How to Train and Onboard New Board Members Remotely

Half the battle for boards is onboarding and training new members in an orderly fashion, and remote work has made it far more difficult for quick, comprehensive teaching and learning. According to our recent survey, the majority of board members feel effective working in a remote environment, but some feel it’s more difficult to develop deep and trusting relationships with new members. 

When serving on a board, your team acts as one to meet goals and lead the organization to success. If one member doesn’t feel passionate about the mission anymore, it can take a toll on the organizational structure.

Training and onboarding are crucial parts of board engagement, as board members carry key responsibilities within an organization. It’s important to train new members as quickly as possible without missing a beat. Here are three ways to remotely train and onboard new members of your board. 

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Understand the Basics

Every board of directors looks different in today’s landscape. Ideally, each member has direct nonprofit experience either as a volunteer or within a leadership position. However, that’s not the case anymore. From experienced philanthropists and mid-level volunteers to well-connected elected officials, most boards are a melting pot of passionate individuals dedicated to the cause. 

Board members have specific responsibilities, which new members need to learn early in the onboarding process. These responsibilities include advancing the mission, fulfilling legal and fiduciary duties, and heading leadership roles such as vice-chair, secretary, and treasurer.

Communicating these duties can be overwhelming, so creating a customized e-learning program is most effective for new members. When possible, pair the complex and dense content with graphics and bite-sized info, such as click-to-reveals, drag-and-drop, and sliders and dials. By focusing on sharing the most vital information in unique ways, new members will be set for success on their first day on the board.

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Evaluate Personal Strengths

Each team member will bring something unique to the boardroom, as they are eager to serve and support the mission. However, sourcing resources and asking for financial in-kind support is not everyone’s strength, especially in a remote environment. By evaluating personal assets, you can train those who aren’t professional fundraisers to request donations in a professional manner.

Consider encouraging board members with an e-learning game that tests gift solicitation skills without the consequences of actually losing a potential major gift. Ask members to respond to common questions and deliver feedback for continuous improvement. Soliciting gifts is a common pain point for newcomers to the nonprofit sector. Crafting specific content addressing their concerns will help ease and overcome the obstacle of fundraising. In turn, members will become more confident when securing donations. Plus, a game, no matter how small or silly, can boost morale and culture within the board.

Empower New Members

Every board member undoubtedly stands out in their communities, but it takes a specific type of nonprofit leader to serve as the board chair or vice-chair. There are many committees members can join, including fundraising committees, campaign planning committees, legal committees and finance committees. Board members help steer these different groups to success, so it’s important to create training courses and empower members to remind them of their value and potential. 

Board members, especially new ones, can feel undervalued if not given enough praise and duties.

Continue to discuss how much their leadership will make a difference to the community and look at members’ experiences to see where they shine. Include key points and accomplishments from their past efforts to boost their confidence and passion for the organization.

In terms of e-learning courses, create micro-courses, highlighting specific leadership challenges. Those struggling with conflict resolution or confident communication, for example, can take definitive courses on the topics.

Chances are the board will all struggle with some type of leadership challenge, so include courses for your members to come back to as the challenges arise. Each course should include a variety of solutions rather than one. This increases the chance each course will be helpful, now and in the future.

Not every board member is a natural-born leader, but with the help of e-learning courses, they can evolve into confident and strong spokespeople for your organization. 

Onboarding new members is an exciting chapter and huge responsibility for an organization. Ensure all board members are set up for success from the start with the shortest learning curve possible. Remember, the mission of the organization is not pausing as members get up-to-speed. With a positive environment and effective e-learning courses about basic responsibilities, fundraising 101 and leadership breakdowns, board members will be bound for success.

[To share your insights, please write to us at sghosh@martechseries.com]