For many non-profit and volunteer-led organizations, the question of whether a volunteer board should be directly involved in internal hiring decisions is a complex one. While boards are ultimately responsible for the overall governance and strategic direction of an organization, stepping into operational matters like day-to-day hiring can blur lines, create inefficiencies, and even lead to unintended consequences. This article explores the pros and cons of such involvement and outlines the desired outcomes for effective collaboration.
The Traditional Role of a Volunteer Board
Before diving into the specifics of hiring, it’s crucial to understand the primary role of a volunteer board. Generally, boards are responsible for:
- Governance and Oversight: Setting the organization’s mission, vision, and values, and ensuring legal and ethical compliance.
- Strategic Planning: Developing long-term goals and strategies.
- Financial Stewardship: Overseeing financial health, approving budgets, and ensuring proper use of funds.
- Fundraising: Contributing to and supporting fundraising efforts.
- Hiring and Evaluating the Executive Director/CEO: This is typically the board’s key hiring responsibility.
Direct involvement in hiring roles below the Executive Director/CEO often falls outside these core governance functions.
Pros of Volunteer Board Involvement in Internal Hiring
While not always advisable for every role, there can be some benefits to board involvement, particularly for senior internal positions:
- Ensuring Alignment with Mission and Values: Board members, being the custodians of the organization’s mission, can help ensure that new hires, especially in leadership roles, deeply understand and align with the core values and strategic direction.
- Bringing Diverse Perspectives: A board often comprises individuals with varied professional backgrounds and expertise. Their collective insight can provide a more holistic assessment of a candidate’s fit and potential contributions.
- Enhanced Due Diligence for Key Roles: For critical internal positions (e.g., a program director overseeing a major initiative), board input can add an extra layer of scrutiny and help mitigate risks associated with a bad hire.
- Strengthening Board-Staff Relations (in specific cases): When board members participate thoughtfully and respectfully, it can foster a sense of shared responsibility and understanding between governance and operations.
- Leveraging Networks for Talent Acquisition: Board members often have extensive professional networks that could be leveraged for sourcing highly qualified candidates, especially for specialized roles.
Cons of Volunteer Board Involvement in Internal Hiring
Despite the potential benefits, direct board involvement in internal hiring presents several significant drawbacks:
- Blurred Lines of Authority and Governance Overreach: This is the most critical con. When boards delve into operational hiring, it can undermine the authority of the Executive Director/CEO and staff, creating confusion about who is responsible for what.
- Increased Time Commitment and Inefficiency: Hiring processes are time-consuming. Volunteer board members often have limited time, and their direct involvement can significantly prolong the hiring timeline, delaying critical hires.
- Lack of Operational Context: Board members, by definition, are typically not involved in the day-to-day operations. They may lack the nuanced understanding of team dynamics, specific job requirements, and internal workflows necessary to make the best hiring decisions for non-executive roles.
- Potential for Bias and Favoritism: Personal relationships or preconceived notions can influence hiring decisions if board members are too close to the process, leading to less objective evaluations.
- Risk of Undermining Staff Morale: Staff members may feel micromanaged or distrusted if the board consistently oversteps its governance role and becomes directly involved in hiring their colleagues or subordinates.
- Stifling Innovation and Fresh Perspectives: An over-reliance on internal perspectives, even from the board, can limit the organization’s ability to bring in new ideas and diverse talent from outside its existing network.
- Legal and HR Complexities: Navigating employment law, confidentiality, and HR best practices can be challenging without dedicated HR expertise, which boards may lack.
Desired Outcomes for Effective Board-Staff Collaboration in Hiring
Instead of direct involvement in most internal hiring, the desired outcome is a clear framework for collaboration that respects the distinct roles of governance and operations:
- Clear Policies and Procedures: The board should establish clear hiring policies and procedures, including a conflict of interest policy, that guide staff recruitment efforts.
- Strategic Input for Key Roles: For senior leadership positions (after the Executive Director/CEO), the board can provide strategic input on the ideal candidate profile, desired competencies, and alignment with the organization’s future direction.
- Approval of Executive Director/CEO Hires: This remains the paramount hiring responsibility of the board.
- Oversight of HR Practices: The board should ensure that the Executive Director/CEO has sound HR practices in place, including fair and transparent hiring processes, and that the organization is compliant with all employment laws.
- Review of Compensation and Benefits: The board is responsible for approving the overall compensation philosophy and budget, ensuring that salaries and benefits are competitive and sustainable.
- Focus on Outcomes, Not Processes: The board’s focus should be on the results of hiring (e.g., employee retention, team performance, achievement of strategic goals) rather than the granular details of the hiring process for non-executive roles.
- Empowerment of the Executive Director/CEO: The board should trust and empower the Executive Director/CEO and their management team to lead the internal hiring process, holding them accountable for results.
Conclusion
While the desire for a volunteer board to be deeply invested in an organization’s success is commendable, direct involvement in internal hiring (beyond the Executive Director/CEO) often creates more problems than it solves. The most effective approach is to maintain a clear distinction between governance and operations. By setting strategic direction, providing oversight, and empowering staff, volunteer boards can ensure that their organizations attract and retain the talent needed to achieve their mission, without stepping into areas best managed by those on the ground.
Miles HR partners have extensive Board Recruitment experience, contact us here if you would like to learn more.