to discuss with any potential board members is their familiarity with your nonprofit.

You will want to be able to find out if the candidate has ever heard of your nonprofit, what their relationship is with your nonprofit's mission, and what they know about your work.

While a candidate certainly does not have to be an expert on your organization to be an effective board member, having absolutely no familiarity with your work will make governance a challenge.

2. Why are you interested in being a board member?

Understanding why an individual wants to be a board member is crucial.

Effective boards recruit passionate individuals who feel deeply connected to the mission of the organization.

If it is clear to you that the candidate does not have a strong interest in your organization’s mission, the communities you serve, or the specific work you are engaged in, that can be a red flag. Someone without that level of engagement could lose interest quickly and not be a strong contributor if brought onto the board.

3. Do you have any fundraising experience?

Fundraising is a key component of a board member’s responsibilities.

Having a board member who has experience or a familiarity with fundraising practices is incredibly helpful. However, it is not a requirement. Board members can always learn best practices for fundraising through their time on your nonprofit’s board of directors and can attribute other skills to help secure revenue.

Having strong communication and collaboration skills are some of the most important talents a board member can bring to the table that are easily transferable to fundraising.

4. What special skills or expertise can you contribute to the organization?

It is important that your board is diverse, not just in the demographic sense but also in terms of background and experience.

For example, an executive with extensive management experience in the private sector may be successful bringing those management skills to their role on the board. Other skills such as accounting, investment, finance, design, communications, marketing, and others can be critical to advancing the organization.

Lived experience is also another very important piece to consider when recruiting for your board of directors. Having a participant perspective is vital to the success of a nonprofit organization.

If a board member has had similar experiences to participants you serve or were perhaps served by an organization like yours at one point, that can help give voice and power to the populations you work to support.

5. How do you collaborate with others?

Being on a board of directors is not a solitary experience. Without solid teamwork and collaboration, discussions and planning can easily fall apart and the board can become ineffective.

Effective board governance means managing and working together as a team. Identifying if a person can work well with others, share ideas, and respect others’ ideas and experiences in turn is critical.

Not only is it important to note whether a potential board member enjoys or feels comfortable collaborating with others, it is also a good idea to probe them and discover what their collaborative styles are. How do they collaborate with others and what does that look like?

Selecting board members who share similar communication styles and have complementary teamwork styles can be a huge win for board development.

6. What are you most passionate about?

While you will need to understand potential board members through a professional lens you’ll also want to find out what they are like personally.

What motivates them? What are they passionate about and driven to accomplish?

Many board members are interested in joining a governing board of a nonprofit because they are passionate about the organization’s mission.

Perhaps you operate a small local art museum and are looking to bring on new members to your board of directors. If a candidate expresses a love and passion for making art or viewing art, you can leverage that person's interests to advance your mission. They’ll likely be interested in ensuring your organization thrives and is successful.

However, even if the candidate does not have a direct connection to your work that does not mean that they should be disqualified from membership. It may just mean that you can utilize their skill sets to strengthen your leadership in some other way.

For example, many people have a passion for working with others. A board member with this kind of desire can be helpful launching new volunteer initiatives or supporting efforts to engage the public.

Identify what makes a qualified candidate energized and you can be certain that the board of directors remains engaged and activated around your mission.

7. What do you envision for the future of this nonprofit?

One of the most important components of a board member’s role is guiding the nonprofit toward a stable and successful future.

To do this, board members should have a clear and concise idea of what that future should look like. This vision should align with your nonprofit’s mission and guiding principles.

It is also important to find out what actionable steps board members plan to take to secure that future. Will they enhance or adapt fundraising strategies to bring in diverse revenue streams? Will they initiate a strategic plan to ensure the organization is on the right track?

Make sure to ask board candidates how they plan to participate in making that vision a reality.

These are only a few key questions you should ask of any candidate for your nonprofit’s board of directors. Considering including additional questions such as:

• What key connections can you facilitate based on your network?
• What is your past experience working with nonprofits or in the nonprofit sector?
• What do you consider your personal strengths?
• What are your strategies for managing executives at the organization?

The board of directors is a vital component of a nonprofit’s leadership. Recruiting excellent and inspired candidates to hold positions on the board is essential to the sustainability and future success of an organization. Knowing what questions to ask board candidates in an interview will help you identify the best individuals to fill these roles.

Want to learn more about nonprofit management and how you can grow your nonprofit? Visit Instrumentl for handy FAQs, articles, guides, and expert led training on grants, fundraising, management, and everything in between!