Organizational support

What does a board do
The board runs the organization between the annual meetings, and is the organization's second highest authority after the annual meeting. The board's duties vary from organization to organization, but more effort is always expected from a board member than from an ordinary member. It is important that new members of the board receive training so that both experienced and new board members have a common starting point where everyone can participate at an equal level in the work. The training must be about what the organization works with, how it works and how the economy is managed and controlled.

Thorough training provides a good basis for effective and good board work. This is particularly important in the student environment - where board members are replaced more often than in normal organisations. The board should therefore have a plan for training. Board members must receive training from the outgoing board, otherwise there is a risk that the organization will die out. Plans for training should be a topic at annual meetings or board meetings in all student organisations. 

Recruitment of board members and active members in student organizations should be an important part of the board's task. A very common challenge is that you have recruited a lot in one year, and preferably from one student cohort. This means that the organization apparently works well, but when that cohort of students is finished, the organization is left without people who can run it further, because the competence lay in a cohort of students who have finished as students - at the same time. We therefore recommend that you ensure an even distribution of board seats based on which year of study the board members are in. This can, for example, be solved by enacting a minimum number of seats per cohort or similar. It doesn't have to be a locked point either, you can for example write that "one must strive for an even distribution or similar". 

Cooperation in the board
Those who have been elected to the board often have thoughts about what it will be like to be on the board and what kind of work they want to do. Therefore, it is important that the board members talk about how they understand their role, so that different expectations and interests can be avoided that can destroy cooperation on the board. It is also incredibly important that the board members work together. Experienced managers in organizations are worth their weight in gold, and this is developed through collaboration on various tasks over time. Cooperation, delegation and follow-up are more difficult than just doing the work yourself, but YOU will soon be on the board, and the next person can build on your efforts, if you have good cooperation and good dialogue. Maybe you are lucky enough that another board member likes to do things you don't enjoy?