Questions to Ask Prospective Board Members
These questions are for a nonprofit's board chair, governance or nominating committee, or executive director interviewing someone for a board seat. They follow the order the conversation usually takes: the candidate's tie to the mission, their board experience, skills and networks, the time they can give, giving and fundraising, conflicts of interest and disagreement, and a few to close on. The notes say which answers should reassure a nominating committee, which call for a second conversation before the vote, and what to tell the candidate about your own board when you ask.
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The questions
Each question, and why to ask it
Mission
What draws you to our mission, and where did that interest start?
Why ask it
A strong answer has a beginning in it: a relative the cause touched, a job, a program they watched up close. If the reply would fit any charity in town, ask what they know about your work in particular before you go on.
Why do you want to serve on this board, and why now?
Why ask it
The 'why now' half tells you more. A term ending elsewhere, a change at work or children leaving home means there is room in their life. 'Because someone asked me' is common and honest, so follow it by asking what made them agree to this conversation.
What do you already know about our work, and what would you like to understand better?
Why ask it
Someone who read the annual report, visited a program or spoke with a staff member has shown you how they will prepare for meetings. Their questions count as much as their knowledge, since they reveal what caught their eye.
How have you been involved with us, or with this cause, before today?
Why ask it
Donor, volunteer, former client, neighbor, partner agency: each history brings a different view to the table. A candidate with none can still be a good member, but find out who suggested them and what that person said about you, because for now it is all they have to go on.
What do you hope to get out of serving on our board?
Why ask it
Members stay when the seat gives them something, so treat this as a placement question. Learning how a nonprofit runs, repaying a debt to the cause or using a skill their job ignores are all honest answers you can act on. 'Nothing, I just want to help' is generous but leaves you nowhere to put them, so ask what a good year on the board would look like to them.
Which part of our work matters most to you, and which part interests you least?
Why ask it
A board member governs the whole organization, favorite program or not. If the part that bores them is where most of the budget goes, say so now and see how they take it.
What is your own connection to the people or the community we serve?
Why ask it
Lived experience of the issue is a contribution in its own right, so leave room for a candidate to say so and do not press for private details. Someone who knows the people you serve only from a brochure is not ruled out. Arrange a program visit before the vote and ask afterward what they noticed.
If you joined, what would you want us to have accomplished three years from now?
Why ask it
Hold the answer against your strategic plan. Close to it means an easy start. An answer that points somewhere new, such as another city or a different program, deserves a longer talk, because a member who joins hoping to change the direction should say so before the vote.
Is there anything we do, or any position we take in public, that you would find hard to stand behind?
Why ask it
Before you ask, name whatever is most likely to divide people: who you serve, who funds you, what you have said on a contested issue. Private reservations do not stop someone serving well, but a member who could not defend your work to a neighbor will struggle the first time it is in the news. If they point to something, thank them and talk it through before anyone votes.
Experience
Which boards or committees have you served on, and what was your role on each?
Why ask it
Ask for the role as well as the name: officer, committee chair or one of twenty at the table. Never having served is no reason to pass on someone. With a first-timer, ask about any team or volunteer group they have helped run, and plan a fuller orientation.
How would you describe the job of a nonprofit board member?
Why ask it
You are listening for oversight of money and mission, hiring and backing the executive director, setting direction, and speaking up for the organization. A candidate who describes hands-on program work is describing a volunteer. That gap can be taught, but it is better found here than in the first meeting.
Where do you think the board's work stops and the staff's work starts?
Why ask it
Follow up by asking for a time they saw that line crossed and what came of it. If yours is a working board with few or no staff, where members do run programs, tell them plainly, because the usual answer does not apply.
How do you think a board should work with its executive director?
Why ask it
The answer to hope for holds two things together: backing the director in public and asking hard questions in the boardroom. Be wary of either half alone, whether that is a candidate who expects to manage the director week to week or one who would leave everything to a director they admire. Skip it if you have no paid staff.
Tell us about a board or team you were part of that worked well. What made it work?
Why ask it
Whatever they credit is what they will try to bring with them: a chair who kept to time, honest financial reports, people who did what they promised. If their ideal is far from how your board runs, describe yours and let them react.
Have you ever stepped down from a board before your term ended, and how did you handle it?
