THere is a big difference between staff and volunteers in a non-profit organization. Board members are generally volunteers. The board may hire them as a consultant to do one specific task, but be careful here. Each state has slightly different laws, so you must check with the state you are chartered in.

The one exception is the Executive Director who is the paid head of the staff side of the organization. This person often also sits on the board.

Talia is (as usual) right. I have never heard of a board member, unless their day job is as an employee of the nonprofit, being compensated. The nonprofit board I am on at the moment, however, feeds us better during meetings than most of the corporate boards on which I've served (and been paid for those).

Our board members (Family Violence Shelter) are all unpaid volulnteers. Our ED reports directly to the board but does not sit on the board.