What occupational backgrounds and personal characteristics school foundation leaders should look for in a board member?
In my opinion, and from my research with school foundations, I have found the following: The most popular occupations include the following: • Bank officers • Accountant/CPAs • Attorney (especially one familiar with estate planning and or nonprofit organizational experience) • Retired school employees • Individuals with nonprofit experience (former board member of a college, university or hospital foundation) The most sought after personal characteristics include: • Credibility in the community. • Time to work for the foundation. • Loyal to the school being supported by the foundation. • Passionate about the mission of the school and or foundation. • Willing to learn the processes and protocols of a solid school foundation. Remember, board members should represent the broadest cross-section of the community. This will maximize benefits toward building community relationships and harnessing available expertise. Successful foundations tend to have broad expectations of their board member
