Let's start a conversation: How can boards be most effective? What lessons — good and bad — have you learned from your experiences?

Blog

Give a Board Seat for a Volunteer?

Categories: Board Member Roles · Board, Board Chair, ED/CEO Roles · Good Board PracticesTags: · · · Leave a comment

In this post, I share a story from a frustrated board chair. One board member consistently “ghosts” the organization. He does not show up. He does not respond to communications. The chair discovered that the CEO is working with this unreliable board member as a volunteer advisor for some programmatic work, and the CEO does not want to risk that relationship. Two questions arise: How do you create a board culture of engagement and commitment?  And should an organization save a board seat for someone who volunteers on the programmatic side but is not really interested in board responsibilities? Fix… Read more

Hosting a Fundraiser? Share the Guest List

Categories: Best Nonprofit Practices · Fundraising · Good Board Practices · Nonprofit FundingTags: · · 1 Comment

A board chair shared two experiences around fundraising where unclear expectations led to frustration and lost connections for the organization. Because of these incidents, she asserts that while board members have a vital role to play in fundraising, the organization should own the relationships. And she maintains that if the host of an event will not share the guest list and contact information, it is not worth having the event. Boards Connect; Staff Own Relationships As told by a Board Chair somewhere in the U.S. I’ve been on a lot of boards over the years. And one thing I’ve learned… Read more

Be Clear About Roles, But Ask Questions and Respond Respectfully

Categories: Best Nonprofit Practices · Board Member Roles · Board, Board Chair, ED/CEO Roles · Good Board PracticesTags: · · · · Leave a comment

In this post, an experienced board member and ED reflects on a situation he encountered on his very first board as a young man. Back then, he admired the way a strong ED drew a firm line between board responsibilities and management responsibilities. That clarity made an impression. But with the benefit of experience—and a little wisdom that comes with age—he now recognizes the value of a gentler approach, both in the way board members ask questions and in the way a nonprofit leader responds. Making Demands Evokes Defensive Responses As told by a Board Member and ED somewhere in… Read more

Sometimes You Have to Do Something Unpopular – Because It Is the Right Thing to Do 

Categories: Best Nonprofit Practices · Board Member Roles · Good Board Practices · LeadershipTags: · · Leave a comment

A reader asked if he could share a story that was about his Homeowner’s Association. “It is not a nonprofit like most of the stories you share,” he told me. “But my story has a universal message – about doing something hard because it is the right thing to do.” I agree. So, I will share his story here. A Great Candidate, with a Catch As told by an HOA President somewhere in the US I was president of our HOA—Homeowners’ Association—and board elections were coming up. We had some financial challenges ahead, and I knew we needed someone with… Read more

Boards Need to Center the Mission

Categories: Best Nonprofit Practices · Board Member Roles · Good Board Practices · LeadershipTags: · · Leave a comment

I spoke to a board member of a large organization that hosted a big event every few years. The event was cancelled during COVID. Board members had given extra restricted donations because of the event. When asked if they wanted the money back, the board member remembered why she joined the board in the first place. She and her fellow board members centered on the mission. As told by a board member somewhere in the USA. The Event That Never Happened I serve on the Foundation Board for a large national organization. This is the fundraising board—not the governing board—so… Read more