How Many Board Members Should I Have As A Start-Up Non-Profit?

Five! 

I strongly believe that having 5 board members as a start-up non-profit is the perfect amount. 

Actually, did you know that your state determines the minimum number of board of directors required for your organization? 

No matter what the required number is, however, I will always recommend 5 board members. 

And if you want to find out this information for yourself, you can usually find it on your Secretary of State’s website. 

So, why five? 

Five is not too small nor too large! 

5 board members allows you to 1) look like a legit board, 2) have just enough people with different perspectives, 3) and still be manageable. 

When you’re a start-up organization, you have a lot of decisions to make. While it’s important to have different perspectives and ideas on the topics at hand, you want to make these decisions efficiently and the last thing you need is for your board to slow down this process.

5 board members allows you to achieve that perfect balance, I believe! 

It’s also easy to have a quorum. 

Quorum: Minimum number of board of directors that must be present in order to make a decision 

So, you would need 3 board members at each meeting! 

And yes, as the founder of your organization, you can be a voting member EXCEPT FOR when it comes to your salary. 

Just remember to keep it small and simple, especially in the beginning. You can always add more board of directors as you go. 

And if you need any help at all with finding board members and forming your board, my Unleash Your Purpose course will help you with that! In this course, we also prepare you step-by-step to file for your non-profit status. 

I also have my Unleash Your Profit course if that’s of any interest where we design a roadmap together to help you create a profitable and scalable business. 

Check them out here and let me know what you think!