So before presenting this very helpful American Press Institute article on how to start and manage a Community Advisory Board, I have to declare one more time, among many in the future I am sure, that these bodies ARE NOT BOARDS! They have NO authority. They have no fiduciary responsibility. BUT, they can be valuable.
That said, the American Press Institute has very helpfully put out this "mini" manual to guide those who would consider adding to their structure, a group of community advisors. Given that many nonprofit boards are really only in touch with their networks, usually pretty small, and tend not to really "listen" to hear how to make their their nonprofits even more successful, except maybe during fundraising times, and even then, not really, nonprofits, not just media nonprofits would really do well to create a body that can indeed provide advice. Yes, this has to be an investment that produces and truly guides. Yes, the institution must really want listen and act. Yes, this will require some staff time, often competing with other demands including ironically, the very board that doesn't offer these added benefits.
So, please, take a look and appreciate and consider. Community Advisory "boards" (councils) pose a real and tangible opportunity and benefit to every nonprofit.
It just so happens that I came across one more piece from Nieman Lab that does an even better job at describing a way to increase the role to a meaningful level of these advisory groups -