Before you go…3 questions for nonprofit board members
On a podcast I was listening to recently, I heard Diane Yentel, President and CEO of the National Council of Nonprofits, say, “our silence will not save us.” I’ve been carrying that sentence with me ever since — especially as this year ends, and I begin to reflect on the happenings of 2025 and what’s undoubtedly more-to-come in 2026.
The end of a year is often a moment of pause. It’s a time when many of us step back, take stock, and quietly ask ourselves what we want to bring forward — and what we need to leave behind. For nonprofit board members, this moment matters. The choices you make about how you show up in the coming year will have real implications for the organizations and communities you serve.
This is especially true because nonprofit organizations are navigating extraordinary uncertainty right now. Shifting political winds, funding disruptions, leadership fatigue, and growing community needs are converging all at once. In times like these, boards are not peripheral to the work — they are essential.
I serve on three boards, we work with lots of boards at 1000 Feathers, and I take plenty of calls from colleagues asking questions about working more effectively and efficiently with their boards. Leave it to suffice, I spend a lot of time with board members and in board rooms. More and more, I see, talk with, and hear from board members who are deeply invested, who want to help, but who are feeling uncertain and unsure about what is most needed of them. As one year ends and another begins, that uncertainty can lead to hesitation — or even silence.
But here’s the thing, silence won’t save us.
As we head into a new year, I want to offer board members three key questions to sit with. These aren’t a checklist to rush through; they are a way to help you find your voice and purpose as a board member—a way to clarify your role in 2026.
1. What does the CEO need from me?
The relationship between a board and its CEO is foundational. As a board member, you are not just a check mark on the attendance log — you are a partner in leadership and an important member of the team.
Many nonprofit CEOs are carrying an immense load right now. They are managing complexity on multiple fronts while supporting staff, protecting mission, serving communities, and responding to constant change. In this environment, are you able to answer the all-important question, what does the CEO need from me? Have you ever asked?
2. What does the organization need from me?
Beyond supporting the CEO, board members hold responsibility for the health and future of the organization itself. That responsibility looks different in different seasons.
How can your skills, relationships, and influence be most useful? How has your role needed to change since joining the board?
We need to collectively move beyond a narrow understanding of board service and ask, literally ask, what does the organization need from me in this moment?
3. What do I need to be a better board member?
This may be the most important question of all — and the one we ask least often.
Good board service requires ongoing reflection and growth. As a new year begins, ask yourself honestly: What do I need to be a better board member? More information? Greater clarity? Deeper connection to the mission or work? New skills or perspectives?
Naming your own needs is not a weakness. It’s a sign of responsible leadership. Boards are strongest when their members are willing to learn, adapt... just like we expect organizations to.
The end of the calendar year invites reflection, but it also calls us forward. If you serve on a nonprofit board, your voice, your presence, and your engagement matter — now more than ever.
I invite you to carry these three questions with you and suggest you ask them. Really. Do it. In the year ahead, our silence will not save us — but our thoughtful, engaged conversation and leadership just might.
