Connect with qualified, skilled, and passion-aligned trustee candidates who are ready to serve - all at no cost - through the BoardLead Network.

We vet potential trustees for cause alignment and readiness to serve, and train them for effective service. Candidates in the programme gain access to governance training, allowing them to step into the boardroom with high-impact from day one.

How does BoardLead work?

• Partner with Vetted & Value-aligned Charities

• Recruit, Train, and Develop a Pool of Talented Candidates

• Match Candidates and Charities

• Support Candidates through the Vetting, Nomination, and Election Process

• Provide Governance Training & 1:1 Support to New Trustees

Charities served by BoardLead report strong performance from their new trustees. In fact, after a year of service, more than 40% of the professionals placed through BoardLead are elected to leadership positions on their boards.

Are you interested in BoardLead but not sure if the programme is the right fit for your charity? Check out our FAQs to get a better sense of our programme and process.

Getting Started

WHAT IS BOARDLEAD?
BoardLead elevates and transforms leadership in the social good sector by partnering with top companies, professional services firms and foundations to recruit, place, train and support talented professionals for high-impact board service. BoardLead has successfully placed more than 2,000 professionals on over 1,100 boards across the United States and Greater London Area.

Through a rigorous recruitment, training, and matching process, BoardLead will identify promising candidates and make the connection. Charities then meet one-on-one with each candidate and together begin the process of deciding whether it’s a “match made in heaven.” For the candidates ultimately vetted, nominated and elected to boards, we provide governance training and offer the one-on-one support they need to make an impact as a trustee from day one.

WHO PAYS FOR BOARDLEAD?
BoardLead is offered free of charge to our charity partners. Costs are generously covered by our corporate partners and other funders.

SHOULD I APPLY TO BOARDLEAD?
BoardLead serves charities that are eager to develop and grow their board. BoardLead candidates bring keen intellect and skills, an understanding of good governance, and a readiness to generate support for their organisation.

PRE-REQUISITES: Charities must meet the following qualifications to apply:

• Be a registered charity operating in the Greater London Area or bordering counties

• Looking to build and strengthen your Board of Trustees

• Able to vet and elect new trustees in 3-4 months

• 5 or more trustees currently serving on your board

• Maintain Active Trustee Indemnification Insurance

ADDITIONAL CHARACTERISTICS: Charities that meet some of the following additional criteria tend to be strong fits for BoardLead:

1. Board has a well-established structure in place and demonstrates effective governance practices.

2. Organisation has stable leadership with no chief executive turnover anticipated in the upcoming year.

3. Organisation has a demonstrated commitment to Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion.

4. Organisation’s life cycle has evolved beyond a proof-of-concept or start-up phase.

The BoardLead Process: How does it work?

WHAT IS THE TYPICAL TENURE OF A BOARDLEAD CANDIDATE?
BoardLead candidates have been identified by their employer as high-performing and high-priority professionals. They’re coming with considerable management experience, and are often in management positions with on average 10-25 years of experience. They are mostly in their 30s or 40s and come to the table with a range of expertises, from finance and strategy to HR, IT, marketing, legal, and so on. While this is often their first board experience, they tend to be passionate and seasoned volunteers that have self-selected for this programme. BoardLead is a great way for these professionals to find board placement opportunities and receive wrap-around training and support to be impactful trustees.

HOW DO YOU PRIORITIZE FINDING CANDIDATES FOR OUR BOARD THAT MEET OUR DIVERSITY NEEDS?
BoardLead hopes to make trustee matching as seamless as possible by getting to know your needs and the interests of the professionals we place. Our team makes matches considering a number of factors, including the number of available trustee seats each organisation has, cause areas of interest as expressed by candidates, skill alignment, and diversity needs that charities highlight. We do so with the hopes that we are able to make connections that strengthen board leadership and ultimately have the highest chance of election. While we cannot promise that we will be able to identify a candidate that meets your specific diversity needs, if your organisation is invited to join the BoardLead Network, we do keep this top of mind as we make introductions.

