Why Do Boards Need Women Like You?

Research shows that having women on boards is good for the bottom line.* Fortune 500 companies with higher percentages of female board members outperform competitors in return on equity, invested capital, and sales. Having female board members also helps organizations attract and retain top female talent. The top 20 largest companies in the world all have at least one woman on their boards.** But, tokenism is not enough.

Women need to start positioning themselves to fill board seats so that there's a more robust pipeline of qualified candidates. Representation matters at every level. Getting that seat at the table isn't just good for businesses: it's good for women's careers, growth, and the impact we can have on our own industries and passions.

Board of Directors 101

Wait a second. Before we explore the application process, what actually is a board of directors? Check out these articles and online resources to learn more about board roles and responsibilities.

We know you’re busy. That’s why we’ve centralized the resources you need to guide you through the process of joining a board. We’ll walk you through how to prepare for, apply for, interview for, and evaluate board positions, sharing key advice from women currently on boards along the way.

On average, it takes 2.3 years for a woman to get on a corporate board, so the earlier you can start sowing the seeds for boardmembership, the better. Often, companies have a "don't call us, we'll call you" mentality, which means that the best thing you can do if you're interested in joining a board is make yourself easily discoverable.

Excelling at your craft, building your brand, and networking widely are great ways to make sure you are "found" when companies and nonprofit organizations go looking for new board members. Of course, you can also do some active searching. But before you begin advancing your candidacy, take time to reflect on and articulate your personal and professional values, passions, and goals.

Step 1: Get Good...Then Get Even Better

Boards are looking for the best of the best to advise them. This often means they aren’t interested in “jacks of all trades,” but, rather, individuals with deep expertise in a particular area. Wherever you are in your career, the best thing you can do as an aspiring board member is develop a niche expertise. Become a marketing guru or the top performing sales rep. Women who have mastered financial and regulatory audits are in high demand, as are succession planning experts. In tech, where most companies are focused on growth and strategy, experience with data, digital transformation, cybersecurity, and technology-enabled innovation are huge assets.

The takeaway: Whatever your thing is, own it. Realize what you're good at, but also realize where you could learn more. The more experience and education you have, the more qualified you’ll be. So raise your hand: force yourself to understand financials, get P&L (profit and loss) responsibility, and dig into better understanding board governance.

Step 2: Build Out Your Personal Brand

Once you’ve found your “niche,” you need to build a brand and awareness around it. Write a blog, contribute to Medium publications, post on social media, share your work on LinkedIn, and speak at conferences or professional meetings. Remember, you are responsible for your own self-promotion, so don’t be shy. Reach out to magazine and newspaper editors of business and trade-specific publications, offer quotes, and volunteer to be a subject matter expert. Board search committees look to media to see who is contributing to the conversation and who is being featured. You can make sure your name is where they are looking by signing up for services, like HARO (Help a Reporter Out), which allow you to monitor source requests from journalists that are relevant to your industry, expertise, or personal experience.

Step 3: Do Some Personal Reflection 

This might be the hardest part of the whole preparation process, and it’s all about answering one central question: What do you you really want? Before you go any further, reflect on why you want to join a board. What skills do you have to offer? What skills do you hope to gain? Write down (yes, actually write them down) your personal career objectives. Articulating your motives when you start your research will help you narrow down what kind of board position might be a best fit. 

With your goals top of mind, you'll next need to determine which type of board of you want to join: Corporate or nonprofit? Be aware that corporate board positions are much harder to come by and usually require previous C-level experience. However, don't be aftaid to start small. Joining a nonprofit or startup boards can be a great way to get your feet wet with board governance and financial decision making. These positions can also help you get exposure to and build relationships with the people who sit on corporate boards, if that’s something you’d like to pursue in the future.

If you decide that nonprofit is the path for you, then what kind? Board work is WORK. It will take your time, energy, and passion, so find a nonprofit that aligns with your interests. Whether it's environmental, social justice, education, health care, or women’s issues, find an organization in that field and dive in. Study their website, read their publications, attend their events, and talk to current volunteers. Even consider joining as a member or volunteering yourself 

Step 4: Network Like It's Your Job

Ok, you've decided what type of board you want to join. But, did you know that 92% of board seats are filled through networking? Because smaller companies often have smaller boards and smaller budgets to conduct searches for diverse candidates, existing board members will often appoint people from their networks. Due to this sourcing method, these networks remain majority white male.

Relationships matter, so, if you want to be on a board, you need to get yourself into the right circles. The easiest way to do this is to 1) show up and 2) advertise that you’re looking. You should never try to be a board member for an organization you aren't already familiar with in some way. Instead, start out as a member. Talk to board members of organizations you work with or admire, and ask them how they got there. For corporate boards, you may need to advertise your search more broadly: Add it to your LinkedIn profile byline. Reach out to board recruiters. Connect with them on LinkedIn. Go to industry events.

You may be thinking, “I’m a spouse; I’m a mother; I have a full-time job. How am I supposed to make time to get exposure outside of work?”

Highly-sought-after board member Amy Chang, who sits on the board of Cisco Systems and the advisory board of HubSpot, offers this advice: “I take one meeting a week with people who are not directly involved in my precise work. You are not going to have chemistry with 9/10 of them, but 1/10 will yield a connection that you can nurture. Nobody has time for eveything, but aspire to one meeting per week. It allows serendipity to happen a lot more easily.”

While most female board members report that their positions came as a result of knowing current members of the board they joined, it doesn't mean that you have to rely on your network alone. Ask leaders at your company if they know any organizations looking for potential board members, or if they would be willing to introduce you to board members in their network. Conversely, if you're an executive looking to help close the gender gap, offer to mentor a woman at your company positioning herself to apply for board membership. Networking is a team sport.

