Jeremy Arthur, IOM, CCE
Executive Director, Government & Economic Development Institute at Auburn University
Published
September 17, 2025
As professional leaders in the not-for-profit sector, do the members of your organization’s board of directors understand the roles, responsibilities, and expectations required of them to be successful? It is up to us as executives to clearly, concisely, and consistently equip our volunteers with an understanding of the organization’s purpose. The uniting purpose of the organization is found in its mission.
About IOM
This article is brought to you by Institute for Organization Management, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s professional development program for nonprofit executives.
Framing board service under the organization’s mission is essential. The mission of the organization should clearly state why the organization exists and its purpose for being. Once established, the mission then drives the goals, the program of work, and the overall activities the organization undertakes.
Here’s a simple “BOARD” acronym to get your board members “onboard” and help them understand and undertake the steps needed to move the organization forward around its mission.
B – Believe in the mission of the organization.
Board members must be educated and fully understand the organization’s mission and be willing to lead the organization under this framework.
O –Oversee the organization and its mission-based performance.
Board members must oversee the organization and monitor its performance to prevent “mission drift” or “mission creep” that can redirect the organization away from its mission.
A –Advocate for the organization’s mission-driven needs.
Board members must be advocates for advancing the mission of the organization by ensuring that resources are in place to meet its needs.
R – Raise awareness, support, and funds for the implementation of the organization’s mission.
Board members must be generous of their time, talent, and treasure to effectively promote and support the organization to ensure it reaches its highest performance potential.
D –Drive the organization forward with sustainable leadership that is mission-focused.
Board members should be the driving force that ensures the organization’s long-term viability with competent, qualified, and sustained leadership structures in places to guarantee continuity.
Other action-oriented words such as “Balance, Action, Accountability, Review, Reach, Openness, Dedicate, Develop, etc.” are words that could be substituted with their own individual definitions in the acronym.
The “BOARD” acronym can be used as an easy way to communicate the importance of the organization’s mission both to current and prospective board members. Using this brief breakdown is a great way to onboard and orient new board members to make sure they fully understand their responsibilities to fulfill the organization’s mission. It’s good for governance, it’s good for operational excellence, and it sets a high standard for success.
Related Work:
About the author
