To see the world transformed by Jesus Christ through the influence of coaches and athletes.
To lead every coach and athlete into a growing relationship with Jesus Christ and His church.
Development and Recruiting
Our organizational strategy for growing boards is through leadership development and recruiting. Two ways we build our leadership development are through an annual board assessment and terms of service.
Board Assessment
A board assessment provides chairs and staff a current and holistic view of their leadership boards as they:
- Plan for their ministry year and create SMART goals for Board Advancement.
- Strategically train their board based upon the stated needs discovered through the board assessment questions and responses.
- Evaluate the current status of their board throughout the year.
Board Service Terms
- Terms give faithful and involved board members a break so they stay fresh in their involvement and avoid burnout or becoming less involved.
- Terms provide a gracious means of removing uninvolved or unproductive board members.
- Terms encourage the election of new members to the board. This provides an opportunity to engage emerging leaders and brings new ideas, fresh perspective and eager involvement. We also suggest keeping board members who have rolled off involved in the ministry. Ask them to serve in donor and volunteer activities.
- Each board member is encouraged to replace themselves. When board members rotate off the board, they should identify at least one potential candidate who has the capabilities and capacity to serve on the board for consideration.
Know Who You're Looking For
Consider who would be a good fit when building your board or filling vacant spots. Potential recruits can be evaluated in these core areas:
Discovering Great Board Members
The best place to start looking for a board member is in the FCA stakeholder communities, meaning those already involved or have been involved in FCA in some way. Depending on the position you're looking to fill, you might even find board members assisting with other projects (ex: events, camps, ministry outreach or currently serving on a board team.). Sources of potential board members include:
- Word-of-mouth and referrals from your board.
- Users of FCA services (parents, grandparents, Coaches, ADs).
- Existing corporate and individual partners (review your event partner/sponsor lists, major donors at events).
- Community leaders (steer clear of political candidates).
- Existing community volunteers (research foundation boards, bank boards, boards of prominent churches).
- Community service club or church-group members (research Boys & Girls Club, YMCA boards).
- Those involved in youth and FCA Sports Clubs and Leagues such as parents, participants and officials.
- People in area professional groups (public relations, sales networking, Chamber of Commerce).
- Event attendees (have an “I’d like more information on board involvement” check box on your ask cards).
- Media personalities (community calendars, Christian radio, local sportscasters).
Leverage Goals and Teams for Recruiting
Any great coach knows it takes individual players, each with their own specific skillset, to make up a winning team. 1 Corinthians 12 explains how this works in the body of Christ. Part of getting the “right parts” on a leadership team is knowing who you are looking for. Board members want something to do that uses their God-given skills and abilities and applied to Kingdom work. We encourage you to think about the goals of the ministry and search for people with the background to help accomplish the goals.
Recruiting Process
We encourage implementing a recruiting process to ensure fit for the board member, the staff and FCA. Here is an example of that process:
- Existing board members recommend a candidate for the board. For a prospect list template, consult your Regional Director of Donor and Board Advancement.
- Initial interview with the appropriate staff member.
- Informal meetings (face-to-face or phone) with existing board member.
- Complete the FCA Ministry Leader Application and agree to the FCA Statement of Faith and Christian Community Statement.
- Agree to board expectations and responsibilities.
- Complete spiritual gifts test: Gifts of Grace.
- Invitation extended or denied.
- Complete Board Commitment – contact your local area staff member for a copy.
Recruiting Examples
- John, FCA Area Director, seems to struggle with financial dynamics of FCA. He is looking to recruit someone to the board with an accounting or finance background to help make financial responsibilities seamless for the area.
- Janeeya, another FCA Area Director, has a goal to be introduced to 12 new prospects in the coming year. She considers Harry for the board as he is a potential new volunteer with a country club membership and is a sales rep for a local marketing firm. He has deep connections in an unreached part of her area.
- Jeri, FCA Area Representative, wants to develop an FCA presence on a college campus in her community. She meets and recruits Janelle, an influential coach on that campus, to serve on her board who can help her make contacts and navigate the leadership dynamics there.
