Why do boards have term limits

This lazy practice robs the entity of the new perspectives and ideas that give your mission a boost every time new board members join the governing team. New board blood forces and inspires a board to challenge assumptions that constrain our missions and impact. As I think about my period of service coming to an end on two of the boards where I serve, I am excited envisioning that my departure will create space for someone with a different point of view to step in, learn and serve.

Creating and evolving a governance model is hard work. The importance of your mission and the hard work required deserve the best governing team you can assemble. When a bad actor or unreliable member winds up on your team roster, you need to take action. Bite the proverbial bullet and address the issue head on, or lean back on your crutches, including term limits, and let nature take its course. The person who will deliver this tough message should be identified long before the trouble starts brewing.

Why does this happen? Then, you can mutually decide for that person not to return to the board. Former board members are one of the best ambassadors of your organization. Figure out smart ways to keep them involved.

Retiring board members can be appointed to other less demanding positions within the organization, or can remain active as volunteers. Bring former board members in for special fundraisers. Term limits afford you the opportunity to bring in younger board members. Lots of boards talk about it, but few put the steps into place to make it a reality. If you bring someone in at age 35, by age 40 they have fulfilled their board service and then are ambassadors for your organization for decades to come.

Give it some serious thought, and perhaps even set aside one or two board positions specifically for the under group. Having term limits also has drawbacks, the most significant being lack of continuity, particularly when terms are only two years log. Continuity is important to decisions about mission and direction, which require an in-depth knowledge of the organization. Certain boards decide that it is too disruptive to change leadership every two years. One nonprofit told us they felt that they were grooming excellent board members for every nonprofit in town.

They would train a board member for a few years, then lose them after their term limits were met. This nonprofit decided to eliminate term limits, and instead double down on board member check-ins and evaluations.

Many boards make the mistake of using term limits to avoid discussions about poor board member performance. Instead of having a difficult conversation, boards just ride out the storm, waiting for the term to end. Ideally, every board should have strong governance processes in place for performance assessment. Board Leadership Research and Leading with Intent.

Term Limits. Nonprofit boards have been debating the pros and cons of term limits for many years. If your board has not embraced term limits and we recommend you do , perhaps the time is now for your board to revisit the topic.

Want to take this resource with you? The cons of term limits Potential loss of expertise or insight that has benefited the board and organization over time Potential loss of organizational memory Need for the governance committee to dedicate more time to the identification, recruitment, and orientation of new board members Need to dedicate additional time to building the cohesiveness of the board as members rotate on and off the board Term Limit FAQs Where are term limits defined?

What are the most common term set-ups? Should board chairs and other officers have term limits?