When I was Chairman of our local Advisory Board, one of the things I enjoyed most was recruiting new board members. I would identify a person who I thought would be beneficial to the board and then go about getting an appointment with them. If I didn’t know the individual personally, I would get another board member who may have contact with them. We would then go about setting up a meeting over coffee, a lunch or a visit in their office.
It seemed that every time we sat down with a new person they always began with “I don’t know a thing about the Salvation Army.” That was the perfect opening to our conversation. We now had the opportunity to tell our story, about the 26 programs administered by the Army, about the $35 million budget for San Diego County, about the hundreds of thousands of people who are served every year by the Army. We would talk about the impact the Army had in our community and how many people would suffer if we were not here to serve them. We would talk about the 700 people employed and the number of vendors who depend on the Army to purchase their goods and services. And then we would talk about how businesses would suffer if the Army wasn’t taking care of people.
Sometimes we had more than one meeting with an individual. Each time they learned more about The Salvation Army and the good work they do. Not every person became a member of our board but a few good ones did. Some individuals actually became donors. They all felt they knew more about the Army than when we first met.
Of course the next step after you bring someone onboard, they must be engaged. They need to know their contribution is valuable, not only monetarily but their knowledge and skill. It is an honor to serve on a Salvation Army Advisory Board and each member of the board has to feel that they are making a difference and helping the Officers do their work. They will become great ambassadors in the community and influence others to become involved as well.
Keep your board informed, engaged and challenged and they will look forward to attending meetings and join in serving the Army.
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Get them on a committee- right away,
put them to work- right away,
make them feel a part of the ministry.
Be sure to include as many members as possible in dialog at the board and committee meetings.
Board meetings that end up having only input from the officer and the board chairman are certain to drive away folks with more important things to accomplish than simply listening to those two for 90 minutes.
Right, Dick and Joyce. It can also be helpful to assign an experienced board member to “mentor” the new member. Of course, the committee chair to which the new member has been made a member can logically serve this purpose, but it doesn’t hurt to make the relationship explicit, and if another board member is more likely to serve the role well, dub him or her.
As outgoing Chairperson of our Clovis Advisory Council I have seen quite a growth in our council over the last three years. In talking to a prospective member, I ask them to visit our meeting a couple of times and talk to their spouse and family about the commitment they may be getting into. Also, get on their knees and ask GOD what He wants them to do. We also give a partial NEW MEMBER Packet to them to read.
Now that they know a little about us and have looked at the books TSA has on what they are to do, THEN they are asked if they are ready for the commitment. I personally look to their HEART, as Jesus did. A vote by the entire council will confirm everyone’s commitment about helping them-and they to us. Much further training and understanding will go on for years and years (at least in my case) on all the Good TSA does for our community, country, and throughout the world.