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Building an engaged, strategic board is one of the most challenging—and most critical—tasks facing nonprofit leaders today. Too many organizations struggle with boards that are either too hands-off or too involved in day-to-day operations, missing that sweet spot of strategic partnership that drives real impact.
In this episode of Changemaker Conversations, we flip the script. Instead of talking about boards, we talk about Lindsay’s recent experience as board chair at Ignite (a Chicago-based organization serving youth experiencing homelessness). In this episode, she shares the real story of how to build board engagement that actually works from her own experience.
If you’re a nonprofit CEO, executive director or board member struggling with board dynamics, recruitment or engagement, this conversation offers practical, tested strategies from someone who has been in both seats—as a strategic consultant working with boards and as a board leader navigating the challenges firsthand.
The Board Transformation Story
Lindsay’s journey with Ignite began seven years ago when the organization (then called Teen Living Programs) hired Prosper Strategies for a rebranding project. What started as a professional relationship evolved into deep personal involvement when Lindsay couldn’t help but ask: “How can I get more involved here?”
What she found was an organization serving a significant need in Chicago—on any given night, 16,000 young people experience homelessness in the city. She chose Ignite because she felt like the organization was making a huge impact, but it was still approachable enough for meaningful personal involvement.
When Lindsay joined the board five years ago, Ignite was facing the perfect storm of challenges: a global pandemic affecting their 24/7 operations, a planned CEO retirement, and a board in transition. The existing board members—longtime supporters who had shepherded the organization through its early growth and the rebrand—were set to end their tenure, and the board was in need of fresh perspectives and new approaches to take the organization from $3 million to over $5 million.
Strategy #1: Get Strategic About Board Structure Before You Recruit
Most organizations approach board recruitment backwards, they start looking for people before they’ve clearly defined what those people need to do. Lindsay’s first priority as incoming board chair wasn’t recruitment; it was getting the board infrastructure right.
The foundation came first:
- Each committee needed a clear charter aligned with the organization’s strategic plan
- Board members needed detailed job descriptions outlining expectations
- The board’s role in supporting organizational growth goals had to be clearly defined
“Before we could get to the recruitment piece, we had to think about how this board needs to function to support the growth goals of the organization,” Lindsay noted.
This work culminated in a board retreat where they conducted a comprehensive analysis of their current makeup and future needs, examining gaps in skills, backgrounds and expertise. The result? The board member prospectus was essentially a targeted job posting for the specific types of individuals they needed.
Key Takeaway: Don’t recruit people and then figure out what to do with them. Design your board structure first, then recruit strategically to fill specific roles and gaps.
Strategy #2: Make Mission Connection Non-Negotiable
Here’s where Ignite differs from many nonprofit boards: they’ve made authentic connection to the people they serve a requirement, not an option.
How they do it:
- When possible, board meetings are held in the same spaces where programming occurs
- Tours of all residential programs so board members see where youth live
- Monthly board dinners where members cook for and eat with the youth they serve
- Having a youth representative (program alumni) on the board
“There’s something so grounding about having strategic conversations in the place where the mission moves,” Lindsay explains. “When you really put faces and humans to this work, it changes the way you feel about the decisions you make as a board member.”
This isn’t just feel-good programming, it’s strategic. Board members who have genuine relationships with the people served by the organization make different decisions. They’re more committed, more generous and more willing to do the hard work of governance because they understand the real-world impact of their choices.
Key Takeaway: Financial capacity alone shouldn’t qualify someone for your board. Require meaningful engagement with your mission and the people you serve as a baseline expectation.
