Building Sustainable Advisory Councils: Steps for Recruiting and Engaging Members

1. Building SustainableExtension Advisory CouncilsSteps to Recruiting and Engaging Members

2. Building Your Advisory Group The Board Building Cycle---BoardSource

3. Identify Building A Diverse Group • Avoid tokenism • Accept that inclusivity will widen perspectives and opinions • Ask “What do we need and what do we want?” • Evaluate— “What is the current composition?” “What characteristics, skills, and backgrounds do we need?” “What are the gaps?” “What are our priorities for recruiting?”

4. Identify Member Characteristics to Consider • Ability to . . . • Willingness to . . . • Willingness to develop . . . • Possess . . .

5. Cultivate How and Where to Find Council Members • Where to find suggestions for members Colleagues, other groups, media, staff, other members, volunteer and leadership groups, subordinate or collaborative groups • Whom to consider for membership Current or past clientele and collaborators, community leaders, representatives of clientele groups, corporate volunteers, people in professions related to your mission, people with needed traits, skills, interests, etc. • Where to look for prospective members Faith-based groups, professional and civic associations, organizations representing other groups

6. Recruit Motives to Join an Advisory Group • to help others • to give back to the community • to meet new people • to fill a personal void • because it is a tradition • to learn new skills • the ability to influence others Volunteer Management 101 John Lipp

7. Orient Orienting New Members • Current programs • Finances • History • Plan of work • Organizational structure • Roles and responsibilities of members • Operations of the group • Membership lists • Skills to possess or develop

8. Involve Engaging Advisory Council Members • Train them • Build trust, relationship, and communications • Identify interests and skills and assign accordingly • “Level the field” • Engage new members “early” • Involve them in meaningful activity and wisely use their time (committee work is important)

9. Involve Extension Program Committees • Task forces • Educational activities

10. Involve Barriers to Member Involvement • Group is too large for the work to be done—under-working • The overall group is too small—over-working • Subordinate groups are overshadowed by the larger group • Insufficient communication and orientation • Weak agendas or no agenda • Feelings of not being involved gainfully • Lack of social glue

11. Educate Developing Members by Education • Council assessment • Review of the mission statement • Formal trainings • Retreats • Electronic – teleconferencing, e-mail, web sites • Staff

12. Evaluate Evaluation • Council reflection • Evaluation forms for the group and for the individual

13. Rotate Rotate • Keeping the group fresh • Using term limits • Saying good-bye • Removing a difficult advisory member

14. Celebrate Celebrate • Appreciation and Recognition “In conscious celebration we create moments that illuminate the deeper meaning of our lives and guide our footsteps for the future.” Cathy DeForest Transforming Leadership from Vision to Results

15. Credits -BoardSource (formerly National Center for Nonprofit Boards, www.boardsource.org) -Nonprofit Leadership Initiative at the University of Kentucky, www.kynonprofits.org, danielle.clore@uky.edu, (859) 257-2542 -Kentucky Advisory Council System web site, http://ces.ca.uky.edu/advisorycouncil/, ralph.prince@uky.edu, (270) 365-7541, Ext. 220