Establishing and Leveraging the Expertise of Advisory Boards

Abstract

The advisory board's makeup tends to consist of professionals with domains of expertise relevant to the organization they serve. Organizations invite advisory board members to guide the organization's efforts over an extended period. Still, they do not have fiduciary, operational, or decision-making responsibilities for the organization in the way that a board of directors does. This article provides a framework for a behavior-analytic organization to (a) identify whether an advisory board would be feasible and beneficial, (b) establish an advisory board, and (c) engage and manage an advisory board to best leverage the unique skills and interests of the members. The article includes 2 examples of advisory boards to illustrate the suggested framework and recommendations.

Creating a Community Advisory Board

“…18 Leaders may offer board members the opportunity to engage in additional, onsite organizational activities, but experts state these events should not occur more than monthly to avoid undue time demands on board members. 12…”

“…Oldfield and colleagues note that “patients with greater community credibility, such as leaders of community organizations, are more effective participants” on c ommunity advisory boards than people who do not have this leadership experience 1. It can also be helpful to select board members using knowledge and skills-based criteria 2, 12, 16. Leaders may intentionally exclude health professionals from community advisory councils to authentically represent health consumer interests and avoid diluting the community voice 2…”

“…For the synthesis tables, go to http://links.lww.com/AJN/A247. 1,2,[11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18] To follow is a summary of the evidence.…”

“…11,18 Designing a community advisory board involves assessing the organization's areas of need, such as operational knowledge or fundraising competence. 12 Select community advisory board members. Organizational leaders must select advisory board members who represent the community's needs and demographics, and provide diverse perspectives and ideas.…”

“…Four of the six papers that focused on interventions for developing a community advisory board noted that organizational leaders must create value or motivation to serve as a board member. 12,13,17,18 Two papers suggested that creating a community advisory board requires involvement and engagement with local communities, 11,16 with two saying this requires partnering with tivities, so members have time to review the agenda, prepare for the meeting, and seek clarification. 12 Convene the community advisory board.…”