Strategy #3: Draw Clear Lines Between Board and Staff Roles
One of the biggest challenges facing nonprofit boards is confusion about roles and boundaries. Lindsay offers a clear framework:
The Board’s Role:
- Fiduciary responsibility for organizational financial health
- Setting strategic direction
- Hiring and supporting the CEO/Executive Director (who reports to the board chair, not the entire board)
The Staff’s Role:
- Bringing the strategic vision to life
- Day-to-day operations and program implementation
- Reporting to the CEO, not to board members
“I think sometimes the board goes too deep into the day-to-day operations of the organization,” Lindsay observes. “Their role is really about where are we going in the next 3, 5, 10 years strategically, and what is the path to get there. But then leadership and staff have to really hash out the plan for that.”
This distinction becomes particularly important during strategic planning, where boards should be involved in setting the big picture pillars and priorities, while staff develop the detailed objectives, measurements and implementation plans.
Key Takeaway: A healthy board focuses on strategic oversight and partnership, not operational management. Staff execute; boards guide and support.
Strategy #4: Be Intentional About Leadership Development
Getting the right people on your board is only half the battle, you also need to get the right people in the right roles. Lindsay’s approach involves ongoing conversation and assessment rather than assumptions about who should lead what.
Her methods included:
- Regular surveys asking board members about their plans, interests and availability for leadership roles
- Conversations with individual board members to gauge their interest in committee work or board leadership
- Matching people’s skills and passions with organizational needs
“I think it’s really important, especially as a board leader, to be constantly having conversations with fellow board members to really gauge their interest and their time availability to take on a leadership position,” she explains.
This proactive approach prevents the common scenario where organizations struggle to fill leadership roles or end up with people in positions that don’t match their strengths or availability.
Key Takeaway: Don’t assume who wants to lead what. Ask directly and regularly about board members’ interests, capacity and leadership aspirations.
Strategy #5: Invest in the Board Chair-CEO Relationship
Lindsay identifies the relationship between the board chair and CEO as potentially the most important partnership in the organization. This relationship requires intentional cultivation and ongoing attention.
“I think trust and transparency are so critical to bridge that partnership between staff and day-to-day operations and the visionary strategic role of the board,” she emphasizes.
For CEOs and Executive Directors, this means thinking not just about your current board chair relationship, but also succession planning—who might be in that seat in the future, and how can you set up that relationship for success?
Key Takeaway: The board chair-CEO relationship deserves as much strategic attention as any other critical partnership in your organization. Invest in it accordingly.
The Results: A Board That Actually Works
Five years later, Ignite’s board transformation has yielded tangible results. The organization has grown significantly, navigated crisis successfully and built a culture where board members are genuinely excited to show up and engage.
“This is who we are now,” Lindsay reflects. “Everybody shows up and really wants to be part of what’s going on.”
Perhaps most tellingly, Lindsay—who helped implement term limits as a board best practice—is already feeling sad about eventually rolling off the board. That’s the mark of a board culture that’s working: people want to be there, and they’re making a real difference while they are.
Moving Forward: Small Shifts, Big Impact
Building an engaged nonprofit board doesn’t happen overnight, but it also doesn’t require a complete organizational overhaul. The strategies Lindsay shares are practical and easy to implement, whether you’re starting from scratch or trying to transform an existing board culture.
The key is being intentional about structure, clear about roles and unwavering in your commitment to connecting board members authentically with your mission and the people you serve.
Remember: your board should be one of your organization’s greatest assets in advancing your mission. With the right approach, it can be.
Resources Mentioned in This Episode:
Board Development Resources:
- BoardSource – Comprehensive resources for nonprofit board development
- Board lifecycle stages article
About Ignite:
- Ignite Website – Learn more about Lindsay’s board service organization
About Changemaker Conversations
Changemaker Conversations is a podcast for nonprofit leaders who are ready to build smarter, more strategic organizations with less friction and more joy. Join hosts Alyssa Conrardy and Lindsay Mullen, Principals at Prosper Strategies, every other week as they pull you out of the day-to-day grind and refocus your attention on the big picture through candid conversations about the challenges facing nonprofit leaders today.
Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts and visit changemakerconversations.com for show notes and additional resources. If you have ideas for future episode topics or guests, email us at hello@changemakerconversations.com.
