Many moons ago (over 15 to be exact) as a newly hired Executive Director, I struggled to understand why attendance at board meetings was dismal. Leading a faith-based organization, I assumed "let your yes be yes and your no be no" was an expectation. I mean, these were people of faith. People who cared about the mission. People who said yes when asked to serve. And yet… empty chairs. Unanswered emails. Excuses that trailed off into silence.
I was frustrated. And if I'm being honest, I was a little self-righteous about it too.
What I didn't understand then is that board service carries with it a legal and fiduciary responsibility , a duty that goes far beyond showing up and nodding along. When someone is invited to join a board, the ask often sounds like this: "We'd love to have you. You'd be great. It's just a few meetings a year." What is rarely communicated clearly is what that yes actually means.
So what did they actually sign up for?
The Standards for Excellence Institute, whose resources I have the privilege of both writing and working with as a Licensed Consultant, outlines three core fiduciary duties that every board member carries the moment they say yes:
The Duty of Care means showing up - mentally, not just physically. It means reading the financials before the meeting, asking good questions, and making decisions like a reasonably prudent person would. It means you cannot be a passive passenger on this board. Care is active.
The Duty of Loyalty means that when you walk into that boardroom, you leave your personal interests, your business relationships, and your ego at the door. Every decision you make must be in the best interest of the organization and the community it serves - not you, not your company, not your cousin's catering business.
The Duty of Obedience means remaining faithful to the mission. You were not recruited to redesign the organization in your own image. You were recruited to steward what already exists - to protect its purpose and ensure that every dollar and decision moves toward that mission.
Care. Loyalty. Obedience. Three words that, when I look back at my early days as an Executive Director, I wish someone had handed me on a card to give every new board member at orientation. Don’t worry, I added those as I learned.
In Matthew 5:37, Jesus says simply, "Let your yes be yes." It is one of the most quietly demanding verses in Scripture. No elaborate vow. No performance. Just the integrity of a person whose word means something. When a board member says yes to service, that yes carries weight; legally, ethically, and spiritually. It is a commitment to show up, to act with loyalty, and to remain faithful to something larger than themselves. Board service, at its best, is a form of keeping your oath.
As I grew professionally as an Executive Director, and what I understand now is this: dismal attendance is rarely about laziness or bad character. More often, it is about confusion. Board members don't show up when they don't know why their presence matters. They disengage when no one has ever clearly told them what is expected or what is at stake.
Is this easy to fix? No. Is it worth fixing? Absolutely.
The first step is clarity. Before someone says yes to board service, they deserve to know - really know - what that yes means. A job description with roles and responsibilities. An orientation. An annual renewed commitment. A conversation about the three duties above. And, as I wrote about in a previous post, a shared set of values the board creates together that makes the culture of service something people want to opt into.
When I think back to my early days as an Executive Director and those empty chairs, I don't feel self-righteous anymore. I feel a little sad for all of us; for the board members who never got the orientation they deserved, and for the new Executive Director (me!) and Board Governance Committee who never thought to give it to them. By my second year, we had that rectified but still...As the Board Chair for World Relief, I get to participate in a Board Orientation training that I have crafted and revised over the years. Our board attendance is stellar and our directors understand the role.
Let your yes be yes. But first, make sure everyone knows what they're saying yes to.
Erin
PS. I have the privilege of serving as a Licensed Consultant for the Standards for Excellence Institute, whose framework on board fiduciary responsibility informs much of my consulting practice. I also wrote their Educational Resource packet on Board Fiduciary Responsibility. If your board could use a tune-up on roles, responsibilities, or culture - I'd love to have that conversation. Over the last 7 years I have worked with 50+ organizations. Is yours next?