Step 1: Articulate Your Value Proposition

At this point in the process, you’ve done the hard thinking. Now it’s time to put it into words — AKA, your pitch. Honestly assess your experience, figure out what you do uniquely well, and make sure it aligns with what the board needs. Most importantly, be specific and show where you’ll add value. For example, it’s a lot more compelling to say “I’m a CMO with 20 years of experience leading product marketing teams for global tech companies, and I can chair your board’s communication and outreach committee” than just saying “I’m a CMO, and I want to join your board.” 

Always be upfront about your skills, but early career or first time applicants should also be upfront about their desire to learn new skills and level up.

Step 2: Redo That Resume (CV)

Your board resume is NOT the same as your career CV. Think of it as an expansion of your pitch. Don’t list every title you’ve ever had — you’ll risk burying the information search committees really care about. One to two pages max will do the trick. Focus in on key words around transferable professional skills and areas of specialty. Most board resumes will include the following sections:

• Profile statement: A brief summary paragraph that focuses on your leadership and strategy experience and emphasizes your industry expertise.
• Board experience: Create a separate section for current or prior board positions, being sure to list name, location, and dates of service.
• Relevant corporate experience: Be choosy! You’ve probably held a handful of titles, but give the most detail on positions or projects where you:
• Interacted with a board: You worked closely with your company's or another company’s directors.  
• Governed internally: You’ve been involved in negotiating or making collaborative high-stake agreements and decisions for your organization.
• Community involvement and awards: Include community activities where you exercised leadership and list awards you received for your personal and professional accomplishments.
• Education* (*if you went to a top school): One third of tech company directors hold degrees from one of seven top universities. Having an MBA is a huge asset for women aspiring to sit on a public board. If you have one, make it known.

• Affiliations: List if you are a member of any well-respected board training and education organizations, like the National Association of Corporate Directors (NACD).

Of course, before you submit any formal applications, make sure that all of your online profiles, including (but not limited to) your LinkedIn, Medium, personal website, Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram accounts, are all up to date and tell the story you want to the board to understand.

Step 1: Prepare For Your In-Person Interview 

The best thing you can do for your board interview is to come overprepared. Do your due diligence. Like with a typical job interview, you’ll want to know the basics about the people in the room: Who are you meeting with? What’s their background and experience? How does it differ from yours? (Hint: Make sure you know your value proposition inside and out, as you will likely be asked to articulate it right off the bat.)

Next, dive into the details. You’ll want to have an airtight understanding of the challenges or changes the company is currently facing because the board will likely ask you to give them feedback. READ EVERYTHING. Read their latest annual report. Read their quarterly filings, if they are public. Read their press releases. Read their social media feeds. Review their organizational structure so you know what committees exist. Research your expected contribution as a board member. Understand the financial viability of the organization and their board compensation structure. If you feel like you still need more information, ask for copies of their budget, financial plan, 501c3 determination letter (for nonprofits), and most recent meeting minutes. The more you know the less likely you are to be thrown off by unconventional questions.

Step 2: Ask The Right Questions  

We all know that it’s standard practice to ask your interviewer questions about the position and the expectations of the role. However, since your primary responsibility as a board member will be to ask the organization’s leadership detailed questions and use that information to make informed decisions, the quality of the questions you ask during your interview could make or break your candidacy.

Don’t be afraid to go beyond surface level and make sure you understand the dynamics of the board and the member’s individual responsibilities:

• Ask about the culture of the board and how they work together. 

• If you are going to be the first woman on the board, ask how the current members see you fitting in.
• Ask how many hours per week or month board members actually spend on board work. How much of this time is in person meetings and how much work is required outside of meetings?
• Ask what your role will be in development and fundraising. For nonprofits, this can range from roughly a $1000 to $50,000+ annual contribution or fundraising commitment. For corporate boards, having deep pockets, or knowing people with deep pockets, may also be a requirement.
• Ask who evaluates the board’s performance, how they conduct reviews, and how often.
• Ask questions about issues the board has faced in the past or could face in the future. This should include any prior litigation or complaints about the board.
  
  

Step 1: Assess Before You Accept  

It’s exciting to be wanted! But, just because you're an exceptional candidate and you like the organization does not always mean it's a great fit. Be extremely honest with yourself: is this company or nonprofit suitable to you and are you best suited for this position?

If you can strongly answer yes to all of the questions on this checklist, then you are probably ready to accept! However, don’t sign on the dotted line until you’ve gotten all of your questions answered, and feel free to negotiate the stipulations of your offer. Sometimes you can negotiate a smaller financial contribution in exchange for different services or partnership opportunities.

Step 2: Don't Jump Just For the Sake of It   

Being a "board member" can sound glamorous, but, in reality, it’s a ton of work, much of which can be rudimentary, mentally unchallenging, and uninspiring. Regardless of how much you want to land your first board seat, remember that you will likely only hold a few board positions in your lifetime. Make sure that it’s a position where can make real impact, that you feel aligned and comfortable with the other team members, and that you make your decision with as much care as you would when evaluating a potential employer. If you choose wisely (and we know you will), board membership can be an extremely rewarding experience.

As longtime board member Emily Green, who currently sits on the board of Casella Waste Systems, says, "Your best bet for another board gig is to be able to point to things that you specifically contributed to this board, so roll up your sleeves, join or form a committee, and tackle something useful." And whatever you do, Emily adds, "Don't. Miss. The. Meetings. You spent a lot of time getting on the board; it’s not the end, it's the beginning." 

Advice From the Boardroom

Go Ahead, Take a Seat

We hope these resources will help you land the board seat you’ve always dreamed of. If you know a friend, female colleague, or group that could use this guide, please share it with them. Together, we can close the diversity gap and achieve equal representation for women at the highest levels. Boards get ready: Here you come.