Board Position Description

Board Member Position Description

1. Title – Descriptive title for position.

2. Purpose – Answer the question, “Why be a board member for this organization?” Relate to how the position furthers program goals.

3. Benefits of the position (to the volunteer) – This is helpful in recruiting and helps the member feel rewarded by the position he or she is doing. List specific benefits to the member.

4. Major duties/responsibilities – Provide an overview of the tasks to be done and the major areas of accountability. Help the volunteer understand his or her role and the pace of the position. The description discussing major duties/responsibilities for the position should be brief, concise, and clear. The more complex the position, the more general this section will be, thus allowing the volunteer to be creative in developing the “how to” process.

If the position requires a lot of specifics (deadlines, certain people to contact, policies, etc.) these are best separated from the position description. Specifics become a helpful resource when included in a “how to” list or notebook. Notes and suggestions can be added to keep this a current and useful working tool. A notebook can serve as training and provide sufficient detail to avoid re-inventing the “how to” when someone else takes on the
position, especially if it is an inexperienced person.

5. Skills needed/qualifications – Define skills and experiences that are necessary or helpful to accomplish the job.

6. Term/time involved – State the term the volunteer is expected to serve (e.g., one or two years, renewable or not). Give an estimate of how much time accomplishing the task will take (e.g., days or hours per week, number of months).

7. Training – List special or regular training that is needed or will be helpful to the volunteer. Identify consultant support available. If training is mandated, be specific.

8. Support/resources – Note privileges and/or support available from the office or other sources (e.g., telephone, secretary, copying, printing), and any expenses that might be reimbursed (material or human resources).

9. Expectations/success criteria – These are the desired outcomes as a group. Identify what the final product or results of the position might look like. Use success criteria to measure and evaluate the results. Knowing the expectations is important for self-evaluation by the member (so she or he knows what the position looks like when it is performed and knows how well it was done).
 

From: NDSU Extension Advisory Council Manual