THE BOARD MAKEOVER: WHAT HR & MARKETING
PROFESSIONALS CAN BRING TO THE TABLE
sponsored by
► Overview of Project
► Key Research Findings
► 10 ways to engage Marketing professionals on your board
► 10 ways to engage HR professionals on your board
► Tools/Resources
► Questions/Feedback
THE INSPIRATION
“What if every board had a treasurer of human
capital?”
“What if nonprofit boards had a CMO or VP of
marketing to serve as treasurer of an
organization’s brand and social capital?”
“Do you think of finding an HR or marketing
professional when you start talking about
strengthening your board?”
- Aaron Hurst, President & Founder of Taproot,
2009 BoardSource Leadership Forum Keynote Speech
HOW CAN BUSINESS PROFESSIONALS
HELP YOUR NONPROFIT?
WHAT IS “LITERACY” RELATIVE TO A
BOARD?
LITERACY is enough familiarity with an area to understand issues and challenges to
aid decision making
 Boards often focus on Financial Literacy
 Other kinds of literacy are highly relevant to board service
HR Literacy
Marketing Literacy
PROJECT GOAL & RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
► PROJECT OVERVIEW
META GOAL: To identify new opportunities for board leadership that will:
1. Create tangible entry points for board service
2. Provide practical tools for organizations to identify, recruit, orient and
engage new board leadership
DELIVERABLES:
• Recommended “roles” for marketing and HR professionals within the board
• Handbooks and how to guide for engaging new board leaders
• Training modules (workshops, webinars)
► METHODOLOGY
INTERVIEWS
24 interviews with Marketing & HR professionals (both on and not on boards) and
nonprofit Executive Directors
SURVEY
261 responses from Marketing & HR professionals (both on and not on boards)
THE OPPORTUNITY
87% of surveyed HR
92% of surveyed Marketing
professionals are
interested in board
service
professionals are interested in
board service
1,081,520 HR Professionals (U.S.)
560,490 Marketing Professionals (U.S.)
PROFESSIONALS WHO SERVE ON BOARDS
95% said it’s important to share their expertise with the
organization
TOP THREE REASONS TO JOIN A BOARD
 A positive volunteer experience with the
organization
 To use professional skills to help a nonprofit
 Professional networking
PROFESSIONALS WHO DON’T SERVE ON BOARDS
9 in 10 expressed some interest in serving on a nonprofit
board
BARRIERS TO BOARD SERVICE




Don’t know where to start or who to approach
Time commitment
Reluctance to fundraise
Uncertain about what role to play
WHY DON’T MORE PROFESSIONALS SERVE ON BOARDS?
Consistent Finding: LACK OF AWARENESS on both
sides
HR and Marketing
Professionals want
information on
 Need for board service
 How to get started
 How to leverage their
specific skill set,
once engaged
Nonprofits need education
Point
about
 HR & Marketing in general
 How to articulate what they
NEED to these
professionals
 What these professionals
can do for their boards
10 WAYS HR
PROFESSIONALS
CAN DRIVE
IMPACT FOR A
NONPROFIT
BOARD
1
Preach the gospel of
talent management
plans
“Many nonprofits lack the financial resources
and knowledge to optimize the capabilities of
both staff and board members. An HR
executive could provide the perspective and
tools to guide the nonprofit to improved
performance.”
2
Find access to pro bono
resources
“Human capital is a horrible thing to waste. Too
often nonprofits struggle with limited or no access
to technicians that can enable their cause.”
3
Counsel the Chief
Executive during
personnel crisis
situations
“I assisted in an emergency board meeting
and helped investigate a sexual harassment
case between an employee and program
manager.”
4
Change management
“I could help [the board] to understand the impact
of change and how to drive desired change in the
organization.”
5
Serve on the
Governance Committee
“I’ve found my work on the governance committee
very rewarding. Being a seasoned organizational
development professional, I feel I have been
utilized in the organization’s efforts to transcend
its business as usual and to create a sustainable
legacy.”
