Election of Board Members

Elections ensure that your organization has the best and most innovative leaders working on your behalf. They also help your members connect with the leadership of your nonprofit and trust that their voices will be heard and their governance needs will be satisfied. It is essential to vote regularly on board membership even if you don’t have to conduct an election each time a position becomes vacant.

The bylaws of your organization will outline the voting procedures of your board, including the number of votes required to establish a quorum and other basic guidelines. Your board can employ diligent board software different methods to keep track of the results of each vote, but it is best to adhere to established rules to keep your board accountable.

During the nomination process it is essential to conduct an in-depth interview with the candidates and then request an expression of interest that outlines their experiences and how they envision contributing to the work of the board. It is also a good idea to allow for write-ins, so that voters who don’t agree with the candidates’ choices are able to voice their opinions in the vote.

Another method of improving the process of voting is by using preference-based nominations on your ballot. This technique lets voters select their top choice for each nominee. It gives you an idea of how your members think of the candidates you’ve nominated. This is a great technique for elections with multiple winners, such as when there are more candidates than positions.