The Initial/Founding Members of the Board
The people who agree to become the founding board will have worked together through the early stages and will have a good understanding of the personalities involved. Many startup nonprofit organizations are, by their very nature, driven as much by personalities as by any official mission, so it's important that board members understand and get along with each other.
The founding board's responsibility is to remain above the fray to keep the details surrounding incorporation in place. They need to transform an informal group into one that is formally incorporated and ready to do good work.
Begin by staggering the terms of service. If you decide to have three initial board members, each person should agree to a different-length term, so members will not rotate at the same time. One person should agree to a one-year term, the next to a two-year term, and so forth.
How many people are necessary on the initial board?
Many states specify the minimum number of board members, which the respective incorporation documents will indicate. Generally, on the initial board, three people will be sufficient. Remember to specify that number as the minimum number of board members in your by-laws.
