LinkedIn Offers Tool for Recruiting Better Board Members (AKA Volunteers)

Energize has long promoted that nonprofit board members and members of advisory councils are, in fact, volunteers.  Many of the tried and true practices for recruiting volunteers apply to building the best board of directors possible, including looking for an individual that has the specific skills you need and personally inviting someone to serve.  That’s why we were delighted to see that LinkedIn, the  online network for professionals, announced a new service to help nonprofits recruit board members.

The new free service, Board Connect, allows organizations to post details about their organization and the professional and volunteer connections of its board members and other leaders. Groups can then search LinkedIn for potential new board members by listing skills that would be helpful (e.g., accounting or legal). Organizations complete a short questionnaire, provide proof of tax-exempt status, and participate in a 45-minute Webcast on Board Connect.

Along with this year’s announcement that individuals can add volunteer experiences to their LinkedIn profiles, LinkedIn shows that they understand what some do not:  your pay status doesn’t necessarily signify the importance of the work you do. Plus, at LinkedIn’s core is an advantage that every good volunteer recruiter needs: connections, connections, connections.

One question remains: will volunteer managers jump on the LinkedIn bandwagon to find the right volunteers for the right roles?  Have you already? Please comment and let us know.