The most exciting part of board development is stepping back now and then to take in the broader view. Think about where your current board wants to take the organization and exactly what types of skills and experiences among new board members will help you get there.

While no list will cover every nonprofit organization in the country, you can use the following ideas as an example of the backgrounds and professional training that would be an asset to any organization. You will always need to recognize any conflicts of interest that may arise and take appropriate steps to defuse them.

BOARD OF DIRECT OR DREAM TEAM

Long-Term Plan	Potential Board Member
Purchasing Property	Real-Estate Agent
Building or Remodeling	General Contractor
Raising Money	Investment Banker
Producing Concerts or Recitals	Promoter or Artist Representative
Increased Involvement in Health Care	Physician, Hospital Administrator, or HMO Representative
Zoning Changes	Lawyer
Increased Fundraising	Foundation Program Officer
Media Sponsorship	Columnist or TV Personality

Examine your business plans, budgets, and long-range goals with an eye toward locating the future board members who will help drive the efforts of your organization to reach those goals.

Example of a Conflict of Interest

Let's look at Ms. Jones. She is a highly respected real-estate attorney who is a tremendous resource on the board for her contacts and business relationships in the community. Ms. Jones happens to own a few small rental properties around town, one of which is being considered for the organization's new headquarters. In this situation, Ms. Jones would become the group's landlord and benefit financially if the group decided to rent her building, so she needs to recuse herself. In other words, she must sit out all the discussions on this particular topic and she may not vote.

Conflicts of interest will inevitably arise, but the knowledge and experience your board members bring to the organization far outweigh the minor inconveniences such conflicts cause.

The Roles of the Board

This is an excellent time to begin defining roles within your current and ideal board. The tasks of a nonprofit board are generally divided between governing the organization and leading ongoing fundraising efforts.

Board Governance

As the term implies, governance involves all the actions that set policy, hire staff, oversee the budget, and generally keep the organization humming along. Fundraising efforts might involve governance from the board as well. The board must mandate systems and put budgets in place before the organization can solicit funds. However, actual fundraising is a standalone activity, generally with its own board committee, processes, and personnel.

Board Fundraisers

The need for members of any nonprofit board to assist with fundraising is sometimes the third rail of board development. It's there, everyone knows it's there, everyone can see it — yet the tendency is to avoid it until it becomes unavoidable. While involvement in the governance side of board operations is obviously a responsibility of board membership, fundraising is a bit more daunting for new board members. Once the financial responsibilities and the methods to help with the fundraising are explained, however, most concerns melt away.