Does the Rule of Thirds for Volunteer Boards Apply to You?

How many of you love math? I am thrilled that my 9-year-old grandson is a whiz at math in school. I was a co-whiz in my West Virginia elementary school. Each week, I had to battle David Brown for honors in our weekly speed math contest on the chalk board. He and I had the problem noted on the board half solved before the grand "face-off" in the front of the class. My love of numbers fits well with our profession, which is all about numbers!

I have worked with many volunteers through the years. They come in all shapes and sizes. I also have recruited a large quantity of volunteers to provide a variety of needed services for various nonprofits. Unfortunately, the quantity and quality factors were never in sync. The quantity was always much greater. You never know if the quality comes through until after the recruiting process and evaluation over time.

I was with an executive recently for lunch. I have known him for many years. He served on a volunteer committee with me when I was with a previous employer. He asked me to lunch and said he decided to focus on a few new charities for volunteerism going forward, including my organization. He is focused, dedicated, passionate and results-oriented, and will be an excellent volunteer and eventual board member.

While this lunch provided a wonderful end result, we all know these endings are never the same. How often have you secured what you think is the perfect volunteer only to find him or her MIA? I call it the rule of thirds.

The statistics don't lie. In my career, I believe if I secure nine people for volunteer or volunteer board positions, for example, one third of them will be outstanding and exceed expectations, another third will ebb and flow, and the remaining third will be a complete bust. Your goal is to seek 100 percent outstanding performers, which is hard to do and never totally accomplished. But, one must strive to attain the gold standard. Also, be prepared for surprises and disappointment.