For the last month, I’ve had a poll running on this blog asking folks to note the size of their nonprofit boards. The overwhelming number of voters (80%) chose the 11-20 member category. Ten percent have a board with ten or fewer members and 10% have a board with 21-35 members. This mirrors the results for the 2006 annual reports submitted to the NYS Education Department by chartered museums and historical societies. Of 801 institutions reporting boards of trustees, the average board size was 12 . Forty-one institutions reported board with more than 25 people, ranging from 26 members to a high of 63. In prior years, the number is almost the same. In 1998, the average size was 11. Paul Stewart, who serves on the board of the Albany, NY-based Capital District Underground Railroad Workshop , wrote, “Some organizations seem to like small boards and some large boards. What is the difference in what they accomplish? What other dynamics are there? …it is clear that having ...