Why ask it
Most reasons are ordinary: a move, a new job, a new baby. What you want to learn is whether they warned the chair early and handed their work to someone. A vague account is a reason to make the reference call, not to end the conversation. It is also a natural moment to say how you would like to be told if this seat ever stops fitting.
How comfortable are you reading a budget and a set of financial statements?
Why ask it
Every member votes on the budget, so this decides how much orientation to plan. 'Not very, but I want to learn' is a fine answer; pair that person with the treasurer for an hour. The worrying one is the candidate who intends to leave the numbers to whoever likes them.
What skills or experience would you bring that this board could put to use?
Why ask it
Compare the answer with the gaps you listed before recruiting began. Ask where they have used the skill outside their paid job, which shows whether they will offer it freely. Be clear in your own mind that you are recruiting a member, not free professional services.
Is there anything you do for a living that you would prefer not to do for us?
Why ask it
Accountants do not always want to be treasurer, and a lawyer may have professional reasons not to advise an organization they help govern. Asking spares you an assumption that sours a year later. It also tells you what they would enjoy doing in its place.
Which communities, professions or circles are you part of that we are not reaching yet?
Why ask it
A network is more than a list of donors: it can be a neighborhood, a congregation, an employer, a language community or city hall. Good answers name the group and how an introduction would happen. 'I know a lot of people' needs a follow-up asking for two examples.
Looking at who sits on our board today, what point of view do you think is missing?
Why ask it
It only works if they have looked at your board list, which is itself worth knowing. Answers may touch age, profession, geography or experience of your services. Ask what they have seen firsthand, and never ask one person to speak for an entire group.
Would you be comfortable speaking for us in public, to a funder, a reporter or a city council?
Why ask it
Not every member has to be a spokesperson, but you need to know who will. A reluctant candidate can be asked what they would do instead, such as hosting a table or bringing a colleague on a site visit. Willing ones should hear who approves public statements on your board.
Time
Here is what we ask of members in meetings, committee work and events. Can you give that for a full term?
Why ask it
Say the real figure and the length of a term before you ask, including the hours nobody puts in the recruitment letter. The reassuring response is a pause, a look at the calendar and a named problem, such as travel every spring. An instant yes with no questions is the one to probe.
What else has a claim on your time right now: work, other boards, volunteering, things at home?
Why ask it
You are asking about hours, not about their private life, and it helps to say so. Ask which commitment would give way if two collided, and listen for whether your board is the first to go. Somebody who has just finished a term elsewhere usually has the room they claim.
Are there days, times or seasons when you would regularly be unavailable?
Why ask it
Tax season, the school year, shift patterns and harvest all take people out for weeks. A known gap can be planned around if you check it against the meeting calendar today. Tell them what your bylaws say about attending by phone or video and about missed meetings.
How do you like to prepare for a meeting, and how far ahead do you need the materials?
Why ask it
Reading the packet is a large share of the unpaid hours, and the reply shows whether they have counted it. Someone who wants the papers a week out and reads with a pen in hand is easy to plan for. If they expect to catch up in the room, say how long your packets run and what gets decided from them.
Are you willing to take on work between meetings, and what kind suits you?
Why ask it
Meetings are the smaller part of the job. Offer examples: reviewing a policy, calling donors to thank them, visiting a program, staffing a table at an event. A candidate who wants meetings only may be better placed on an advisory council, if you have one.
Which of our committees would you want to join, and why that one?
Why ask it
Name your committees and what each did last year before you ask. A choice with a reason attached suggests someone planning to work. If they pick the popular committee while finance sits half empty, say where the need is and watch the response.
Would you be open to chairing a committee or serving as an officer down the road?
Why ask it
Nobody is being asked to commit, and you can say that. 'Maybe, once I know the place' is a healthy answer. Keep count across candidates: if every recruit says no, the board is building a succession problem for its current officers.
Giving
We ask every board member to make a personal gift each year. Are you able and willing to do that?
Why ask it
State your policy first, whether that is a set amount, a give-or-get figure or a gift that is meaningful for the person. A candidate who asks what others give is taking it seriously. If your board has no policy, settle one before interviewing, because this question cannot be asked without it.
Where would this organization sit among the causes you give to?
Why ask it
You are asking about priority, not income, and it helps to say so. Many boards hope to be among a member's top few causes while they serve. 'One of a dozen small gifts' is an honest answer that tells you what to expect in the annual campaign.