6
Leverage the talents and
skills of board members
“Companies are now recognizing the importance
of HR, how well companies engage their talent;
at nonprofits, you have the ability to demonstrate
the differences between passive HR policies and
proactive HR policies.”
7
Help with hiring, and
when necessary, firing
the chief executive
“[The board member with human resources
expertise] was on my search committee and was
very integral in the process. Our most valuable
resource is human capital and this person puts us
in a position to attract other leaders with
competency and strategic direction.”
8
Help with management
and regular assessment
of the chief executive
“The board recognized that the executive
director’s performance wasn’t where it needed to
be...[but if] performance expectations are not
clearly outlined [it is] impossible to approach [the]
individual to assess [his or her] performance.”
9
Help develop compensation
philosophies and policies,
and determine chief
executive compensation
“I was able to help with researching best practices,
contribute to developing a contract for [the executive
director] and also look at salary levels to inform the
appropriate level of compensation. I wanted to make sure
that we had good retention strategies in place. It would be
devastating to lose her for a lack of proper policies or
noncompetitive salary.”
10
Help lead the board
through a selfassessment process
“Because of the very nature of HR, you’re always
thinking about what else needs to be done — what
could I do to improve this process, what can I bring
to the table? I don’t know if other people, besides HR
professionals, come to the board with that mind-set.”
STORY: HR
THE PROFESSIONAL
Stacy Proctor, VP of Human Resources, Associated Third Party Administrators
THE NONPROFIT
The Arc of San Francisco
THE NEED & FIT
“I was recruited specifically for my HR background. They were looking for board
members with specific skill sets.”
 Helping the board go through structural changes
 Evolution and eventual dissolution of the HR committee
 Hiring an HR director
“There should be an HR person on the board – where the analysis of the board
leadership happens. The board president calls me a lot.”
10 WAYS
MARKETING
PROFESSIONALS
CAN DRIVE IMPACT
FOR A NONPROFIT
BOARD
1
“Manage” the
organization’s reputation
“Organizational reputation is very important,
especially in the nonprofit space, where there is
so much competition. Organizations are
constantly bombarding people for time, attention,
and resources. A strong reputation is essential to
stand out.”
2
Help articulate and
refresh the
organization’s mission,
vision, and values
“Particularly with newer nonprofits, I see a great need
to really set up a solid mission and goals, and then
have monthly reviews to ensure that they’re following
these. It’s way too easy for nonprofits to go off on
different tangents that don’t really move their
organization forward. As well, having a succinct
mission makes development of a marketing plan or
branding much easier and more beneficial to the
organization.”
3
Serve on the fundraising
or development committee
and/or help develop
fundraising messaging
“I happen to be a ‘connector’ so I want to use my
capabilities to help connect my nonprofit with
companies, individuals, and other organizations that
can move it forward.”
4
Take part in a branding
exercise
“Branding is not just for external reasons — it pulls the
organization together — like a North Star.”
5
Participate in strategic
planning
“If you think of a nonprofit like any other type of
organization, with the need to attract funding, clients,
and volunteers…and if you have a budget of a certain
level, you are at the scale at which marketing expertise
would be very valuable. Through a strategy lens, you
review whether or not you are engaged in the right
activities, using your resources in the best possible
way, how you are aligning your mission back to the
way your resources are deployed — are they in the
best places?”
6
Provide access to pro
bono marketing resources
“There’s always a need for pro bono. I’ve never met a
nonprofit organization that isn’t stretched beyond full
capacity.
Two pieces that are needed: 1) a compelling case
made for pro bono service to be provided to the
nonprofit organization and 2) both parties need to be
clear in contracting — what are the roles each side
needs to play to have a successful outcome. Nonprofit
readiness is key.”
7
Lead board
communications training
“Few nonprofits have marketing staff, and as a result, very few
have a clear understanding of what marketing is (and is not).
They also do not understand what's involved (time, resources,
discipline, focus) in embarking on a marketing effort. It is
important for board members with marketing expertise to
understand and anticipate those factors. A large part of what they
will have to do is explain, persuade, and advocate for a marketdriven point of view.”
