Step Three: Building Your Board

If you decide to apply to become a 501(c)(3), you’ll need to appoint a governing board whose members are responsible for such areas as compensation, policy, practices, fundraising and strategic planning. 

At a minimum, you’ll begin with a three-person board.  It’s often best to start small and expand as your needs grow.  The number of board members will be set in your bylaws, which also govern issues like the duties of the board and of the executive director, the number of meetings and other areas of operations.  Read more about bylaws in Step Four.

Your board should have energy, expertise and passion for the new enterprise. You don’t need micromanagers who wonder if you remembered to lock the office doors each night but, rather, members who are intensely interested in what you’re doing, actively helpful and able to devote some regularly scheduled time to the organization. 

You don’t want a board composed entirely of journalists, but you do need at least one top journalist for advice and credibility.

For example, the board of Voice of San Diego includes a retired venture capitalist, a respected veteran journalist, an owner of a media management company, an owner of a marketing and consulting firm, and a businessman who mentors entrepreneurs. 

The board of MinnPost includes the CEO and Editor, as well as founding donors.

You can also see the board of directors at the Center for Public Integrity and Investigative Reporters and Editors.

Say that you have seven board members by the end of your first year.  Your dream team could look like this:

• A couple of esteemed journalists—and it’s a big plus if they have experience managing a nonprofit newsroom.
• If you are located at a university, a respected journalism professor.
• A lawyer (however, you will probably still need the services of an outside lawyer to handle most legal work and to avoid conflicts of interest that could arise).
• An accountant or financial adviser.
• An experienced fundraiser with contacts at major foundations or community donors.
• A business person who loves journalism or has been successful as a digital entrepreneur.
• A tech expert who might guide your software and hardware needs.

If you’re lucky, some of your board members will wear two or more hats.  Ideally, they will also:

• Have experience running or overseeing nonprofits.
• Have strong community ties.
• Be racially and socially diverse, so they can provide a bridge to underreported stories and issues.

Be clear about what you expect from your board.  Your members should:

• Give practical advice and set sound policies and goals.
• Have a strong sense of ethics consistent with your new venture.
• Help market the project, raise money and oversee incoming funds.
• Support you during some of the rough times that inevitably occur and work with you to problem-solve.
• Be available to meet at least once a year in person, possibly paying for their own travel and lodging.
• Define ways to measure the success of your performance and of the organization.

They may start out as your friends and supporters, but may end up disagreeing with you—and they have the power to fire you. Some board members may be friends or acquaintances you trust, but you need independent thinkers, too.  They should be able to tell you gracefully when they think you are headed in the wrong direction. And you should respect their opinion. You want your board to look at issues from every angle.  It should not serve to rubberstamp your decisions—that defeats the purpose.

In fact, in setting up your newsroom, you will have traded one boss for a governing board of many bosses. 

Most of all, you need a strong board president who can keep the board engaged and running efficiently.  Of course, it should be someone with whom you can work one-on-one as you think through issues and strategic directions. 

If your organization forms a partnership with a university or a fiscal agent, you may want to consider appointing representatives of those organizations to your board. They may feel honored to have been invited.

Once you’ve been received your nonprofit status, you can also consider expanding your brain trust by creating an informal journalism advisory board - a collection of journalists and professionals who will offer a diversity of input and ideas on coverage.  It’s not necessary for this group to meet in person, but they should agree to be publicly identified as advisors.  This gives you more credibility with potential donors.

With a startup board in place, you need to begin thinking about individuals who would be good additions, down the road.  Building and keeping a good board is a task that never ends.