The Process for the Election of Board Members

The governance committee interviews potential board members.

Publicly traded companies and nonprofit organizations use a board of directors. Each board member is evaluated and nominated based on willingness and ability to serve on the board. Finally, depending on the organization, current board members or shareholders vote on the potential board member.

Evaluations

Often, a board governance committee evaluates applicants for open board seats. This committee may interview the applicants, talk to them about the process and try to understand how the applicant can fulfill current board needs.

Nominations

Nominees are typically associates of current board members or selected from the community at large. The board committee responsible for selecting board members reviews the applicants and nominates them to the full board.

Voting

If there is a quorum, the board members at the meeting vote to accept or reject the person up for nomination. If the company is publicly traded, the shareholders can vote to accept or reject the potential board member.

References

• NetBeans: Board Election Process
• Cooperator: Board Resource Guide: A Look at the Board Member Election Process

Resources

• BoardSource
• Management Help: Free complete toolkit for boards