There is a lot of mythology in the nonprofit world around what makes a great board of directors. Does it take prestige names or deep pockets? Some start by using friends or family. None of that matters if your board isn’t actively engaged, aligned on mission, vision, and values, and capable of respectfully challenging each other and leadership. The reality is that a nonprofit is only as strong as its board, and that strength is built, not assumed.

Below are some hard-earned truths and practical strategies for building the kind of nonprofit board that actually adds value, doesn’t quietly sabotage your mission, and knows how to do more than nod (or nod out) during meetings and PowerPoint updates.

Only Recruit Real Players

Stop treating board recruitment like a popularity contest or a donor acknowledgement ceremony. You want committed, engaged people with time, talent, and temperament. If a prospective board member cannot be bothered to show up consistently, read the board packet in advance, or participate in a Zoom meeting without checking their email the entire time, they really should not be there. As one of my friends says eloquently, you should “bless and release them,” thank them for their interest, and move on.

The group vetting candidates should ask real questions before nominating a candidate for board service:

• Have they served on a board before?
• Do they understand fiduciary duty?
• Can they commit to meeting attendance, committee participation, and strategic engagement?
• How have they demonstrated engagement with the organization?

Create a Real Onboarding Process

“Here’s our bylaws and some meeting minutes from last year” is not onboarding. That’s document dumping.

Effective onboarding includes:

• A detailed conversation, not just paperwork, about mission, vision, and values, programs, and the current strategic plan.
• Orientation on legal duties (care, loyalty, obedience) and real-world application.
• Expectations about attendance, committee service, fundraising, and participation.
• A frank overview of the organization’s challenges and opportunities.

Build a Culture That Encourages Candor

You do not want a boardroom full of people who smile politely and vote yes to avoid tension. Healthy boards have friction: respectful, informed, mission-driven disagreement. You want a culture where someone can say, “I’m not sure that’s the right move,” without being labeled difficult or disruptive.

The executive director and board chair must model this by:

• Inviting dissent and rewarding constructive feedback.
• Avoiding groupthink or top-down rubber stamping.
• Managing conflict productively, not defensively.
• Asking for feedback at the end of meetings to avoid conversations happening in the parking lot that should happen in the boardroom.

Create Accountability—For the Board, Too

Accountability cannot just be for staff. Your board should hold itself accountable for its own performance both individually and collectively.

That means:

• Annual self-assessments or peer reviews.
• Clear term limits with structured offboarding.
• Exit interviews to learn what’s working and what’s not.
• A formal (and enforced) attendance and participation policy.

Board Chairs Matter—A Lot

A bad board chair can quietly destroy a nonprofit. They can dominate meetings, hamstring the executive director, shut down dissent, and steer things based on personal preference or vendettas.

A strong chair:

• Understands the boundary between governance and management and intimately understands the need to stay in the governance swimlane.
• Facilitates inclusive, productive meetings.
• Supports the executive director without acting like a shadow CEO.
• Manages board dynamics, not just agendas.

Diversify—Meaningfully

Diversity on nonprofit boards isn’t just about checking boxes or taking photos for the annual report. It is about creating a board with breadth of reach and wisdom, avoiding blind spots, and enhancing effective decision-making. It is about lived experience, perspectives, skill sets, and networks that reflect your mission and community.

Real diversity means:

• Recruiting beyond the usual suspects and inner circles and creating an intentional strategy and structure to do so.
• Listening to and empowering underrepresented voices.
• Understanding that representation is not window dressing. Instead, it must be a core governance strength to be effective.

Run Better Meetings

If your meetings are a slog through reports and updates with no real discussion or strategic focus and progress, your board is being wasted.

Fix it:

• Use consent agendas to clear routine items quickly.
• Build in time for generative discussion or strategic dilemmas.
• End each meeting with action items and accountability.
• Send materials out early and expect directors to come prepared.

Final Thoughts

There is no perfect formula for a great board, but there is a clear path to likely success: engaged people, clear expectations, honest culture, and mutual accountability. That does not require magic, it requires intentional structure and management.

If your board is not working, fix it. If it is working, do not rest on your laurels. Invest in keeping it that way. Do not wait for a crisis. That is when bad governance gets very expensive. Instead, invest time and resources up front to create strength and resilience in your board early and often.

For more information or help with nonprofit governance strategy, training, or legal compliance, reach out to me at thughes@beankinney.com or (703) 526-5582. We work with nonprofits throughout Virginia, Maryland, and D.C., and we are happy to help your board become the asset it was meant to be.

This article is for informational purposes only and does not contain or convey legal advice. Consult an attorney. Any views or opinions expressed herein are those of the author and are not necessarily the views of the firm or any client of the firm.