Community Advisory Board
As you know, Students United has utilized our scholarship and alumni board to approve and assist with other scholarship tasks. We are not getting rid of the fantastic work of our Scholarship and Alumni Board members. However, we are shifting from a Scholarship and Alumni Board to a Community Advisory Board, expanding our capacity beyond scholarships and pulling from our deep networks of talented and knowledgeable community members. It is common for nonprofits to utilize these boards to assist the Board of Directors and the organization. The Community Advisory Board can provide continuity, help us with external partnerships, and increase confidence in our organization. The Community Advisory Board will help support board members with scholarships and, in an advising capacity, in fundraising and will help them make informed decisions on organizational priorities.
What is an Advisory Board?
Whereas a board of directors focuses on governance, an advisory board contributes—you guessed it—advice and insight.
An advisory board has no governing power or fiduciary responsibility. They simply offer opinions. That thought leadership, however, can have a powerful impact on a nonprofit’s perception. Often, advisory boards focus on specific areas of nonprofit needs or ambassadorship. Advisory members shape outreach strategy by:
Representing an audience that the nonprofit seeks stronger connection to.
Making that connection happen through networking and planning events.
Reporting directly to leadership, not the board of directors.
Promoting their nonprofit in the community.
Offering recommendations to leadership in specific subject matters
When properly utilized, a board of directors and advisory board can significantly enhance a nonprofit’s visibility, even if the boards have little to no contact with one another. Often, advisory board members become…the most ardent volunteers and donors of a nonprofit.
Core Responsibilities of an Advisory Board
A nonprofit advisory board is responsible for performing tasks outside of the usual purview of the nonprofit board itself. Advisory boards are formed to give the nonprofit organization specialized information, experience, and skills, so that the organization is able to achieve things that it otherwise could not. Not only are advisory boards able to help the organization leverage resources that it couldn’t otherwise, but it’s an excellent way to reach out to the community.
The nonprofit advisory board is not like the board of directors. They can only assist the nonprofit organization, rather than making plans for the organization. The responsibilities of an advisory board are purely as a support position.
Nonprofits generally form an advisory board with a specific purpose. This should be the first step. In addition to identifying the purpose, advisory boards should also:
Nominate a leader for the advisory board.
Meet with a regular frequency.
Set performance expectations and goals.
Have guidelines for membership and procedures for removal.
All of these things together will form a reliably managed and governed advisory board. The board will be managed much like the nonprofit organization’s own board, with different people filling different roles.
Become a Community Advisory Board Member
If you like what you have read so far, you could be an amazing community advisory board member! If you are interested in serving on the Community Advisory Board, please fill out the application form here.