How to interview
prospective new
board members
From Blue Avocado
A coffee date isn't a good idea only for beginning, tentative romances. A coffee or lunch date is an easy way to meet with individuals who may be good candidates for your nonprofit board. If you spend a few minutes ahead of time thinking about what to ask, you'll end up having a much better idea of whether it's a good match.
Frequently a first meeting with a prospective board member is set up as a lunch or coffee with a current board member and the executive director. It's a good idea to state clearly at the beginning that this is a "get-to-know-you" meeting and that no decisions need to be made before the meeting ends. Say that you'll follow up with a phone call to see if the individual is still interested and whether the board's nominating committee is still interested. If so, there may be another step or the nomination may go to the full board for a vote.
An alternative process is to have profiles of several candidates brought to the board. Board members sort the list into three groups:
A: Nominees that are well known to several board members and, as a result, can be added immediately to the board by the nominating committee if the initial meeting goes well.
B: Nominees with whom to explore board service. If the initial meeting leads to signs of mutual interest, the nominating committee can choose to explore further or to bring the nomination to the full board for approval
C: Nominees who don't seem to be the right fit, but depending on who accepts and declines from lists A and B, may be moved up to List B.