8
Develop and review an
organizational crisis
management plan
“A crisis plan should be simple and unencumbered so that it
can be activated should a crisis occur. It must be approved
by everyone, and reviewed on a regular basis. You can’t
simply put it on a shelf and never review it again. I
recommend a review on a quarterly basis, so that
preparedness becomes inculcated into the organization’s
culture.”
9
Provide access to media
through public relations
“A marketer needs to make sure nonprofits are
representing their brand correctly — everything from
making sure sound bites are the correct ones, to notifying
the right people, etc. Sometimes folks get daunted by a
“PR” program, but it’s just a normal part of a marketing
plan; for example — rebranding? — notify the media.”
10
Increase organizational
awareness of emerging
networking technology
“Nonprofits need more integrated marketing strategies
that utilize social media, new media, product placement,
and creative media partnerships….move beyond
traditional methods and explore innovative ways of
marketing and communicating their brand to a broader
audience.”
CASE STUDY: MARKETING
THE PROFESSIONAL
Tammy Brown, Marketing Director, Technicolor
THE NONPROFIT
LA Commons
THE NEED & FIT
“I just knew exactly what the Executive Director was looking for. They wanted
somebody who lived and breathed their new marketing strategy, really giving the
rest of the board a repository of knowledge.”
► Working board
► Oversees branding & marketing strategy
“Marketing is the one thing people think they can do, but they can’t. Most
nonprofits would kill for marketing experts to be on their board to guide the
perception of the organization and build PR strategy; it’s just a matter of
making the marketing professionals aware of the need.”
HOW
TO THE
MAKING
CONNECT
CASE FORWITH
PRO
PROFESSIONALS
BONO
1 DETERMINE YOUR NEEDS
1
2
3
4
A
B
C
D
AGE
GENDER
AREA OF EXPERTISE
MARKETING
HR
COMMUNITY CONNECTIONS
CORPORATE
MARKETING
 advertising
 branding
 sales
 research
 public relations
HR
 generalist
 organizational design
 recruitment
 talent development
 benefits & compensation
2 CONNECT
PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATIONS
Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) www.shrm.org
American Marketing Association (AMA) www.marketingpower.com
CORPORATIONS
Public affairs / Community Involvement departments
HR department
Marketing department
BOARD MATCHING PROGRAMS
Bridgestar: www.bridgestar.org
Corporation for National and Community Service: www.serve.gov ; www.allforgood.org
VolunteerMatch: www.volunteermatch.org
Boardnet USA: www.boardnetusa.org
PRO BONO VOLUNTEERING
Taproot Foundation: www.taprootfoundation.org
Catchafire: www.catchafire.org
Sparked: www.sparked.org
3 RECRUIT
CONSIDERATIONS WHEN RECRUITING NEW MEMBERS
1. Proven interest in our mission
2. Knowledge and understanding of our work
3. Professional knowledge and skills needed by the board
4. Connections in the community
5. Fundraising experience and willingness to participate
6. Ability to make a substantial financial contribution
7. Experience in working with people from other ethnic backgrounds
8. Ability to listen well
9. Ability to express ideas and opinions clearly
10. Ability to participate effectively in a conversation (neither monopolizing
nor hanging back)
11. Sense of humor, positive presence
12. Ability to ask appropriate questions
13. Ability to participate on a regular basis in the board’s work
TOOLS & RESOURCES
 FREE HANDBOOKS AVAILABLE FOR DOWNLOAD
www.taprootfoundation.org/leadprobono/board_service.php
www.boardsource.org/Workshops.asp?ID=147.528
 SHARE YOUR STORY!
externalaffairs@taprootfoundation.org
QUESTIONS & CONTACT INFO
DEBORAH DAVIDSON
VicePresident
President
Vice
for Governance Research and Publications
Deborah.Davidson@boardsource.org
AMANDA PAPE LENAGHAN
Senior Manager, Development & Strategic Initiatives
amanda@taprootfoundation.org