Election of Board Members
Elections ensure that your organization is staffed with the best and brightest leaders working for you. The elections also help your members get connected to your nonprofit’s leadership and build trust that their needs and concerns regarding governance are being met. It is important to vote on board membership regularly, even if you don’t need to hold an election every when a position becomes vacant.
The organizational bylaws outline the voting procedures of your board, such as the number of votes needed to establish a quorum and other fundamental guidelines. Your board may use different methods to record the results of each voting, but it’s best to adhere to the rules of good faith to ensure that your board is accountable.
During the nomination process, it is important to conduct an in-depth interview with the candidates and ask them to submit a letter of interest outlining their experiences and how they envision contributing to the work of the board. It is a good idea to allow write-ins as well so that voters who don’t like the candidates they choose can be a part of the vote.
Another way to improve the election process is by using preferential nominations on your vote. This allows voters to indicate their top preference for each nominee, giving you a clear picture of what your members feel about the candidates that you’ve chosen. This is a great option for elections that have multiple winners, as in the case when there are more candidates running than there are positions.