On average, the organizations in the study had 12 board members. AA-led organizations are more likely than white-led organizations to have bylaws defining the duration of board membership (82% vs. 67%, respectively). Current board members length of service did not vary between AA-led and white-led organizations. On average, board members can serve a maximum of seven years. At about two-thirds of organizations (65%), board members were expected in contribute financially to the organization (Figure 15).
The demographic characteristics of board members provide another indication of who is leading the nonprofit organizations. AA-led organizations are more likely to have African American board members and white-led organizations are more likely to have white board members (Figure 17).
Board members brought a variety of skills to their positions. In particular, EDs reported that their board members have expertise in business and accounting/financial management (78% and 77% of organizations, respectively, have these skills represented on their boards) (Figure 16).