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Affiliate Board Best Practices

Building an effective nonprofit board is less about filling seats and more about creating a group that willingly governs, supports, and advances the ACE mission. Many affiliates struggle because boards become passive, overly operational, disorganized, or unclear on their role. The resources on this page will explain how to avoid that and build a strong, functional board.

National and Regional Directors

Offer guidance and support, but the ultimate accountability for compliance, risk management and performance rests with the local board. The resources below are intended to support ACE affiliates boards in effective operation.

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Board job descriptions and expectations

Understanding roles, responsibilities, and commitments

Board members are most effective when they clearly understand their roles, responsibilities, and commitments from the outset. A good functioning board will do the following:

  • Develop written job descriptions that outline expectations for meeting attendance, committee participation, fundraising involvement, and other affiliate duties.
  • Sharing Board expectations early—ideally during recruitment to helps ensure alignment and prevent misunderstandings later.

 

A structured onboarding process sets new board members up for success and accelerates engagement. At a minimum, ACE Affiliate Board should conduct the following board member onboarding:

  • Provide a board handbook that includes your mission, board expectations, and other information
  • Provide the current strategic plan, bylaws, financial overview, and recent minutes.
  • Provide access to all corporate policies and receive verification of agreement with the conflict of interest policy.
  • Provide access to a board portal if available.
  • Require registration in the ACE database

In addition to the minimum expectations above, a well-run board will also

  • Schedule an orientation session
  • Obtain written verification that the new member has read and reviewed the bylaws and all policies
  • Share the board training on ACE mentor tools

Strong onboarding helps new members feel confident, informed, and ready to contribute quickly.

Board Statement of Expectations
Board Member Expectations
Affiliate Board List Template

Most affiliates that achieve regular success in fundraising and program growth strategically utilize committees. Committees are outlined in the bylaws and exist until the bylaws are updated. Please note, a committee is not a task force. See below for information on task forces. Committees allow the board to work more efficiently by focusing on key areas like finance, governance, fundraising, and programs by following the below best practices.

  • Each committee should have a clear purpose, defined responsibilities, and specific goals aligned with the organization’s priorities. This should be a document shared with all committee members
  • Assign a committee chair responsible for scheduling meetings, reporting out to the full board and tracking member progress
  • Prepare agendas for committee meeting and maintain minutes, both of which should be in the board portal.
  • Rather than simply reporting updates, committees should bring recommendations to the full board to support informed decision-making and deeper engagement.

Note: Committees are defined by the bylaws, and Affiliates should carefully consider whether new board committees are needed. Not every project truly requires a new committee. Rather, subcommittees can be created under existing committees to manage specific tasks. For short term project, a board can assign a Task Force to oversee the project rather than creating a new committee.

Samples Board Committee

Well-run board meetings are focused and organized. Board meetings must be scheduled in accordance with the requirements in the bylaws and non profit best practices must be followed.

The president/chair should also be familiar with Robert’s Rules of Order.

Prior to every board meeting, boards should do the following:

  • Prepare an agenda. Usually the executive committee convenes outside the main board meeting to set the agenda. Or you can follow a general outline that is updated as needed.
  • Check with your regional director to determine if there are updates from ACE national
  • Share the agenda, minutes from past meeting and updated financials with the full board prior to the meeting
  • At the start of every meeting, the previous minutes are reviewed and approved and a financial report is provided.
  • Consider sharing program updates via a dashboard
  • Assign someone to take minutes during the meeting and note any action items to be completed

Effective meetings prioritize strategic matters that align with current priorities and have concrete tasks and follow up items throughout.

As a reminder, it is always important to check your Affiliate Bylaws for any information relating to frequency of meetings, quorums, voting rules, etc.

Strong boards hold themselves accountable through clear expectations and regular evaluation.

Successful boards track attendance, board member participation, and fulfillment of commitments such as fundraising or committee work.

It is helpful to conduct annual self-assessments and use term limits as required by the bylaws.

If board members are not actively contributing, the President/Chair/Executive Committee should address underperformance directly to ensure the board remains active and effective.

An advisory board is a group of individuals who provide strategic guidance, expertise, and external perspective to support a nonprofit’s leadership, without having formal governance authority or fiduciary responsibility like a board of directors.

Note: Advisory Boards can not vote on board governance matters. Advisory boards are especially useful for accessing specialized knowledge, expanding networks, and strengthening credibility in the community. To be effective, they should have a clear purpose, defined expectations, and a structured way to engage—such as periodic meetings or project-based input. While they do not make binding decisions, a well-managed advisory board can significantly enhance an organization’s strategy, visibility, and overall impact.

An Advisory Board can be useful for short-term projects or targeted initiatives, such as enhancing an affiliate’s focus on the trades, improving mentor engagement, or addressing specific strategic priorities. It can also serve as a valuable way to engage industry experts, build partnerships, and develop a pipeline of future volunteers and board members for the affiliate.

ACE Mentor Program of Cleveland: Advisory Board Example

Building a strong board should include intentional representation from the Architecture, Engineering, and Construction industry to ensure alignment with ACE’s mission and access to relevant expertise and networks.

Affiliates are encouraged to recruit board members from across the AEC spectrum while also incorporating partners from schools, workforce development programs, and industry associations. This mix strengthens program relevance, expands partnership opportunities, and supports pathways for students and participants.

Link to Partnership Page

Affiliates should proactively identify and develop future leaders for key roles such as board chair, officers, and committee leads, rather than waiting for vacancies to arise.

This can include setting term limits, creating vice or co-chair roles, and building a pipeline of engaged members who are prepared to step into leadership. A thoughtful succession plan helps preserve institutional knowledge, maintain momentum, and reduce disruption during leadership transitions. It is also important to align succession planning with the affiliate bylaws.

Affiliates should also consider developing a strong leadership pipeline from mentor to board member. Encourage progression from mentor to team leader and eventually to board member by creating clear pathways for increased responsibility and engagement. This approach strengthens institutional knowledge, deepens engagement, and creates a reliable pipeline of informed, invested leaders. The resources on our mentor pages can be shared to support mentors and help them stay committed to the ACE program.

Maintaining up-to-date and accessible governance documents is essential for transparency and compliance.

Boards should regularly review and update bylaws, policies, and key organizational documents to reflect current practices and legal requirements. These should be stored in a centralized location accessible to all board members. Well-managed documentation reduces risk, supports good decision-making, and ensures continuity over time. Non profits must be particularly mindful of maintaining accurate minutes and financial tracking as these are all public documents that must be available upon request. The following should be kept in a board portal, at a minimum:

  • Bylaws
  • Affiliate agreement
  • Most recent 990/audit/tax filing
  • Board agendas and minutes
  • Committee agendas and minutes
  • Strategic Plan/Maturing Matrix
  • The affiliates completed version of the annual program report
Document Retention Policy
Annual Reporting Documents

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Need guidance?

Reach out to your Regional Director or the ACE National Team for support on building and managing your board.

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