Board Profile: How Does Your School Stack Up?

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For each topic, check how your school stacks up.

  • Level I: Common starting point
  • Level II: Progressive performance
  • Level III: Exemplary performance

Impact of strategic plan on Board profile.
Level I The school has not developed a strategic plan; any parent willing to put the time into Board membership is welcomed.
Level II There is a strategic plan but it does not play a major role in defining Board member recruitment; the Governance Committee subjectively decides who to recruit to the Board.
Level III The school's strategic plan includes detailed definitions of required programs and of the skills required to implement these programs; this provides a roadmap for the Board profile.

Board Governance Committee
Level I There is no formal Board Governance Committee; Board is dominated by founding parents and their friends.
Level II The Board has appointed a Governance Committee which is formed during the Fall and focuses its screening work for new Board members during the Winter so a slate can be nominated for approval in the Spring; it does not actively screen for Board candidates year round; the Board Chair spends little time on orientation of new members after they join.
Level III The Governance Committee is comprised of the current Board Chair, past Board Chair, and the strongest Board members; it works diligently year round to develop and screen lists of prospective Board members and to cultivate the kind of Board members it needs as well as to orientate them once they are accepted so they become productive quickly.


Database of nominated candidates.
Level I The Governance Committee generates lists of current Board prospects; there are neither historical records of prospect contacts nor detailed assessments of each candidate.
Level II Lists and profiles detailing key information about Board prospects are drawn up each year anew based on input from the current Board, alumni, and community leadership; there is little continuity tracking prospects from year to year.
Level III The Governance Committee has taken a long term view of Board profiling; a database of Board member prospects is maintained that tracks interactions with the candidates and notes any significant involvement by the prospect in committees or prominent community activities; tracking is multi year in nature in recognition of the fact that it takes time and cultivation to get the best Board members.

Continuity in the Governance Committee's work.
Level I As new Governance Committee chairs are selected they develop their own procedures and often “reinvent the wheel” on how Board profiles will be developed and fulfilled.
Level II The Board ensures some carryover membership and process on the Governance Committee by including prior Board Chairs as active members; still, as Governance Committee leadership changes there are often fundamental changes in how the committee does its work.
Level III The Governance Committee profiling and recruitment and orientation processes are well documented and there is a conscious attempt to maintain the maximum longevity on the committee given the school’s bylaws; new committee members are carefully trained in core processes and procedures.


Board nominee evaluation criteria.
Level I There are no explicit criteria for evaluating prospective Board members; what counts is strong relationships with existing Board members and their ability to contribute financially.
Level II Expectations of prospective Board members are documented generically and are communicated verbally by Governance Committee members to candidates with differing consistency; as a result, some Board members join without a clear idea of expectations and then may be unwilling to meet them.
Level III The Governance Committee develops a written set of generic screening criteria which is universally used by the committee; then a tailored written statement of expectations is prepared for and reviewed with each prospective Board member so he/she clearly understands what expectations exist and can make a well informed decision.

Limits on the percentage of Trustees who can be current parents.
Level I There are no limits on parent membership on the Board; virtually all Board members are current parents.
Level II There are no maximum parent participation guidelines but by laws provide for the inclusion of a small number of non parent community trustees; for the most part Board members are parents who are able to leave their personal considerations "outside" Board proceedings and when they do not, the Board Chair intervenes.
Level III Parent membership on the Board is restricted to 60% of all members; this forces a conscious strong external focus on Board profiling; fundraising potential, feeder school and community relationships and skills available to the Board are enhanced by stronger external membership on the Board.

Strategic cultivation and nominations.
Level I Board trustees tend to reflect an "in crowd" representing relatively monolithic geographic, denominational and ideological perspectives.
Level II Some key feeder school leaders and community leaders are represented on the Board which enhances the quality of recruitment activities and community support of the school.
Level III Board profile is highly pragmatic and promotes constant recruitment activities with the leadership of all feeder schools, key synagogues and the federation agencies to ensure the school receives preferential recruitment support.

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Track record of candidates for Board membership.
Level I Board prospects are accepted if they are enthusiastic about the school and/or can contribute financially to the school; their ability and willingness to "roll up their sleeves" on a Board and work as team players is not investigated.
Level II The Governance Committee performs reference checks on prospective Board members with other Boards and committees on which they served.
Level III Potential Board members' previous Board experience is "reference checked" by the Governance Committee. In general, prospective Board nominees are evaluated during a one year committee assignment prior to being asked to join the Board.

Financial commitment of candidates for Board membership.
Level I The Board attempts to recruit new Board members with significant financial means; Board prospects are not told of specific expected financial commitments and can avoid playing any development role if they express discomfort doing so.
Level II A key selection criterion for prospective Board members is their track record in development activities either at our school or elsewhere within the Jewish community; there is no personal giving requirement for Board members. Board members feel varying levels of accountability for the financial well being of the school and have uneven participation by in development activities.
Level III Board members are told, as part of the nominating process, about expected personal gift expectations; additionally, Board members are universally required to play an active role in development activities which preferably includes solicitation but is not confined to it. The entire Board affirms its accountability for the financial well being of the school.

Board orientation and skill development program.
Level I The orientation of new members largely occurs through "on the job training" and participation in Board meetings; there is no formal training or orientation program; key documents are shared with Board members. As a result, the learning curve for new Board members takes six months or longer.
Level II Prospective Board members receive a notebook of key Board documents and a special Board orientation meeting is devoted to discussing the Board committees and their charges and how to succeed as a Board member.
Level III New Board members receive an extensive Trustee handbook of all relevant School documents and participate in a multi day retreat wherein there is a review of the key documents e.g., the strategic plan and current budget as well as a discussion of Board committees and their charters and of the differences between Board and staff roles and perspectives, of the key current and planned programs. Each new Board member is assigned an existing trustee as a mentor. Formal skills building occurs at the retreat and then at every Board meeting thereafter.

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