How do you feel about asking other people for money?
Why ask it
Nearly everyone says they dislike it, and that is no reason to stop. Go on to what they would do short of making the ask themselves. Only a flat refusal of any part in fundraising is a real mismatch, and only if your role description includes it.
Which parts of fundraising would you take on: introductions, hosting, thanking donors, writing notes, joining an ask?
Why ask it
A menu turns dread into a choice, and most people pick something. Thanking donors by phone is a common first step for the nervous. Write down what they choose and pass it to whoever leads development so the offer is taken up.
Have you raised money before, for a school, a campaign, a congregation or another nonprofit?
Why ask it
Small experience counts: a school auction, a sponsored walk, a building fund. Ask what surprised them. People who found that others gave once they explained why they cared have already learned the main lesson.
Could your employer or business support us through matching gifts, sponsorship or volunteers?
Why ask it
Company programs differ and some employees have no say in them, so ask the candidate to find out instead of promising. Keep it secondary. If the corporate money never arrives, the seat should still make sense on the person's own merits.
Is there anything about our giving and fundraising expectations that gives you pause?
Why ask it
Ask it after everything is on the table, then wait through the silence. A worry voiced now, such as the price of a gala table or not wanting to solicit clients, can usually be worked with. If your board allows flexibility, this is the moment to explain how.
Conflicts
Do you, a family member or your employer have any business or financial tie to this organization, its staff or its vendors?
Why ask it
A tie is rarely the problem; one that comes out later is. Candidates who list connections unprompted are showing you how they will behave as members. What must be disclosed, and when someone steps out of a vote, depends on your own policy and the rules where you are registered, so check both.
Are you on the board or staff of any organization that works with us or competes with us for funding?
Why ask it
Overlap can open a partnership or put someone in a bind when both groups apply for the same grant. Put that exact case to them. 'I would say so and leave the room for that item' is the answer to hope for.
Are you related to, or close friends with, anyone on our board or staff?
Why ask it
In a small community the answer is often yes, and that is how most recruiting happens. The useful follow-up is whether they could vote against a friend's proposal or take part in reviewing a friend who is the executive director. Look up what your bylaws say about relatives serving together.
We sent you our conflict of interest and confidentiality policies. Is there anything in them you want to talk through?
Why ask it
Send both ahead of the meeting so this is a real question. A candidate who read them and arrives with one is a good sign. If your organization has neither, that is homework for the board: ask a lawyer or a nonprofit association in your area what is expected where you operate.
Tell us about a time you disagreed with a group you were part of. What did you do?
Why ask it
The member you want said so in the room, made the case and could live with the result. Two versions should give you pause: the person who cannot recall ever disagreeing, and the one who is still angry about it years on.
If the board voted for something you had argued against, how would you talk about it outside the room?
Why ask it
Boards generally act as one body once a vote is taken, and this checks whether the candidate accepts that. Supporting the decision in public while raising it again through the chair if facts change is a mature answer. It is fair for them to add that a matter of conscience would be different.
What would you do if you believed the executive director or another board member was doing something wrong?
Why ask it
Listen for a route: the chair, the relevant committee, the whistleblower policy if you have one. Staying silent is one bad answer and confronting staff alone is another. Tell them what your route is, since a new member should not have to guess.
Is there anything in your background or public record that you would want us to hear from you first?
Why ask it
Put it to every candidate in the same words so nobody is singled out. An old dispute explained up front is far easier to deal with than a surprise after the election. What you may ask about or check formally varies by place, so confirm the rules where you operate before adding any background check.
Closing
What questions do you have for us?
Why ask it
Hold back a good share of the hour for this, because joining a board is the candidate's decision as much as yours. Someone asking about the finances, the executive director or insurance for board members is doing the diligence you want in a member. No questions at all usually means politeness or thin preparation, so offer the documents and a second conversation.
Now that you have heard what the seat involves, what would hold you back from saying yes?
Why ask it
Candidates rarely turn a board down to its face. They accept and then fade, so make the doubt easy to say here. Whatever they name, whether the meeting night, the gift or a chair they have not met, is something you can either fix or be glad you learned before the vote.
What would you need from us in your first few months to be useful quickly?
Why ask it
Use the answer to build their orientation. A board mentor, a program visit, the last year of minutes and an hour with the executive director are common requests. A candidate who plans to pick it all up as they go may be underestimating the job, so describe what your orientation covers.
