Absenteeism on nonprofit boards: A relationship between board size, attendance policies, training programs, and meeting types

Attendance rates at nonprofit boards of directors meetings are low, and as a result many boards are not able to effectively fulfill their governance mandates. Nonprofit organizations fulfill many important functions not provided by governmental units, and high quality, well functioning boards of directors are essential to these organizations. Good attendance is critical to board performance.;This study addressed the reasons for poor attendance at board meetings of nonprofit organizations. The research questions hypothesized the relationships between attendance rates at nonprofit boards of directors meetings and board size, the strictness of attendance programs, the thoroughness of training programs, and meeting type. Nonprofit organizations in the arts across the United States were randomly sampled and surveys sent to gather information about the dependent and independent variables. In this study, board attendance was the dependent variable, and board size, board attendance policy, board training program, number of meetings scheduled annually, and meeting type were nonmanipulated independent variables. Valid responses were received from 84 nonprofit arts organizations. The meaningfulness of the relationships was established using multiple regression techniques.;In general, absenteeism rates at board meetings increased as board size and the number of board meetings scheduled annually increased. Special meetings had lower attendance rates than regular meetings. There was no relationship between board training and attendance rates. Boards with weak attendance policies had lower attendance rates than boards with no attendance policies at all.;The findings suggest that boards can increase attendance rates and keep members more involved by restricting board size and establishing an expectation of attendance at board meetings. High attendance at board meetings is not a goal a board should strive to attain as an end in and of itself, but as a means to better board performance.;This study helps the nonprofit sector understand some of the variables concerning board attendance. This understanding can have an impact on organizations and their board members by making the organizations more effective and the board members feel more rewarded for their efforts.