Advisory Board Member
One day a month. Board-level partnership counsel. Selective by design.
The Problem
You need senior judgement on the partnership question. Not senior delivery.
Some organisations don’t need a fractional director embedded in their leadership team. They have the operational capability. What they don’t yet have is a senior independent voice in the room when partnership decisions get made, someone who has been around enough partnership outcomes, good and bad, to recognise the patterns the team cannot yet see from the inside.
The Advisory Board Member role is for that situation. One protected day each month, focused on the partnership questions that actually matter, and a standing line to me between sessions when something material moves.
What It Looks Like In Practice
One day a month, plus a standing line
- One protected half-day or full-day each month, typically structured as a partnership review with the founder or COO.
- Quarterly attendance at a board meeting if useful, usually for partnership reviews, governance moments, or fundraising preparation.
- A standing line by email and phone for material moments between sessions, a partnership decision that has appeared, a difficult conversation that needs framing, a quick sense-check before a meeting.
- Application of the Fab Campaigns frameworks, Stage Gate, FabCube, Five Principles, to your live partnership questions as they arise.
- An honest opinion when you want one. A clear “I don’t know” when I don’t.
- No operational delivery. That is what the fractional retainer is for.
How It Works
Light setup, monthly rhythm, twelve-month minimum
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Initial conversation · no charge
Thirty minutes to test whether this is a fit at all. Some advisory relationships start here and end here, and that is a useful outcome.
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Setup · first month
A longer first session to absorb the partnership landscape, meet the leadership team, and agree the cadence and focus areas for the year ahead.
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Monthly rhythm · ongoing
One day each month, same week, same person on your side. The standing line operates between sessions on a reasonable-use basis.
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Annual review · month twelve
Whether the role continues, expands into something more substantial, or closes. Continuation is a decision, not a default.
Who It’s For
Three situations where this works particularly well
Seed to Series A ventures
Where the partnership function is real but not yet large enough to justify a fractional director. The advisor role gives you the senior voice without the spend.
Family-owned SMEs
Particularly where succession or generational transition is in view. Independent partnership counsel from outside the family system is often the missing ingredient.
International ventures with UK presence
Where the home-market team is strong, but the UK leadership team is thin. A UK-based advisor keeps the partnerships and the regulatory environment in sight.
Investment
From £2,000 per month
Monthly retainer billed quarterly in advance. Twelve-month minimum. Travel beyond Winchester / M25 charged at cost. Equity considered for early-stage ventures where it makes more sense than cash, but only after the first three months establish the working relationship.
This is not a Non-Executive Director role. A formal NED comes with statutory responsibilities, board voting rights, and a different legal frame. I am also actively building a separate NED portfolio through Nurole and the Institute of Directors — for organisations where a formal board appointment is the right fit, that is a different conversation. The Advisory Board Member role is lighter, faster to set up, and more flexible.
If you need the voice but not the desk
The Advisory Board Member role is one of the most useful entry points to a longer relationship. Many engagements start here and stay here. Some grow into a fractional role over time. A few step up to a formal board position. All three outcomes are good outcomes.