DO WE HAVE TO ELECT OUR MATCHED CANDIDATE?
No – BoardLead does not require you to elect the candidates we present to your organisation. While we do our best to make matches that appear strong on paper, we trust you to decide whether they are ultimately the right fit for your charity. We do, however, ask that you meet with each candidate BoardLead matches to your organisation.

IS IT POSSIBLE TO NOT GET A MATCH THROUGH BOARDLEAD?
Matches are made based on a variety of factors, including expressed candidate interest. If we are unable to identify a candidate whose passions and contributions align with your organisation’s stated needs, there is a chance we will not be able to make a match.

WILL CANDIDATES BE INTERESTED IN MY ORGANISATION’S CAUSE AREA?
There is a good chance! We build our charity cohort to represent a wide array of mission areas, as we find that our candidates come to us with a diversity of personal interest areas and expertise.

WILL WE ONLY RECEIVE CANDIDATES FROM THE CORPORATE PARTNER WHO NOMINATED US?
No – If selected for our cohort, you will be eligible to meet candidates from any of our current partners based in London.

MY BOARD MIGHT NOT BE ABLE TO ELECT A CANDIDATE BY THE ELECTION DEADLINE. CAN I STILL APPLY TO BOARDLEAD?
We ask that our charity partners vet and (if they chose to do so) elect BoardLead candidates within a 3-4 month timeline, either in the spring or fall. We encourage you to apply and share more about your trustee election timeline; we are typically able to work with charity partners on timelines that work for our programme cycle and their election processes.

CAN ELECTIONS HAPPEN BEFORE BOARDLEAD’S ELECTION DEADLINE? CAN TRUSTEE SERVICE BEGIN BEFORE THEN?
Yes – Elections can take place at any time before our election deadline. As soon as a candidate is elected, they may begin their trustee service.

HOW LONG WILL A BOARDLEADER SERVE ON MY BOARD?
BoardLead candidates are expected to serve one full term of trustee service, once elected. After that, it’s up to both you and your candidate to decide if they will be up for reelection.

BOARDLEAD CANDIDATES RECEIVE “ONGOING TRAINING” AFTER THEIR ELECTION. WHAT DOES THAT MEAN?
BoardLead provides candidates with our signature Good Governance Training, in addition to providing one-on-one consultation to candidates for the first few months after their election. BoardLead also makes free, ongoing training opportunities available to our candidates throughout the year.

WHAT IF BOARDLEAD ISN’T THE RIGHT FIT FOR MY ORGANISATION BUT I AM STILL INTERESTED IN STAYING CONNECTED?
There are a number of ways to stay connected to Cause Strategy Partners and Boardlead:

• If you are interested in being contacted about any future board matching opportunities outside of BoardLead this round, please reach out to the BoardLead Team at BoardLeadTeam@causestrategypartners.com.

• If you’d like to stay informed about all that is going on at Cause Strategy Partners, including gaining access to resources, sign up for our newsletter here.

Application Questions

HOW LONG WILL IT TAKE TO COMPLETE THE BOARDLEAD APPLICATION?
The BoardLead application is similar to a grant application and requires that you submit detailed information on your charity’s mission, finances, current governance practices, and recruitment needs. Several of the questions require narrative responses, and the most competitive applications will demonstrate strong attention to detail. We recommend that you devote about 90 minutes to complete your organisation’s application.

CAN I SAVE A DRAFT OF MY APPLICATION?
Yes – You are able to save each section of your application as you work through it. However, in order to save properly, you must first make sure all answers within a section are completely filled out and then hit ‘Save and Continue.’

WHAT OTHER TIME COMMITMENTS ARE REQUIRED OF CHARITIES OUTSIDE OF THE APPLICATION PROCESS AND CANDIDATE VETTING PROCESS?
Organisations selected for the cohort must attend BoardLead’s mandatory Kick-Off Webinar. This Webinar shares more specifics about BoardLead, including information to prepare you for your first meeting with candidates.

STILL HAVE QUESTIONS?
Contact us! Please reach out directly to our team at BoardLeadTeam@causestrategypartners.com with any questions.