Taking Your Board
to the Next Level
Who’s In Your Five?
Perhaps entrepreneur Jim Rohn said it best, “You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with.”
Chew on that morsel for a while.
No doubt, it’s a stunner of a concept.
In fact, I’m convinced that if you genuinely take Rohn’s observation to heart, it should cause you to stop and reflect on your own life—both personally and professionally.
And if you do, you’ll quickly come to the realization that this little torpedo of truth has some serious implications—not only for you (and your growth!) but for your organization as well.
With this in mind, as we begin 2026, we encourage you to warmly embrace Rohn’s wisdom and begin making it a priority to surround yourself with AWESOME people.
But, as leaders of nonprofit organizations, where is the best place to begin this process?
We suggest that you start with your B-O-A-R-D.
Why Begin With Your Board?
Put simply, as your board goes, so goes your organization.
In fact, if your goal is to achieve extraordinary impact (personally, professionally, and organizationally!), the composition of your board matters a great deal.
How so?
Well, when it comes right down to it, the small group of people who sit around your conference table not only influence the scope of your organization’s dreams and aspirations, but they also have the final say on the planning, the funding, the staffing, and the delivery of these dreams.
And even though you won’t spend an enormous amount of face-to-face time with them during the course of a typical year (maybe 20-30 hours), everything they see, touch, review, and approve will impact your life on a minute-to-minute basis.
Like I said, your board matters a great deal.
And, best of all, if you do take Rohn’s advice seriously and begin to surround yourself with gifted, generous, energetic, optimistic, thoughtful, and smart (translated AWESOME!) board members, everyone wins.
And this is not an exaggeration.
Your CEO wins.
Your board wins.
Your staff wins.
Your donors win.
Your clients win.
Everyone wins.
And that’s the power of surrounding yourself with best-in-class directors.
4 Key Steps to Implementing Rohn’s Advice.
1. Examine Your Board’s Current Composition.
Without question, the very best place to begin in taking your board to the next level is by collectively conducting an inventory of your board’s current skills, talents, and strengths.
For example, I have no doubt that you probably have some big thinkers on your board. In addition, I’ll bet that you also have some people who are great at keeping your organization on track fiscally and legally. What’s more, you probably have some folks who are expert planners.
Whatever your board’s composition, there’s no doubt you already have some talented people sitting around the table.
That said, the $64,000 question now becomes, “What skills, talents, and strengths do we need to recruit in order to complement our current cast of directors?”
And this leads us to the next step in the process.
2. Identify the Skills, Talents, and Strengths You’d Love to Have.
Once you’ve taken a collective inventory, it’s time to begin thinking about the skills, talents, and strengths you’d love to add to your present group of directors.
Perhaps, after your inventory, you come to the realization that you could use some gifted ambassadors. Or maybe some marketing, media, and technology talent. Or maybe it’s a director (or two!) who is a gifted grant writer and/or content developer!
Whatever the case, it’s essential that you identify those personal skills, gifts, and strengths that will best complement your current cast of personalities.
3. Identify the Very Best.
This is the step that requires you to channel your inner Jim Rohn in that you need to not only begin thinking about the kinds of people you want to surround yourself with—but you also need to begin attaching people’s names to those qualities.
Yes, we are talking about coming up with a specific list of people—and the people attached to these names should be the best-of-the best.
In fact, I will go as far as to say that it will do you very little good if you fill those positions with anything other than the best-of-the-best.
Now, I know what you are thinking.
“If this is so straightforward, why doesn’t everyone do this?”
The answer is a simple one—and here it is.
Most (yes, MOST!) are afraid to make the ask.
And that’s too darn bad because there are a LOT of great people out there who are longing to put their time, talent, and treasures to work toward a great cause.
And this leads us to the final step.
4. When You Make the Ask, Do it Right.
At this point, you’ve done yeoman’s work. You’ve collectively identified your board’s current skills, strengths, and talents. What’s more, you’ve created a list of specific skills, strengths, and talents that will best complement those of your existing group. Last but not least, you’ve attached people’s names to these skills, strengths, and talents.
Now, it all comes down to this step.
It’s time to make the ask—and here are the key points that need to be emphasized when you do.
Pitch Point #1: You are going to learn a lot about a terrific cause. In fact, if you choose to serve on our board, you’ll get to see the world from an entirely new perspective. From feeding the hungry to providing shelter for the homeless to healing the hurting (insert your cause here!), serving on our board will provide you with an up-close and personal view of how a great organization can change lives and transform circumstances.
Pitch Point #2: You are going to meet some wonderful people. By becoming a member of our board, you’ll meet—and become friends—with some of the finest people on the face of the earth. To be sure, not only will you be amazed by the energy and stamina of these unique souls who dedicate their time, talents, and treasure to serving others, but you’ll also be deeply touched by their compassion and unwavering dedication.
Pitch Point #3: You are going to develop some great skills. If you make the decision to serve on our board of directors, not only will you put your skills, strengths, and talents to work, but, in return, you are going to learn some great new skills as well—from dreaming big dreams, to delivering brilliantly, to serving others with a burning desire to do good—it all comes with joining our board. And, perhaps best of all, these skills will be useful to you throughout the rest of your life.
Pitch Point #4: You are going to make a difference. Perhaps the greatest joy of serving on our board is the fact that, for every hour you put in, you’ll be working toward making the world around you a much better place. Together, we are going to change lives and transform circumstances. And that’s what a life well lived is all about.
Before we close this section, I want to offer up a suggestion that’s been learned the hard way.
Rather than asking someone to join your board outright, ask them to come and sit in on a meeting. And when they accept your invitation (the four previous pitch points are hard to refute!), make it a life-changing experience for them.
If you do, you will close the deal.
Extraordinary Impact
And there you have it.
With the help of Rohn’s insightful observation, you now have an opportunity to embrace some life-changing wisdom in 2026.
Our wish for you is that you surround yourself with the very best people—the kind that change lives and transform circumstances.
And, best of all, it’s there for the taking—you just have to be bold enough to make the ask.
Until next time, we appreciate all you do and wish you only the very best in 2026!