State law typically specifies the minimum number of directors a not-for-profit must have on its board. But so long as organizations fulfill that requirement, it\u2019s up to them to determine how many total board members they need. Several guidelines can help you arrive at the right number.
\nSmall vs. large
\nBoth small and large boards come with perks and drawbacks. For example, smaller boards allow for easier communication and greater cohesiveness among the members. Scheduling is less complicated, and meetings tend to be shorter and more focused.
\nSeveral studies have indicated that group decision making is most effective when the group size is five to eight people. But boards on the small side of this range may lack the experience or diversity necessary to facilitate healthy deliberation and debate. What\u2019s more, members may feel overworked and burn out easily.
\nBurnout is less likely with a large board where each member shoulders a smaller burden, including when it comes to fundraising. Large boards may include more perspectives and a broader base of professional expertise \u2014 for example, financial advisors, community leaders and former clients.
\nOn the other hand, larger boards can lead to disengagement because the members may not feel they have sufficient responsibilities or a voice in discussions and decisions. Larger boards also require more staff support.
\nWhat you should weigh
\nIf you\u2019re assembling a board or thinking about resizing, consider:
\nDirector responsibilities and desirable expertise,
\nThe complexity of issues facing your board,
\nFundraising needs,
\nCommittee structure,
\nYour organization\u2019s life stage (for example, startup, or mature), and
\nYour nonprofit\u2019s staffing resources.
\nYou may have heard that it\u2019s wise to have an uneven number of board members to avoid 50\/50 votes. In such a case, though, the chair can make the decision. Moreover, an issue that produces a 50\/50 split usually deserves more discussion.
\nDownsizing harder than upsizing
\nIf you decide a larger board is in order, recruit new members. Trimming your board is a trickier proposition. For starters, you might need to change your bylaws. Generally, it\u2019s best to set a range for board size in the bylaws, rather than a precise number.
\nYour bylaws already might call for staggered terms, which makes paring down simpler. As terms end, don\u2019t replace members. Or establish an automatic removal process in which members are removed for missing a specified number of meetings.
\nAn engaging experience
\nTo successfully recruit and retain committed board members, you need to offer an engaging experience. Maintaining an appropriately sized board that makes the most of their talents is the first step.
\n\u00a9 2019<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
State law typically specifies the minimum number of directors a not-for-profit must have on its board. But so long as organizations fulfill that requirement, it\u2019s up to them to determine how many total board members they need. Several guidelines can help you arrive at the right number. Small vs. large Both small and large boards […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[15],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-14311","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-not-for-profit"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sfw.cpa\/news-and-guides\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14311","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sfw.cpa\/news-and-guides\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sfw.cpa\/news-and-guides\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sfw.cpa\/news-and-guides\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sfw.cpa\/news-and-guides\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=14311"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.sfw.cpa\/news-and-guides\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14311\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sfw.cpa\/news-and-guides\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=14311"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sfw.cpa\/news-and-guides\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=14311"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sfw.cpa\/news-and-guides\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=14311"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}