How to Build the Board of Your Dreams

If your board kind of sucks, this video (and course) is for you.

Most boards recruit one of two ways

Fast

Someone knows someone, a seat opens, the board votes. Two years later you have six great fundraisers and nobody who can read a balance sheet.

Slow

You wait for the perfect person, the seat stays empty, and the same three people keep doing all the work.

There's a better way: the right people in the right seats.

Design the seat. Find the gap. Then go looking.

Is this for you?

For executive directors

  • You're carrying a board that doesn't carry its share.
  • You have a director who hasn't shown up since spring, and nobody wants to say anything.
  • You need people with the skills your mission needs now, not just good intentions.

For board chairs

  • Your meetings feel like presentations, and the real decisions happen in the parking lot.
  • You know you have gaps, but you can't point to them on one page.
  • You want every new director contributing in their first 90 days.

Four steps to the right people in the right seats

1

Design the seat before anyone says a name

Know your board's stage, set the size and terms, and decide what you need first.

2

The one sheet that tells you exactly who to recruit next

The Board Recruitment Matrix shows your empty rows. Your empty rows are your next recruits.

3

The 90 days that decide everything

Check fit both ways, spot the red flags early, and onboard so new directors become contributors, not spectators.

4

Keep it strong without the awkward conversations

Evaluate every year, talk early and privately when someone drifts, and name your next chair before you need one.

Build my dream board

What you get

The course

  • 16 short, captioned lessons you watch at your own pace
  • The companion book and a guide for every lesson
  • Your own Dream Board Plan, built step by step
  • A Certificate of Completion when you pass the assessment
INCLUDED BONUSES · NO EXTRA CHARGE
  • The Board Recruitment Matrix: see every gap on one sheet.
  • Ready-to-send outreach messages: what to say to a prospect, word for word.
  • The First 90 Days Kit: orientation checklist, board buddy guide and letter of agreement.
  • The Interview and Reference Pack: interview questions and a reference check script.
  • Two board evaluation forms: one for each director, one for the whole board.
  • Free: the 3-minute Board Health Scorecard, which shows your strongest and weakest areas.
Get the right people in the right seats
Michael Barrick, founder of Board Director Institute

Meet Michael Barrick

Michael Barrick has spent more than ten years studying what makes boards work, and what makes them fail. He has served on several prominent boards, trained nonprofit leaders and their boards, and built Board Director, a board portal that helps boards run better meetings and stronger governance.

  • More than 10 years studying boards and governance
  • Served on several prominent boards
  • Has trained many nonprofits and their boards
  • Founder of Board Director and Board Director Institute

Why I built this course

I've sat in a lot of boardrooms. The boards that worked weren't the ones with the most impressive names. They were the ones with the right people in the right seats, on purpose.

This course is the plan to get there, step by step.

— Michael Barrick

Questions

We're a tiny board. Is this overkill?

No. The course covers founding, growing, mature and revitalizing boards, and shows small boards what to skip.

I'm not the chair. Can I still use this?

Yes. Executive directors and governance committee members use the same tools. Bring the plan to your chair.

We've tried recruiting before and nothing changed.

Usually that's because the seat was never designed. Step 1 fixes that before you call anyone.

How long does it take?

Sixteen short lessons at your own pace. The plan itself takes about 90 days from the matrix to the vote.

Is this legal advice?

No. It's general education. Check your bylaws and your state's law.

Your board doesn't need more names. It needs the right people in the right seats.

Build my dream board

Not ready yet?

Get the free Dream Board Cheat Sheet: the whole method on two pages. Leave your name and email, and the download link appears right away.

BoardMatchHQ and Board Director are companies Michael Barrick founded. This video is general education, not legal advice.