• How to Start and Grow a Think Tank
  • Prologue
  • Planning
  • Legal Documents
  • Staff
  • Board
    • Legal Responsibilities of Nonprofit Boards
    • Building and Maintaining an Effective Board
    • Major Duties of the Board of Directors
    • What Makes A Successful Board Member?
    • Contribution Policy
    • Procedure for Nominating Committee in Considering New Trustees
    • How do we Keep Board Members Informed?
    • Board Attendance Policy
    • Potential Standing Committees
    • Potential Ad Hoc Committees
    • Ideas to Enhance Your Board
    • Staff and Board Responsibilities
    • Robert's Rules of Order Motions Chart
    • Guidelines for Recruiting New Board Members
    • Checklist to Evaluate the Strength of a Board
    • The Chair's Board Meeting Checklist
    • Sample Board of Directors Meeting Agenda
    • Source List for the Board of Directors
  • Sample Board Job Descriptions
  • Infrastructure
  • Fundraising
  • Events
  • Networking and Outreach
  • PR and Marketing
  • General Management
  • Resources
• Grassroots Leadership Guide to K-12 Education Reform
• Taking Donors Seriously
• Fundraising Fundamentals

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What Makes A Successful Board Member?

A board member's success is determined not only by her business skills and experience, but by her personality traits, or character. In his book Welcome to the Board (@1995, Jossey-Bass Inc. Publishers) author Fisher Howe identifies several characteristics of successful, happy board members:

• They are honest.
• They are enthusiastic.
• They keep an open mind.
• They are team players.
• They tackle complex problems with relish.
• They take an orderly approach to decision making.
• They are competent.
• They have a sense of humor.

Personality traits in "problem" board members may include:

• Obsession with a single issue.
• Always taking the "contrarian" view--just for show.
• Expounding on strongly held opinions that are rarely backed up by fact or research.
• "Board hopping" - or sitting on many boards, but serving none well.