Recruitment Strategies for Affordable Housing Non-Profits

Litchfield County
Written By Jocelyn Ayer

In Litchfield County, affordable housing non-profits are responsible for developing and managing much of the existing affordable housing. Most of these organizations have no full-time paid staff and are run by an all-volunteer board. This makes it all the more important to recruit and retain a strong board of directors.

Our brief summary of recruitment strategies provides some tips on board member recruitment and interviewing. This can help foster a board with a diversity of talents, evenly shared task management, sustained interest and minimal burnout. For tips on on-boarding new board members, see our Onboarding Guide.

Recruitment Steps

  1. Decide if the prospect is a real candidate (are they interested?)

  2. Present candidate info to board

  3. Decide to move forward to interview

  4. Communication to candidate

  5. Interview

  6. Circulate information to full board

  7. Board vote to approve

  8. New member on-boarding process

Jocelyn Ayer

Jocelyn Ayer has lived and worked in Litchfield County for the last 15 years. Prior to becoming the Director of Litchfield County’s Center for Housing Opportunity, she served as Community and Economic Development Director for the Northwest Hills Council of Governments where she worked with 21 towns in the region to plan and implement their land use, housing, and economic development initiatives. She has worked with 16 municipalities in the region to develop municipal housing plans and provides staff support to the Northwest Connecticut Regional Housing Council. Over the last two decades Jocelyn has been involved in all stages of housing development from planning to construction, financing, and operations.  She has a Master’s degree in Regional Planning from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst.

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Onboarding Guide for Affordable Housing Non-Profits