Member advisory boards: giving members a say

Surveys and polls tell you what many members think in a sentence or two. But some decisions need more than a sentence: whether to add a new tier, how to restructure a course, what to do about a community space that has gone quiet. For those, it helps to have a small group of members who know the membership well, who will think a question through with you and who are willing to tell you when an idea is a bad one.

That is what a member advisory board offers. It is a small, informal group of members who meet regularly to give feedback and advice. It improves your decisions, and it has a valuable side effect: members who are genuinely consulted tend to stay, and they often become your most enthusiastic advocates.

What an advisory board is, and what it is not

An advisory board is a sounding board, not a governing body. Its members give opinions; you make the decisions. Keep it clearly separate from any formal board or committee your organization may have for legal or governance reasons.

A typical advisory board:

• Has five to ten members.
• Serves a fixed term, often six months or a year, so the group stays fresh.
• Meets every month or two, with occasional questions between meetings.
• Advises on plans, content, pricing ideas and member experience.
• Does not handle moderation disputes, private member information or anything that should be your responsibility alone.

Why it helps retention

Advisory boards support retention in three ways. First, advisors themselves become more committed. Being asked for advice is a form of respect, and members who help shape something are more invested in it. Second, the board catches problems before they cost you members: a confusing change, a price that feels unfair, a feature nobody wants. Third, when you tell the wider membership that a change was shaped by member advisors, it carries more weight than a decision that seems to come from nowhere.

A board seat is also a meaningful form of recognition that sits naturally alongside roles and titles that recognize contributors.

Choose a mix of members, not just your fans

The temptation is to fill the board with your most enthusiastic members. Resist it. A board that only agrees with you is pleasant but useless. Aim for a mix:

• Long-standing members and relatively new ones.
• Members on different plans or tiers.
• Active community members and quieter ones who mainly use the content.
• At least one member who has given you thoughtful criticism.
• A range of backgrounds, experience levels and locations that reflects your membership.

You can invite people directly or open short applications. Here is an example invitation for a hypothetical membership for community theater directors:

Subject: Would you join our member advisory group?

Hi Florian,

I'm putting together a small advisory group of eight members to help shape the membership over the next six months. We'd meet on a video call for an hour every other month, and I'd occasionally ask for quick feedback by email.

I'm asking you because your comments on the rehearsal-planning course were some of the most useful I've had, including the critical ones. Advisors get early previews of new material and a free month as a thank-you.

No pressure at all. Just reply if you're interested and I'll send details.

Harriet

Set clear expectations from the start

Write a one-page outline so everyone knows what they are signing up for:

1. Purpose: what kinds of questions the board will help with.
2. Term and time commitment: how long, how often and how long each meeting lasts.
3. Confidentiality: previews and plans stay within the group until announced.
4. Decisions: advisors advise, you decide, and you will explain your reasoning.
5. Thank-you: recognition, early access or a modest benefit, stated plainly.

Run meetings that produce useful advice

Advisors give their time freely, so make every meeting worth it. Send a short agenda in advance with the questions you want help on, and any material to review. A simple structure for a one-hour meeting:

• Ten minutes: what you did with advice from the last meeting.
• Forty minutes: one or two real questions, each with the context advisors need, such as “We're considering a script-analysis workshop series. Who would it help, and what would make it worth attending?”
• Ten minutes: open floor for anything advisors have noticed in the membership.

Ask open questions, invite the quieter people by name and be genuinely willing to change your mind.

Close the loop, inside and outside the board

The fastest way to kill an advisory board is to ignore it. After each meeting, send advisors a short summary of what you heard and what you plan to do. When you do not take their advice, explain why. When a change goes live, tell the wider membership that it was shaped by member advisors, with their permission to be named.

Watch for a few common pitfalls: a board that becomes a clique, advisors who expect special treatment in the community and members who feel the board is a closed circle. Rotating membership and opening applications to everyone help prevent all three.

Your first steps

1. Decide what kinds of questions you want advice on over the next six months.
2. Write the one-page outline of purpose, term, time, confidentiality and thank-you.
3. Invite a mixed group of five to ten members, including at least one constructive critic.
4. Schedule the first meeting with a short agenda and one real question.
5. Send a summary after each meeting and report back on what you did.
6. Rotate some seats at the end of each term.