New Board Member Announcement: Templates and Examples

Recruiting a board member takes months, and the result deserves more than a line in the annual report. A short new board member announcement thanks the new member in public, reminds supporters of the mission and shows who now governs the organization.

The templates below cover the four public channels. The private welcome you send the new member is a separate message, covered by our welcome new board member letter and email templates.

What Should You Confirm Before You Announce?

Confirm five things before anything goes out: the board vote and the date the term starts, the name, title and employer the new member wants used, a short bio they have approved, a photo they like, and the committee or project they will take on. Ask for one line, in their own words, on why they joined.

The line that names the work matters most. Our coaches hear about “resume board members” who join for the prestige and do little. Naming the first project tells everyone, the new member included, that the seat comes with work.

Which Template Fits Each Channel?

Use the website bio for the record, the newsletter for supporters, LinkedIn for the new member’s network and a press release only when the appointment is news outside your circle. Write the website bio first, then borrow its facts for the other three.

Press release template

Headline: [Organization name] Elects [Full name] to Its Board of Directors

Lead: [City, state], [date]. [Organization name], a nonprofit that [mission in one line], has elected [full name], [title, employer], to its board of directors. [First name] will serve on the [committee] for a [number]-year term starting in [month]. [Two sentences on experience that matters to the mission.]

Quotes: “[Why the board chose this member],” said [name], board chair. “[Why I joined],” said [first name].

About [Organization name]: [Three sentences: founded, who you serve, where.] Media contact: [name, email, phone].

Newsletter or donor update template

Meet [first name], the newest member of our board

[Full name] joined our board of directors in [month]. [One sentence of background tied to the mission.] On the board, [first name] will [committee or first project]. In [first name]’s words: “[Why they joined].” Thank you, [first name], for giving your time to [the people you serve].

LinkedIn or social post template

We are glad to welcome [full name, tagged] to the [Organization name] board of directors. [First name] brings [skill or experience] and will [first project]. [One-line reason they joined.] [Link to your board page]

LinkedIn allows posts of up to 3,000 characters, but a short post reads better: put the name and role in the first line, and ask the new member to reshare.

Website board page bio template

[Full name], [board role], [committee]
[Full name] is [current role, such as a title at an employer or a longtime volunteer]. [One sentence on experience relevant to the mission.] [One sentence on why they serve.]

Update your Candid profile the same day: Candid profiles list the board of directors as the organization reports it, dated “as of” the last update.

What Does a Finished Announcement Look Like?

Below is the newsletter template filled in, with an invented organization and invented people. It runs about 60 words: one fact about the work ahead and one line from the new member, enough for a supporter to recognize the name next time.

Example (all names invented):

Meet Lena Ortiz, the newest member of our board

Lena Ortiz joined the Harbor Lane Literacy Project board of directors in September. Lena, a school librarian, has run reading programs in three county schools. On the board, she will chair our new volunteer tutor committee. In her words: “Every child I taught to love reading had an adult who read with them.” Thank you, Lena, for giving your time to our young readers.

Supporters remember a name with a job attached.

When Should Each Announcement Go Out?

Announce in this order: the board vote, the new member’s approval of the text, a short note to staff and the full board, then the public channels on one day. Publish the website bio first and any press release last.

1. Board vote. Record the election in the minutes, as your bylaws require.
2. Approval. Send the new member every version and wait for a yes.
3. Staff and board. Tell them a day ahead, so no one hears it first on social media.
4. Public channels. Update the website and Candid, post on LinkedIn, then the newsletter.

Seating several members at an annual meeting? Announce them together, a line each. A board with staggered terms, one of the nonprofit governance best practices, does this every year.

What Should an Announcement Leave Out?

Leave out the full resume, any title or employer the member has not approved, personal contact details, gift or pledge amounts, and promises about what the member will achieve. Never announce before the board votes: if the vote goes the other way, you correct the news in public.

What Comes After the Announcement?

Orientation comes next. In a small nonprofit the basics are enough: how the organization runs, a written job description, clear roles and the expectation that members show up. The first 90 days are in our board member onboarding guide.

Note the skills the board still lacks for the next recruit. That list is the start of board development, and board leadership training builds the skills members need.

For the executive director, each new member is one more working relationship. Coaching supports whatever the executive director brings, the board included. We offer no board consulting. Our volunteer coaches donate their time, and executive coaching for executive directors runs six sessions.

A quick win this week: draft the website bio for your newest member and send it to them for approval. We coach nonprofit leaders only. When you are ready, start an application.

Frequently Asked Questions