Sample Job Descriptions for Members of Boards of Directors
Written by Carter McNamara, MBA, PhD, Authenticity Consulting, LLC. Copyright 1997-2008.
Adapted from the Field
Guide to Developing and Operating Your Nonprofit Board of Directors.
Sections in This Topic Include:
Board ChairVice Chair
Committee Chair
Board Member
Secretary
Treasurer
For additional rerspectives, also see
Job
Descriptions for Officers of the Nonprofit Board
Board member job descriptions
Serving on a Board
Board Chair Job Description
The following description was adapted from materials from BoardSource. Note that materials apply to both for-profit and nonprofit unless otherwise noted.
1. Is a member of the Board
2. Serves as the Chief Volunteer of the organization (nonprofit
only)
3. Is a partner with the Chief Executive in achieving the organization's
mission
4. Provides leadership to the Board of Directors, who sets policy
and to whom the Chief Executive is accountable.
5. Chairs meetings of the Board after developing the agenda with
the Chief Executive.
6. Encourages Board's role in strategic planning
7. Appoints the chairpersons of committees, in consultation with
other Board members.
8. Serves ex officio as a member of committees and attends
their meetings when invited.
9. Discusses issues confronting the organization with the Chief
Executive.
10. Helps guide and mediate Board actions with respect to organizational
priorities and governance concerns.
11. Reviews with the Chief Executive any issues of concern to
the Board.
12. Monitors financial planning and financial reports.
13. Plays a leading role in fundraising activities (nonprofit
only)
14. Formally evaluates the performance of the Chief Executive
and informally evaluates the effectiveness of the Board members.
15. Evaluates annually the performance of the organization in
achieving its mission.
16. Performs other responsibilities assigned by the Board.
Nathan
Garber's checklist for Board Chair
Nathan
Garber's job description for Board Chair
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Vice Chair Job Description
The following description was adapted from materials from BoardSource.
Note that materials apply to both for-profit and nonprofit unless
otherwise noted.
This position in typically successor to the Chair position.
In addition to the responsibilities outlined in the Committee
Member job description, this position:
1. Is a member of the Board
2. Performs Chair responsibilities when the Chair cannot be available
(see Chair Job Description)
3. Reports to the Board's Chair
4. Works closely with the Chair and other staff
5. Participates closely with the Chair to develop and implement
officer transition plans.
6. Performs other responsibilities as assigned by the Board.
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Committee Chair Job Description
The following description was adapted from materials from BoardSource.
Note that materials apply to both for-profit and nonprofit unless
otherwise noted.
1. Is a member of the Board
2. Sets tone for the committee work.
3. Ensures that members have the information needed to do their
jobs.
4. Oversees the logistics of committee's operations.
5. Reports to the Board's Chair.
6. Reports to the full Board on committee's decisions/recommendations.
7. Works closely with the Chief Executive and other staff as agreed
to by the Chief Executive.
8. Assigns work to the committee members, sets the agenda and
runs the meetings, and ensures distribution of meeting minutes.
9. Initiates and leads the committee's annual evaluation.
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Board Member Job Description
The following description was adapted from materials from BoardSource. Note that materials apply to both for-profit and nonprofit unless otherwise noted.
1. Regularly attends board meetings and important related meetings.
2. Makes serious commitment to participate actively in committee
work.
3. Volunteers for and willingly accepts assignments and completes
them thoroughly and on time.
4. Stays informed about committee matters, prepares themselves
well for meetings, and reviews and comments on minutes and reports.
5. Gets to know other committee members and builds a collegial
working relationship that contributes to consensus.
6. Is an active participant in the committee's annual evaluation
and planning efforts.
7. Participates in fund raising for the organization (nonprofit
only).
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Board Secretary Job Description
The following description was adapted from materials from the National Center for Nonprofit Boards. Note that materials apply to both for-profit and nonprofit unless otherwise noted.
1.
Is a member of the Board
2. Maintains records of the board and ensures effective management
of organization's records
3. Manages minutes of board meetings
4. Ensures minutes are distributed to members shortly after each
meeting
5.Is sufficiently familiar with legal documents (articles,
by-laws, IRS letters, etc.) to note applicability during meetings
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Board Treasurer Job Description
The following description was adapted from materials from the National Center for Nonprofit Boards. Note that materials apply to both for-profit and nonprofit unless otherwise noted.
1. Is a member of the Board
2. Manages finances of the organization
3. Administrates fiscal matters of the organization
4. Provides annual budget to the board for members' approval
5. Ensures development and board review of financial policies
and procedures
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Return to Overview of Board
Roles and Responsibilities
For the Category of Boards of Directors:
Related Library Topics
Recommended Books
For-Profit ("Corporate") Boards of Directors
For-Profit ("Corporate") Boards of Directors
The following books are recommended because of their highly practical nature and often because they include a wide range of information about this Library topic. To get more information about each book, just hover your cursor over the image of the book. A "bubble" of information will be displayed. You can click on the title of the book in that bubble to get more information, too.
Nonprofit Boards of Directors
Field Guide to Developing and Operating Your Nonprofit Board of Directors
- by Carter McNamara, published by Authenticity Consulting, LLC. Provides step-by-step, highly practical guidelines to organize, operate and sustain high-quality nonprofit Boards. Includes roles and responsibilities, how to get the best members and also how to train and organize them, ensuring high-quality meetings, evaluating Boards, and much more! Includes guidelines to improve a Board that is struggling and also guidelines to evaluate and/or replace the Executive Director. Many materials in this Library's topic about Boards are adapted from this book.
Field
Guide to Leadership and Supervision With Nonprofit Staff
- by Carter McNamara, published by Authenticity Consulting, LLC. Provides step-by-step, highly practical guidelines to recruit, utilize and evaluate the best staff members for your nonprofit. Includes guidelines to effectively lead yourself (as Board member or staff member), other individuals, groups and organizations. Includes guidelines to avoid burnout -- a very common problem among nonprofit staff. Many materials in this Library's topic about staffing are adapted from this book.
Field
Guide to Consulting and Organizational Development With Noprofits
- by Carter McNamara, published by Authenticity Consulting, LLC. Provides complete, step-by-step guidelines to identify complex issues in nonprofit organizations and successfully resolve each of them. This book is also helpful to organizations that are doing fine now, but want to evolve to the next level of performance. This is one of the truly comprehensive, yet practical, books about this complex subject! Includes online forms that can be downloaded. Many materials in this Library's topic about guiding change are adapted from this comprehensive book.
Field
Guide to Nonprofit Strategic Planning and Facilitation
- by Carter McNamara, published by Authenticity Consulting, LLC. Step-by-step guidelines to customize and facilitate planners to implement the best strategic planning process to suit the particular nature and needs of their nonprofit. This is one of the few books, if any, that explains how to actually facilitate planning. Includes many online forms that can be downloaded and used by planners. Many materials in this Library's topic about strategic planning are adapted from this book.
