FAQ
What are the benefits of membership to DirectorsMarketplace.ORG?
- We offer a system for shareholders, boards and their advisors on finding the right people to populate their board
- We offer members with discounted online training to company Fiduciaries, Directors and Trustees
- We offer private events for education and networking
- Members are vetted so our reputation for having great directors is sustained, and to build relationships among members that could last a long time
- Membership is limited, so you won't find yourself among thousands on a profile search, and networking is more personal
- We track open and private searches so both the member and the searching party are protected from unsolicited correspondence, if they want this feature.
- Unlike other board memberships, we WILL NOT share emails and contact information to anyone outside DirectorsMarketplace.ORG. Each member's community profile can also be public or private. The database is equally secure with privacy features.
How do I join?
If you were referred by a member or advisor, we will have sent you an email that invites you to login and pay your annual dues. If you are wanting to join, but don't have an invitation, we provide a different process, whereby you fill out an online form and you are interviewed by the staff or membership committee to ensure your background and experience are at the level our search advisors expect when they conduct their searches. If you are an Advisor, a similar approach occurs, whereby we validate your search, and you agree to the terms of the site. Once approved, you (the advisor) have free access to the database to conduct your searches in confidence you have great directors to choose from.
What are the goals of DirectorsMarketplace?
If you go to our "About Us" Page we state:
We are a community of Directors who desire to find more board opportunities to help privately held companies and their management team reach their goals. We also desire to continue our education on privately held board issues. Our members are experienced board candidates with references and connections.
We will not admit new members without a reference check from one of our selected advisors or other members. New Candidates who have not been referred will go through an interview process to ensure they are directors and not people looking to solicit the membership or having other interests. It is important we carefully select members, not to be clubby, but to ensure quality and collegiality. The people, who we permit to search the database, are searching our profile database to find the desired qualities we collect in our profile to meet their selection criteria.
We want people who do use our search capability to have a safe and easy way to find and select seasoned directors.
How much does it cost?
Annual membership fee for Directors is $195.00 per year. Shareholders, Advisors or board advisors, who are vetted and approved, are FREE! Members also have FREE access to the database to conduct their own searches when needed.
Is DirectorsMarketplace right for me?
The Typical Member profile includes past board experience, seasoned over decades of "for-profit" experience, and each member has been a C-Level executive during their career. Since we are focusing on Privately held, closely owned businesses, which include family owned businesses, ESOPs, Venture or Private Equity backed companies, we know there is a different perspective of the shareholder, the fiduciary requirements and the personal risks involved being a closely held director, unlike publicly held companies. In general, our members are really nice people, who want to collaborate and work with smart people, to help a CEO and his/her leadership team reach their potential using governance processes.
Why do you have to check our references?
DirectorsMarketplace.ORG is not a public social media platform, aggregating names for a mailing list. This is a "members only" site to help members find board seats, and to provide a safe and private experience for networking and friendship. Chemistry and experience are key factors for each member and what the search advisors desire. Membership is meant to be selective and not easy to join. Again, our search advisor expect that. While other sites desire thousands of members, we want hundreds. We want quality, not quantity!
What is the training for?
We developed a series of educational courses for company fiduciaries, directors and trustees. Many of our members don't need the training, but the board they sit on may need training. When a seasoned director discovers they are on a dysfunctional or uneducated board, we are providing attractively priced online training tools that their board can get educated quickly and privately. Advisors who find that the board is not working well, can also benefit with our tools as well. The online training system has features that can help mitigate regulatory, D&O, and fiduciary claim exposure. Having online tools can save their company money, time and improve results. To learn more click here.
Why does the website have two colors themes: RED or BLUE?
You will see that our color of Blue for this "Community" section of the website where private networking and sharing of information is encouraged. We ask for pictures of our members so they get acquainted with each other, and we don't track background information in the community section. Our Database Section (RED) is for outsiders, and members, conduct director searches. Members are encouraged to update their board experience and career profile so that when a search is conducted, the member's background can be matched to the search criteria. As a result, we separated the two sections to improve security and safety of discussions and searches. Our two color themes are designed to help you know where you are; either inside the Community (BLUE) or Database system (RED).
How does the Search Process work?
Once you are a member or an approved advisor to conduct searches for free, you will find on your profile page an area where you can post or review your searches. As a member, you can post a search and review those searches requested by advisors and fellow members where your profile matches their search criteria and they are reviewing your profile to evaluate. If you are an advisor, you have the section where you can post and review your searches in order to conduct an interview process for further evaluation. Advisors are required to create genuine searches or they will be removed from access to the database.