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What is an advisory board member and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read

An Advisory Board Member is a volunteer who joins an organization to help achieve their goals. This personnel joins the organization for a limited time. During this period, they use their financial, professional, and personal resources to benefit the organization.

The member works directly with directors to debate, develop, and decide major organizational decisions. Advisory Board Members meet anywhere between two and 12 times yearly. They share information, discuss ideas and provide new insights. They are responsible for planning, fund-raising, and community relations.

An Advisory Board is a group created by an organization to engage external advisors. It is created by both small and large businesses--the likes of emerging corporates, multi-nationals, non-profits, academia, and government. Members are selected based on their experience level, industry sector, geographic location, and area of expertise. Although it's a volunteer position, members are paid an average salary of $58,303, ranging between $51,701 and $65,231.

ScoreAdvisory Board MemberUS Average
Salary
5.0

Avg. Salary $63,675

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level
10.0

Growth rate 6%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity
1.5
Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.64%

Asian 7.41%

Black or African American 3.64%

Hispanic or Latino 7.48%

Unknown 3.88%

White 76.95%

Gender

female 52.15%

male 47.85%

Age - 52
Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 52
Stress level
10.0

Stress level is very high

7.1 - high

Complexity level
10.0

Complexity level is advanced

7 - challenging

Work life balance
3.0

Work life balance is poor

6.4 - fair

Advisory board member career paths

Key steps to become an advisory board member

  1. Explore advisory board member education requirements

    Most common advisory board member degrees

    Bachelor's

    67.1 %

    Master's

    16.5 %

    Associate

    7.3 %
  2. Start to develop specific advisory board member skills

    SkillsPercentages
    Community Outreach13.25%
    Non-Profit Organization9.50%
    Strategic Direction8.01%
    Policy Changes7.49%
    Public Health6.92%
  3. Research advisory board member duties and responsibilities

    • Work with a team of 13 other members to manage, fill, and distribute THON merchandise orders.
    • Participate in THON, a yearlong effort to raise money and awareness in the fight against pediatric cancer.
    • Develop organizational policies and procedures for staffing, fund raising, governance and administration of the new organization.
    • Engage perspective student questions on the admitted students' Facebook page.
  4. Get advisory board member experience

    Generally, it takes more than 10 years to become an advisory board member. The most common roles before becoming an advisory board member include internship, volunteer team lead and board member.
  5. Prepare your advisory board member resume

    When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your advisory board member resume.

    You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on an advisory board member resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

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  6. Apply for advisory board member jobs

    Now it's time to start searching for an advisory board member job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

    1. Browse job boards for relevant postings
    2. Consult your professional network
    3. Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
    4. Watch out for job scams

How did you land your first advisory board member job

Jonathan OkanlawonJonathan Okanlawon LinkedIn profile

Advisory Board Member

Jonathan Okanlawon is a visionary leader dedicated to spearheading change
and empowering organizations to reach new heights of success. With a
distinguished career spanning management consulting, corporate strategy,
and leadership development, Jonathan has become a trailblazer in the world
of business transformation, leaving an indelible mark on the global business
landscape.
A profound understanding of the intricate dynamics of business serves as the
bedrock of Jonathan's approach. His distinctive ability to navigate this complex terrain has led him
to collaborate with a diverse array of corporate organizations, business owners, high-level
executives, and enterprising entrepreneurs across a spectrum of industries.
Jonathan's extensive expertise is anchored in a multifaceted skill set encompassing Business and
Management Consulting, Corporate Strategy and Development, Learning and Change
Management, Executive Coaching, Organizational Management, and Leadership. Through these
capabilities, he empowers his clients to accomplish a range of goals:
- Achieving Organizational Goals and Objectives: Jonathan's guidance empowers
organizations to set and attain ambitious objectives, turning vision into reality.
- Enhancing Overall Business Performance: Under his tutelage, businesses experienced a
remarkable upswing in performance metrics, redefining their own standards of excellence.
- Boosting Competitiveness within Markets: Jonathan provides the strategies and insights
required for organizations to gain a competitive edge in their respective markets.
- Positioning for Market Domination: His visionary leadership helps organizations not only
to succeed but also to lead in their industries, influencing the direction of their markets.
- Maximizing Profitability: Jonathan's innovative approaches and proven methods optimize
profitability, driving organizations to newfound financial success.
Beyond his consulting endeavors, Jonathan is a prolific host of capacity-building events, including
masterclasses, webinars, boot camps, workshops, and retreats. These forums serve as platforms
for sharing practical solutions to the complex challenges that organizations face. They enrich the
knowledge base of professionals and stimulate innovation in business practices, fostering a culture
of continuous improvement.
Key to Jonathan's impact is his role as the Co-Founder of Global Croft Ltd, a promi

Average advisory board member salary

The average advisory board member salary in the United States is $63,675 per year or $31 per hour. Advisory board member salaries range between $18,000 and $218,000 per year.

Average advisory board member salary
$63,675 Yearly
$30.61 hourly

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Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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