Q: Our college has a volunteer alumni board with four committees and a chair—but some members aren’t very active and are on committees that don’t fit their skills. What’s the best way to bring in new members, fresh ideas, and rework our committees?
A: “You have a great opportunity to reinvigorate your board. Strategically selecting new members can go a long way in rebuilding a culture of engagement. You may find your committee structure and bylaws only need to be tweaked once you get the right people in the right seats.
“Proactively involve your board in a strategic planning process to map your future—that way, their voices are represented. We did this at Toledo a few years ago and had some great conversations about the direction we wanted to take. Rather than assigning people to committees based on their career experience, we allowed them to rank order the committees on which they wanted to serve. That allowed us to better align assignments with interest, which has led to consistent participation.”
– William Pierce, Associate Vice President of Alumni Engagement and Annual Giving, University of Toledo Foundation, Ohio, U.S.
