Board Talk: Building and retaining a strong board

Board development might be one of the dryest topics of conversation when it comes to entrepreneurship. It’s also one of the hardest things to do, especially in the journalism business where many publishers want to recruit people who are in the industry and have a working knowledge about news media  and the ethics that govern it. Despite its lack of sex appeal, however, building a strong board of directors is critical to a news outlet’s success and sustainability.

That’s why The Pivot Fund is hosting an important conversation in August about how boards of directors attract dollars, deepen community impact, and drive growth. The conversation will feature BoardSource affiliate and nonprofit consultant Glenda Hicks and Josué Rojas, an artist and former publisher of El Tecolote, the longest-running bilingual newspaper in California. Rojas also serves on the advisory board for El Tímpano.

What if I told you that we can find talented and resourceful people outside of journalism or in journalism adjacent fields who make effective board directors? Not only do they understand journalism, but they are passionate about news and its role in a democratic society. As vice-chair of the Local Independent Online News Publishers Association (LION), our organization is modeling what boards should look like, not just in the journalism profession but in all industries. In the year or so that we have been actively engaged in a more intentional board recruitment process, LION has gone from being a $300,000 a year organization to a $3 million one. We’ve also grown from a staff of one part-time executive director to currently eight people with one more on the way (we’re in the process of hiring a director of membership). LION isn’t finished developing the board we need to grow our organization, far from it. But we’ve gone from having all journalists on our board of directors to recruiting talent from other fields that journalism can and should learn from including law, venture capital, non-profit management, and — wait for it — business. These board directors have proven track records of knowing when to pivot in order to become more responsive to audiences and reflective of local markets in order to grow their enterprises.

“But I have a small for-profit news organization and don’t need a board of directors,” is a phrase I sometimes hear from publishers. Small for-profit news outlets and small nonprofit ones that are exempt from IRS requirements, may not need to, but having a board of directors is still a good idea. A board of directors helps the organization follow best practices, ensuring it stays within legal and ethical bounds, according to boardeffect.com. And a really good board of directors can attract funding and deepen community engagement.

The other refrain I hear — most often from legacy news publishers — is that relatives comprise their boards of directors and/or are related to staff. Having family members on boards may create conflicts of interest and can also affect what qualifies as an organization’s quorum, according to 501c3.org.

To learn more about whether you need a board, what the IRS allows, and how to recruit talented people, register for The Pivot Fund’s conversation with Glenda and Josué on August 23, 2021, at 1 p.m. EST. Board talk will never be more interesting!