|
YOU
ARE HERE: LEADERSHIP STUDIES >
NEWS
Charities Facing Crisis as Board Seats Go
Unfilled
By Grant Williams
Reprinted with permission from the Chronicle
of Philanthropy
Thursday, June13, 2002
Copyright © 2002 The Chronicle of Philanthropy
Nonprofit groups are facing a "critical shortage"
of qualified candidates to serve on their boards of directors,
according to a new study that is based in part on interviews
with charity, civic, and corporate leaders from across the
country.
Nearly 1.8 million board seats become available
each year, fueled in part by a rapid growth in the number
of new charities, which adds to a backlog of 1.2 million "standing
openings" at nonprofit organizations, according to the study,
which was conducted by Booz Allen Hamilton, a management consulting
firm.
"The shortage of qualified board members is
creating a crisis of senior leadership," said Barry Jaruzelski,
a vice president of Booz Allen Hamilton. The study, "Board
Recruitment in the Nonprofit Market," was sponsored by the
Volunteer Consulting Group, a charity that works to strengthen
the governing and management capability of nonprofit boards.
Small and medium-size groups face the greatest
"board candidate shortfall," according to the report.
"If you are well known, like the Metropolitan
Museum of Art or the Boys & Girls Clubs of America, chances
are you don't have a problem finding qualified people to serve
on your board," said Brooke Mahoney, executive director of
the Volunteer Consulting Group. "But for the majority of nonprofit
organizations that lack a well-known brand, board recruiting
is a very serious challenge."
Charities frequently fail to identify and reach
out to all potential board candidates, the report said, often
overlooking "up and coming managers and nonmanagerial technical
and functional experts," as well as minorities, and self-employed
and retired people.
To help nonprofit organizations and people interested
in serving on boards locate one another, the Volunteer Consulting
Group has created a Web site, http://www.boardnetUSA.org.
To obtain a free copy of the report's key findings, send an
e-mail message to Booz Allen Hamilton at philanthropy@bah.com.
|
