A pipeline that survives between meetings
Candidates move through qualifying, interviewing, nominating, and hold. A name mentioned in March is still on the board in September, with the notes that explain why someone thought of them, rather than living in one committee member's inbox.
- Drag candidates between stages as conversations progress
- Dated notes per candidate, so context survives committee turnover
- Stage names you can rename to match your own nominating process
A skills matrix that shows the gap
Define the skills and attributes your board needs — finance, legal, fundraising, lived experience of the communities you serve, whatever your governance committee decides matters. Board Manager maps them against your current members and shows where coverage is thin.
- Skills and attributes you define, not a fixed vendor list
- Heatmap across current members, with a print view for board packets
- CSV export for committee discussion offline
Let the board do the sourcing
A public recommendation form lets current members and community contacts put names forward without an account. Submissions arrive as candidates in the pipeline, and the coordinator gets an email so nothing waits unseen.
- Public recommendation form at your own URL
- Optional candidate application form sent by link
- Email notification on each new recommendation
From candidate to seated director
When a candidate is elected, converting them creates the member record, so the person you have been tracking for eight months becomes a director without anyone retyping their details.
Common questions
Do candidates need an account?
No. The recommendation and application forms are public links that require no login, and candidates never see your pipeline.
Can we change the pipeline stages?
Yes. The default stages are qualifying, interviewing, nominating, and hold, and you can rename or reorder them to match how your nominating committee actually works.
Does the skills matrix cover diversity attributes?
It covers whatever you define. Many boards track both professional skills and demographic or lived-experience attributes; Board Manager does not impose a list on you.
Related reading
Building a Board Candidate Pipeline Before You Need It
Why reactive board recruitment fails, and how to build a living pipeline of strong candidates you can draw from when seats open up.
Using a Skills Matrix to Build a More Effective Board
How to identify the skills and perspectives your board is missing, and use that analysis to drive smarter, more intentional recruitment.
How to Reach Out to Board Candidates Without Being Awkward About It
Practical approaches for inviting someone to consider a board role: what to say, how to say it, and how to handle the conversation when they have questions or say no.