Considering Co-Chairs for a Board of Directors

The traditional structure for a board of directors is to have one chair or president, a treasurer, secretary, and, perhaps, a vice-chair or vice-president and then several members at large. Having a chair or president to preside over meetings, be "in charge" for grant proposals, financial documents and to help set the tone of leadership for the organization is good business. For a volunteer board of directors, however, it can be tough to find someone with the availability of time and resources to fill the shoes of a good board chair. More and more organizations are looking to creative ways to match leadership tasks to volunteer board members' busy schedules. One solution is to consider having two co-chairs to help run the board and the organization. Of course, this solution has its pluses and its minuses:

Two individuals sharing the chair for a board of directors can be a bonus for a board that is made up of busy professionals. The two individuals can divide up responsibilities based on availability or share them equally. It is important, however, to make sure that roles and responsibilities are made clear so that nothing falls through the crack. Staff and other board members need to know who to access for which tasks and how to get ahold of each person.

The board chair or president can set the tone for the organization's leadership'"two very different chairs can either compliment each other or confuse the staff and public. Communication between the two is key, as is making sure that the two individuals are not contradicting each other in terms of setting the direction and guidance of the organization. When it comes to conducting meetings, while each person may have a different personal style, it is important to pay attention to making the process as smooth and personality-free as possible. This means making sure that each co-chair conducts meetings similarly. Be careful not to set up a "good cop/bad cop" dynamic and allow for staff and other board members to go to different chairs for different answers or responses. In order for co-chairs to work, they need to be openly communicating with each other and governing as a team.