Getting Board Members to Give

5. Trust and transparency
This one is simple: If you want your board to trust you, don't hide things from it. As all great PR executives know, the warts and scars will pop up eventually. Get board member -finances, history, personal conflicts - out on the table so board members can ask questions and understand the issues completely. Letting them find out on their own will squelch any chance you have to build trust and will sow the seeds of doubt for as long as they serve.