Be Comfortable with Culture Before Joining a Board

Categories: Board Member Roles · Good Board Practices · Prospective Board MembersTags: Leave a comment

In this post, I share a story of a board member who was skeptical about joining a board because of its reputation as risk averse and mostly white male. But after she did some research and asked many questions, she realized the organization’s reputation was outdated. The story is a positive one. After joining, she discovers a thoughtful and well-functioning board. Consider an Invitation to Join a Board As told by a Board Member somewhere in the United States. I was invited to join the board of a fairly large and prominent nonprofit working in the education space. The board… Read more

Navigating Uncertainty: Lead with Strategy and Compassion, Not Fear

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

In this post, I focus on how nonprofits can remain resilient and impactful in uncertain times by addressing both sides of the financial equation: revenue and expenses. In my last post, I wrote about on Risk Management, in the one before on Financial Fraud, and the one before that on Managing Critical Business Accounts.  All these areas are important to ensure your organization can face challenges due to external factors such as the economy and internal ones due to staffing changes. Focus on Both Revenue and Expenses Nonprofits are being squeezed from both sides. Government and foundation funding are declining,… Read more

Does Your Board Have Technology Experts?

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I spoke with a reader who advocates for having individuals who are experts in Technology on every board in the same way boards have members who are experts in Finance. He provides excellent reasoning and ideas for how boards should proceed. Also, the web site Board.Dev has great information about building tech governance. Tech Strategists Are Essential for Effective Nonprofit Boards As told by a Board Member somewhere in the US. I want to share the experiences of several boards and organizations – all of which could benefit from having technology experts on their boards. The first example was a… Read more

Do You Have a Clear Process for Vetting Prospective Board Members?

Categories: Board Member Roles · Good Board Practices · Prospective Board MembersTags: Leave a comment

A reader and I were exchanging emails when they told me that their governance committee had developed a thoughtful process for selecting and vetting new Board Members. I like the policy for a number of reasons. First, it is important to fully vet a candidate ahead of time. I was on one board where we approved a new candidate and announced that they were joining the board. Only then did we learn that this candidate had done something that precluded them from being on our board, and we had to rescind our offer. Second, the policy makes sure that what… Read more

Co-Leadership Revisited

Categories: Board Member Roles · Hiring ED or CEO · LeadershipTags: · · 1 Comment

A reader responded to my last story about an organization that tried having three co-leaders but ultimately decided that they wanted one CEO instead of three. This reader has been in a for-profit partnership — which is the same as co-leadership — for over a decade. He shared his thoughts about what makes his partnership work and provided ideas for organizations considering a co-leadership model. Co-Leadership Can Work – But Be Cautious As told by a Partner somewhere in the US. I have had a successful co-leadership experience in a relatively small for-profit professional services company. We call it a… Read more