An officer of a non-profit organization asked: "At our last election we had difficulty attracting candidates to serve on the Board. We finally managed to entice some individuals with the idea that being on the Board was something they could use to embelish their resumes. Now some of them miss meetings and don't do anything for us. What can we do about it, especially since they are volunteers and we can't really tell them what to do?"

Working with volunteer directors and getting them to pull their weight is not an easy task. Here are a few tips to consider:

• The fact that people volunteer does not give them a license to be negligent. If they are, you should give them feedback. Giving feedback is not only fair and reasonable, but should be considered the norm. By trying to appease and avoid hurting their feelings, you may be hurting the organization, and that's not fair. So don't withhold your feedback. Try an approach like this: "Ron, we really miss you during meetings. There is a lot of work to be done, and the members who elected us need all of us to pull our weight and help move the organization forward. I know you're busy, but we really need your support. Can we expect change, and, if so, how soon? Is there anything we can do to help you participate fully?"



• Resist the temptation to pick up the slack and get things done, as this will legitimize and entrench the dysfunction. It will make it okay for people to treat your board as a social club and not as a decision making team. It will also be a recipe for burnout for people like you. The most important job of a leader is not to do everything, but to build new leaders. You must learn to work smartly, delegate and communicate effectively, and instill a sense of shared responsibility in others. Remember the phrase: A chain is only as strong as its weakest link.



• Give your members fewer reasons to miss meetings. Make your meetings dynamic, interesting and strategically-focused, so no one would even dream of missing them, and so everyone will perform follow-up duties that are so essential to your organization's success.



• Take a few steps back and consider this: You should never try to entice someone to take a job for a personal benefit, such as embellishing their resumes. They should want to serve not for personal benefit, not for prestige and visibility, and not for perceived power and influence. They should want to serve for something larger and more compelling than themselves. They should want to work hard to advance the mandate of an organization they truly believe in. You should not have to bribe them with benefits like embellishing a resume, making business contacts, etc.



• Prior to an individual accepting a nomination or being elected, he or she should be given an outline of the job, roles and responsibilities, required time commitment, code of conduct, etc. The fact that it is volunteering and not paid work does not matter. Serving on a board is significant and cannot be taken casually. Everyone must proceed cautiously and in a business like manner.



• Over the long term, you should build an organization which is so exciting and compelling, that it would be an honor to be asked to serve, and no bribes would be necessary. Leadership would be viewed as a responsibility and a trust, and there would be a deep sense of duty and commitment to a cause that is larger than any personal agenda. In such an organization, doing anything less than the best would be considered an insult, would not be tolerated, and would not even be considered by most people.