Should I use my family and friends as board members?

I caution against asking family and friends to be board members as this will likely cause frustration for the founder later on. My reasoning is that many people add family and friends because they think they need a certain number of members in order to complete the federal tax exempt application. So, they think of the people who are closest to them.

This becomes a challenge later, when the nonprofit is formed and the work needs to be done. These people who were added to the board for convenience likely will not be the ones the nonprofit needs to reach its full development. If you want family and friends to be board members, make sure they are passionate about the cause, they are committed to doing the work, and that they will invest their time, resources and talent to making the non-profit be all that it can be.