Welcome New Board Member: Letter and Email Templates
How Do You Welcome a New Board Member?
Welcome a new board member within a week of the vote with a short letter from the board chair and an email from the executive director. Say why the board asked them, give the next three dates, name one person to call, and send the job description, bylaws, recent minutes and conflict of interest form.
BoardSource reports that 69 percent of organizations use written resources to educate board members. Make the first one, the welcome letter, short and personal.
These templates help the board chair and the executive director welcome new board members. They start the full onboarding process, which runs through the member’s first 90 days.
Key Takeaways
- Send the board chair’s welcome letter within a week of the vote, before any public announcement.
- Say why the board asked this person, give three dates and name one contact.
- Pair the new member with a board buddy and give them real work by the third meeting.
What Should a New Board Member Welcome Letter Say?
A welcome letter to a new board member does five things in under 250 words. It thanks them by name, says which skill or connection led the board to ask them, lists the next three dates, names one person to call with questions, and says what arrives in the first week.
The second item matters most: it tells the member where to start.
Welcome Letter and Email Templates
The board chair sends a letter and the executive director sends an email, one template each. Both are examples to adapt. Replace everything in brackets and cut what does not fit your board before you send it, and keep each under one page.
Template 1: Letter From the Board Chair
Dear [First name],
On behalf of the board of [organization], welcome. We asked you to join because of [the skill or connection the board needs], and we are glad you said yes.
Please hold three dates: orientation with [executive director] on [date], your first board meeting on [date] at [place or link], and [committee] on [date].
[Board buddy] will be your board buddy this year. Call [them] at [phone or email] with any question about how the board works.
This week you will receive the board job description, bylaws, recent minutes and our conflict of interest form, to return by [date]. When we meet, I would like to hear why you said yes.
With thanks,
[Name], Board Chair
Template 2: Email From the Executive Director
Subject: Welcome to the board, [first name]
Hi [First name], I am glad you are joining us. Before your first board meeting, could we spend 30 minutes together on [two date options]? I will walk you through our programs, our budget and what is on my desk this quarter.
[Name], Executive Director
Who Sends the Welcome, and When?
The board chair sends the welcome letter within a week of the vote, or the governance committee chair on boards that have one. The executive director’s email follows the same week. Send both before any public announcement, and let the new member approve how that announcement describes them.
Protect the executive director’s 30-minute call. CNPC coaches see a communication gap at the center of struggling board and executive director partnerships: each side assumes the other knows things or has support it does not. The call closes part of that gap. For the chair’s role after the letter, see what the board chair handles.
The binder explains the board. The welcome letter explains why the board chose this person.
What Should a New Member Get in the First Week?
In the first week, send six documents: the board job description, the bylaws, minutes of the last three meetings, the current budget, the strategic plan or a one-page summary, and the conflict of interest policy with a disclosure form to sign.
The IRS Form 990 instructions ask whether you have a written conflict of interest policy and whether officers, directors, trustees and key employees must disclose or update each year any interests that could give rise to conflicts (Part VI, lines 12a and 12b), so collect the form early.
CNPC coaches find that small boards need only these basics, so save the full binder for orientation. Welcoming is one stage of board development.
How Do You Keep a New Member From Going Quiet?
Pair the new member with a board buddy and give them a real assignment by their third meeting. The buddy explains the board’s processes and policies, introduces the other members and says what is expected. A named task, such as one committee project, gives the member a reason to read the board packet.
The failure CNPC coaches name is the resume board member, who joins for the prestige and the resume line, then attends without engaging. Clear expectations in the welcome and an early assignment make that drift harder.
Purpose is separate work: why the member joined and how their goals connect to the mission. A coach can help there, though CNPC prescribes no onboarding tools and runs no board onboarding program. See coaching for nonprofit boards, and for meetings and assignments, keeping new members engaged.
What Should You Send This Week?
Work in order, because the letter depends on the first two steps. Choose the board buddy, since the letter names them. Fix three dates with the executive director, since the letter lists them. Then send the chair’s letter, and let the documents and the 30-minute call follow within seven days.
Board changes land on the executive director too. Our volunteer coaches donate their time, which is why six sessions of executive coaching cost $300, $400 or $600 depending on the operating budget. CNPC serves nonprofit leaders only: 501(c)(3) nonprofits, government agencies and analogous organizations outside the United States. Apply Now.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who should sign the welcome letter to a new board member?
The board chair, because the board elected the member. A governance committee chair can sign or co-sign. The executive director sends a separate email.
Should staff meet new board members?
Yes, briefly and through the executive director, at a program visit or a staff meeting. Staff report to the executive director, so requests go through that channel.
Is a welcome gift for a new board member a good idea?
Optional. Keep it small and tied to the mission, such as a program photo or the annual report with a note from the chair.
Support for the Executive Director
A new board member changes the executive director’s work too. Volunteer coaches donate their time, so six coaching sessions cost $300, $400 or $600 by budget.
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