Challenging Conventional Wisdom on Nonprofit Boards

Social enterprise
This white paper delves into rethinking board sizes, term limits, and fundraising requirements to help unlock greater strategic insight and value from non-profit boards.
By Matt Forti

As with many nonprofits, One Acre Fund has evolved the precise composition and function of our board alongside our organization’s changing needs and opportunities since we professionalized seven years ago. But our choices have rarely matched the conventional wisdom. And while we know not every institution operates in the same way, we wanted to share these (somewhat counter-intuitive) experiences in the hopes that nonprofit leaders, particularly at other social-change organizations, will take a harder look at how to build their boards for maximum impact.