If a board seat turns out not to be right at this point, would a committee or volunteer role interest you?
Why ask it
Ask everyone, so it never reads as a hint. It gives both sides a graceful alternative and keeps a good person close. A year on a committee also shows each of you what working together is like.
Who could we speak with who has served alongside you on a board, a committee or a team?
Why ask it
References matter for volunteers as much as for staff. Ask the reference plain things: did they show up, did they do what they said, how did they act when they lost an argument. Finish by telling the candidate what happens next and who makes the decision under your bylaws.
How to interview a prospective board member
Practical guidance for the conversation itself
Before you meet the candidate
Decide what the board needs first
List the skills, backgrounds and connections your current members have, then mark what is missing: nobody who reads a balance sheet, nobody who has raised money before, nobody from the neighborhood you serve. Interview against that list. Without it, every likable candidate looks like a fit.
Put the expectations in writing and send them ahead
A one-page description of the role does half the interview's work: meetings per year, length of a term, committee service, the giving policy, events. Send it with your conflict of interest policy and the latest annual report about a week before. Candidates who cannot meet it often withdraw on their own, which saves everyone an awkward hour.
Choose who asks
Two interviewers are plenty, usually the chair or a governance committee member plus one other. Many boards include the executive director, who knows the work best, while keeping the decision with the board, since on most boards the director reports to it. Your bylaws say who nominates and who votes, so read them before you promise a candidate anything.
Pick ten or so, not the whole page
An hour holds about ten questions with follow-ups. Take one or two from each group, and always include the personal gift question from Giving and the first question under Conflicts. Ask every candidate the same core set so you can compare them fairly.
During the conversation
Start with their story, end with yours
Open with Mission, where candidates are most at ease, and move to Time and Giving once there is some warmth in the room. Finish with Closing and switch sides. A candidate is also deciding about you, so answer what they ask about finances and problems as frankly as you hope they answered you.
State the expectation, then ask
'Could you give some time?' gets a yes from everyone. 'We meet six evenings a year, each member joins one committee, and we ask for a personal gift: does that work?' gets a real answer. The questions under Time and Giving only work with your actual numbers in them.
Ask for an occasion
Opinions about teamwork and disagreement are easy to give. 'When did that last happen, and what did you do?' brings out an event with other people in it. Use it on anything under Experience or Conflicts that draws a general reply.
Say the money part plainly
Interviewers tend to mumble the giving question or leave it for a later email. Say it in a normal voice, in the middle of the conversation, and stop talking. Hearing it now is kinder to the candidate than a surprise at the first meeting.
Weighing what you heard
Specific beats enthusiastic
Warmth is easy to like and tells you little. A candidate who names the committee they want, the week they cannot attend and the two people they would introduce has thought about the job. Rank the particulars above the passion.
Treat hesitation as information
A pause at the giving question or the time question is not a no. Ask what is behind it. Sometimes it is something you can solve, such as a gift paid monthly or a meeting moved by an hour, and sometimes it is an honest sign that this is the wrong year.
Compare notes the same day
Have each interviewer write down what they heard before discussing it, then compare. Where two people heard different answers about time or money, go back to the candidate with one clarifying call instead of guessing.
Call a reference
Board seats are often filled on a friend's word alone. One short call to someone who has served with the candidate, asking whether they turned up and followed through, tells you what an interview cannot.
Mistakes to avoid
Offering the seat in the room
A good conversation tempts people to say 'we would love to have you'. The decision usually belongs to a committee or the full board under the bylaws, and a promise made early is hard to take back. Close by explaining the steps and when the candidate will hear.
Recruiting a wallet or a name
Wealth or a well-known surname does not tell you whether someone will read the packet, come to meetings or even give. Put that candidate through the same Mission and Time questions as anyone else, and consider whether being a donor suits them better than holding a seat.
Softening the ask to land the candidate
Telling a busy person 'it is only a few meetings' gets you a member who expects only a few meetings. Describe the heaviest month honestly. Losing a candidate to an accurate description costs less than a chair that sits empty.
Skipping the interview for a friend
People already known to the board are the ones most often waved through, and the hardest to talk to later about missed meetings. Hold the same conversation with a friend of the chair as with a stranger. It protects the friendship as much as the board.