Giving Compass' Take:

• Forbes Nonprofit Council discusses how to conduct a search for the ideal organizational board member, emphasizing a need to focus on a genuine, thoughtful relationship.

• Big, splashy names are useless if they're not aligned with your mission. Some of the questions posed in this piece should help orgs in their hunt for strong leadership.

• Still struggling to find the right board leaders? Check out this video for more best practices.

First of all, I admire you for thinking big! You should go after influential people who you would like to have on your board. Let's ensure that you are pursuing the right person appropriately, however. Simply having a big name on your board doesn't necessarily mean it's the right thing for your organization.

You'll want to make sure that anyone who joins your board is well-informed of your mission, has similar values and has something they can contribute.

Fundamental board leadership factors may include wise advice, financial contributions, introductions to marketing contacts, operational savviness and fiscal expertise. Have you identified what skills your prospect can contribute to your board? Are those skills complementary to those of your other board members?

To gain a high-level name on your board, you need to be persistent but not annoying. Sometimes, you'll have to work hard at it. For example, one of our top early venture capitalists is significantly involved with our board issues, but it took me 10 years to build that relationship and build it with funding. I sent articles that inspired him from pieces we wrote about UniversalGiving, invited him to events, answered questions for him about philanthropy and offered to help without making any requests back. Over time, this turned into a very fruitful relationship.

When pursuing influential people to join your board, focus on the relationship first, and do so genuinely.

Here are some  important, general questions you should ask throughout the relationship-building process:

1. Are they willing to spend time on the board and attend meetings?
2. Are they willing to donate?
3. Will they act as a soundboard for you? Are you able to contact them one-to-one for advice outside of board meetings?

Read the full article about hiring your dream board member by Pamela Hawley at Forbes Nonprofit Council.