If what board chairs and executive leaders tell me is true (and I believe it is), aside from the executive committee and perhaps the finance committee, the majority of board members are AWOL for much of the year. It’s tough to get members to read even a short email. As for replies; forget it, except for a few overachievers.
Excuse me for being blunt but if you’re settling for any of the above, you’re selling your board and the institution short. Being a fiduciary (that’s what every board member is) isn’t a part-time gig. The following steps can help recalibrate board members’ expectations in a new direction.
1. Establish year-round engagement as the norm.
Clarify expectations that trustees remain informed and attentive between meetings—not as an exception, but as a core responsibility. Attendance is no longer enough; engagement is the measure.
2. Build structured “between-meeting” learning.
Create a simple cadence of short, purposeful touchpoints:
- Brief webinars or recorded updates from senior leaders
- Curated articles or case studies tied to strategic issues
- Small-group discussions or peer conversations
3. Prioritize mission, not just mechanics.
Ensure that ongoing engagement reinforces fidelity to mission, not just institutional operations. Ask:
- What are we learning about our impact?
- Where are we most vulnerable to mission drift?
4. Equip trustees to recognize early warning signs.
Provide context, trends, and comparative data so board members can identify concerns before they become crises. Fiduciary work depends on insight, not hindsight.
5. Use technology intentionally, not incidentally.
Adopt tools that make engagement easy and accessible:
- Short, digestible content (10–15 minutes)
- Clear prompts for reflection or response
- Occasional live conversations to deepen understanding
6. Hold one another accountable.
Name expectations clearly and address gaps directly. When trustees disengage, it diminishes the board’s collective capacity to steward the mission. Peer accountability matters.
7. Align committee work with continuous oversight.
Encourage committees to use the “in-between” time for deeper exploration, not just pre-meeting preparation. This spreads fiduciary attention more evenly across the year.
A closing question: What would it look like if you treated fiduciary responsibility not as an event, but as an ongoing discipline that’s expected and supported?
(Answer: It would look like wise stewardship.)