𝗦𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗡𝗲𝘄 𝗕𝗼𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝗠𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗨𝗽 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗦𝘂𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀 What a great session. Thank you to everyone who joined us live! 🎉 The energy, honesty, and generosity in the conversation made this one especially fun and impactful. If you were there, you already know this wasn’t a presentation-heavy session. It was a 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗹, 𝗽𝗲𝗲𝗿-𝗱𝗿𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗻 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 with thoughtful insights and a strong breakout discussion that sparked practical ideas many people said they want to take back to their boards. If you couldn’t join us live, here’s a snapshot of what you missed 👇 💬 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗪𝗲 𝗛𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗚𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗽 Participants shared real-world challenges and ideas around onboarding, including: • How to define success for new board members in the first 6 months • The importance of clarity around expectations early on • Ways to help board members connect with staff and the mission beyond meetings • Thoughtful discussion about peer mentors or board buddies, what works and where it can go wrong • Recognition that onboarding looks very different depending on the stage of the organization, start-up versus large, established nonprofit One participant summed it up perfectly: ❝ ┃ “I love the mid-year check-in. It sets the stage for ongoing engagement and growth.” ❞ 🔥 𝗕𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗸𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗪𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗮 𝗛𝗶𝗴𝗵𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 While not everything shows up in the chat, the breakout rooms sparked some of the strongest discussion of the session. Members shared: • Practical ways they’ve handled attendance, accountability, and engagement challenges • How empathy and accountability can, and should, coexist • Ideas for involving board members early without overwhelming staff or leadership Several attendees shared afterward that they’d love more time in group discussion, a great signal for future sessions. 📌 𝗞𝗲𝘆 𝗧𝗮𝗸𝗲𝗮𝘄𝗮𝘆𝘀 A few themes rose to the top: • Onboarding isn’t a moment. It’s a process. • Clear expectations early prevent frustration later • Engagement grows when board members understand how they add value • There’s no one-size-fits-all approach. Context matters.

What did your board do well when you first joined — and what was missing? We'll use your comments to inform our first group discussion, scheduled for January 27th at 1 pm EST, you can register on our main page.

As kickoff Q1 2026, we want to say thank you for being part of the Non-Profit Board Impact Collective. Whether you’ve posted, commented, or simply followed along, you’re helping shape what this community will become. This year, we are introducing monthly themes around which we can have deeper conversations starting with: 👉 Board Onboarding: What Works and What Doesn’t We can’t wait to kick off the new year with you and build something truly valuable together. More to come! ✨

Upcoming Event: Creating Impact from the Start - Setting New Board Members Up for Success Visit the Calendar Page to sign up 👉https://www.skool.com/nfp-board-impact-collective-7353/calendar?eid=77312421ad6d414d980e12e7ae83df57 📅 Tuesday, January 27 ⏰ 1:00 PM ET / 10:00 AM PT⏱ 45 minutes 🎟 Free for members of the Non-Profit Board Impact Collective Many nonprofit boards assume onboarding “just happens.” A new board member is handed a stack of documents, attends a few meetings, and is expected to contribute confidently right away. But we hear a different story from board members all the time: - “I wasn’t clear on what was expected of me.” - “It took months to feel useful.” - “We’re missing opportunities to tap into people’s skills and networks.” Poor onboarding doesn’t just slow people down — it leads to disengagement, frustration, and missed impact. That’s why we’re hosting this live, peer-driven conversation to surface what actually works. 👥 Who This Session Is For This session is especially valuable if you are: - A current nonprofit board member - A board chair, officer, or governance committee member - Involved in recruiting or onboarding new board members - Looking to improve board engagement and effectiveness early on Whether you joined a board recently or you’ve been onboarding others for years, you’ll leave with ideas you can use immediately. 🎯 What You’ll Learn By the end of the session, you’ll: - Identify 2–3 onboarding practices that help new board members get confident and engaged faster - Recognize common onboarding gaps that unintentionally hold people back - Gain peer-tested ideas you can adapt to your own board — without adding complexity or extra work 🧭 How the Session Will Work This is not a webinar and not a presentation. This is a peer-led conversation designed to help board members learn from one another and leave with ideas they can actually use.

We have been discussing term limits on our board and are considering 3 3-year terms. I am curious what term limits others have put in place. Also, we currently have a couple of board members with a longer tenure and I wonder how we might approach the issue with those people without being disrespectful?