We expect a lot from our board members – time, money, connections, influence, talents, just to name a few.  During your board recruitment, you probably spent a lot of time figuring out what each person can contribute.  While we expect that our compelling mission should be enough to keep them motivated and contributing their maximum potential, what we fail to remember is that each one comes to us with a particular need. Some like the opportunity to achieve something great and to be recognized for it. Others simply enjoyed the responsibility of influencing something important.  Some look forward to the possibility of advancement or the opportunity to grow and learn.  If your board members are leaving just as quickly as they came, it could be because you are not identifying and nurturing their motivations for being there in the first place. Make board engagement a top priority. Having a board development committee can help to make board development a perpetual process rather than an afterthought.  This alone can go a long way towards cultivating the board’s capacity to lead. Did you know?  The Standards for Excellence® program’s educational resource packet, “Conduct of the Board,” includes a sample board member development committee job description?  This job description will give you a jump start to defining the roles of your board development committee. The packet is free and available to Standards for Excellence Institute® members. It is available through the members only section of our website.  Hard copies are also available upon request. Not a member? Join now!