What do you do with a Board member who rarely shows up, is unreliable, a procrastinator, or worse? If you’re the Board president or an officer, you respond! Things will NOT get better spontaneously. If you are the Executive Director, you may need to discuss this with your Board leadership.
Some Board members just need a personal reminder and others may want to leave the Board and will appreciate a way out.
Explore whether he or she really has the time now to be an active Board member. Hopefully, you have had an orientation that clarified expectations. If not, it is vital to do so.
There may be health/personal reasons why a good member isn’t participating as expected. Suggest a leave of absence, if they cannot contribute fully for a while.
If they are not carrying out a specific task, assign someone to help, letting them know that the job needs to be done and explore if there is a less time-consuming way for them to be involved.
If there are several “difficult” Board members, consider whether Board participation is, in fact, meaningful and what can be done to make it more so. Review your expectations to see if they are realistic and what can be changed to make it easier to participate. Redesign jobs and responsibilities to fit the needs of a busy achiever. Reduce the number of committees and meetings and utilize short-term task forces instead. And, remember, Board membership is NOT for everyone!