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Developing a strong nonprofit board requires a robust plan of attack. After all, you want to ensure that your nonprofit maintains its reputation as well as its effectiveness. In many ways, your board members are the face of your nonprofit, and you want to ensure that you invest in quality representatives to drive your brand forward.
Whether you’re looking for someone well-versed in healthcare law to head up a new initiative or you want board members who can spearhead hacker, phishing, and malware attack prevention, there are ways to find the right board members to help ensure that you’re performing at your peak. Here’s what you need to know.
Look for necessary specialties.
In most situations, your board members greatly influence the direction of your nonprofit. As such, it’s important to select individuals who are not only committed to your mission and core values but can also move the organization in the right direction. Say, for example, your nonprofit offers services that study social engineering attacks and work to develop hacker and cybercriminal prevention methodology. Naturally, you’ll want board members who can speak to social engineering’s intricacies, how hackers and cybercriminals operate, and how to avoid phishing attacks, personal information scams, and other digital crimes. Someone who understands a social engineering attack may recommend regular password changes, two-step authentication for smartphone sign-ins, and stronger social media policies that prevent the release of sensitive information on public platforms. The right board member can also recommend scams, phishing emails, and hacker attack prevention tactics.
Similarly, if you run a healthcare nonprofit, you may want to look for a healthcare lawyer to represent your brand. In many cases, having a healthcare law attorney or healthcare lawyer on your board can benefit such a nonprofit. Ultimately, any nonprofit organization needs to consider its unique needs and priorities when vetting board applicants. Whether you’re in the healthcare industry and need a healthcare lawyer or healthcare attorney, or you’re trying to prevent sensitive information leaks, cybercriminal password access, or email address scams, there are ways to suss out the ideal candidates. Look at every applicant’s background to find a great option for your needs.
Leverage software in a more intuitive manner.
If your nonprofit doesn’t currently take advantage of all the available technology platforms in the world, it could run the risk of falling behind. From the healthcare industry to school fundraisers, the right software platform can enhance your business without relinquishing sensitive data or confidential information. In many cases, all you need is a solid internet connection and access to the web browser of your choice. To sign up, you’ll also need a valid email address, such as a Gmail account. Many software platforms, such as Engaging Networks (engagingnetworks.net), offer cloud storage, mobile apps, and easily accessible intelligence to inform your decision-making. This applies to selecting prospective board members, too. A software platform can help you spot your vulnerabilities and find board members that can patch these holes. Whether that board member is an attorney, a professional photographer, or someone who knows their way around a computer system and social engineering techniques, the software can help you decide.
Depending on your specific needs, you can choose between different software subscription tiers when you create an account. Whether you want fast uploads, extra cloud storage, or exploit prevention, you may not get this with a free version of any operating system. On top of that, free software doesn’t always come with the most user-friendly interface for you or your donors. Whether you need 2GB of storage or 1TB of storage, keep this in mind as well if you’re considering a free account. Storage and rapid upload speeds don’t always come cheaply, especially in the United States.
Find decision-makers.
Since your role likely deals with your nonprofits’ daily operations, you need to find board members who can help steer the ship. This gives you time to work with donors, develop your mobile app, or integrate a cloud service. For instance, say you need a better photo storage service. You’re tired of trying to learn Photoshop, and you think your current photo storage site is full of scammers. Look for a board member that has connections with the best photo storage on the market. They can help you with recommendations for a photo storage site, make decisions on the 100GB plan over the 1TB plan, and even set protocols for your login credentials.
The same applies to those who can help make decisions for text message and phone call best practices, financial information decisions, and even plans for enhanced human interaction. By looking for board members who can promote regulatory compliance and make smart decisions, you’re avoiding costly litigation and setting your nonprofit up for success. Decision-makers are also a great way to recoup investments, provide healthy donation streams, and reach your target audience more effectively. In many ways, it takes a great deal of delegation if you want your nonprofit to succeed, especially as the U.S. continues to battle COVID-19. It’s important to prioritize true leadership in these uncertain times.
Use your instincts.
Sometimes, it comes down to that gut feeling. Consult the other board members. What do you each think about the candidates and applicants? Did you find someone who knows the best way to handle malicious websites and ransomware? Were you able to find an attorney who understands health law? Also, do you even like the candidates? When you’re looking for board members to spearhead nonprofit initiatives, it’s always useful to trust your instincts as much as you can. It can help you suss out any candidate weaknesses and make sure you’re not hiring one of the bad guys or a fraudster. As you come to a consensus with the other board members, the right decision will be clear.
Choosing a specific individual to take a board position requires time and patience. Whether you’re looking to fill gaps in your brand’s knowledge base or you want someone who can drive your nonprofit function forward, you need a discerning eye. Sometimes, you’ll find the ideal fit after a little searching. Other times, it’ll take much longer. For charities and nonprofits, it can pay to wait for quality.
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