My short answer is – as few as possible to accomplish the mission and your objectives! Why do I say this? Because for each additional board member there is at least one additional meeting for the CEO and for the Board Chair, there is one more confirmation of attendance, one more person to provide input which needs to be addressed, etc. etc. With each additional person, there is more work.
Following my logic above would mean that I am advocating for as few as possible which would mean 3 board members. That would likely be too few to accomplish the mission and your objectives.
There are several factors to consider when determining how many board members your nonprofit ought to have. Most bylaws call for “no more than 20” or “no more than 25” (Higher ED and Business-related (Chambers, EDCs, etc. are an exception to this), so this wording means you do not need to have 20 or 25 board members.
In my experience, the average number is 15, and there is a trend to go below this number, but I don’t suggest you go below 12.
To determine the appropriate number of board members, you should consider what is needed for the organization and required of board members:
- How many committees do you need board members to staff?
- What expertise do you need?
- What types of clients do you serve and do need your board to reflect the diversity of your clients?
- Do you have large donors who expect board positions? (This is okay as long as they contribute as board members.)
- How do governance items impact this: Terms and term limits, committees, roles (working board versus a governance board), etc.
- How many can you, the CEO/ED, effectively manage and communicate with on a regular basis?
There is no “right or wrong” number of board members. Have a number which “works” for your organization and which helps you drive the mission and achieve the objectives.
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