How often do you hear of a contest to fill the seat of a nonprofit board chair?
To be honest, I dont' hear this happening very often. But when it does happen, that is, when a Board Chair seat is contested, I believe this to be a marvelous occasion. Think about it -- two or more board members believe, and other board members agree as well, that their are two or more board members qualified or at least have the potential to be qualified to be the volunteer leaders of their nonprofit. In this case it's not about privilege or default or any of the reasons that tend to be more about filling-in the blank than really setting a standard that gets the best person to lead the organization given its stage of development and other needs.
If boards are initially recruiting with the goal of identifying folks who might be Chair, this effort should result in lots of contested races in the end. A goal? I don't believe it's necessary to have all board members qualified to be chair but many, absolutely. This is what will contribute to a vibrant and sustainable board.
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