Give a Board Seat for a Volunteer?

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

Do You Need A Crystal Ball to Understand Your Board?

I have served on many boards. Questions have come up about how boards work internally. Some boards are very transparent. Others not so much. Sometimes, it seems all the decisions are made by a small group of people behind closed doors. I identified five areas where I think all boards need to be more transparent. How Do I Get on The board? Some boards have trouble finding new board members; others have prospects knocking at their doors. With membership organizations — where board members belong to the organization — or schools — where board members are usually parents or alumni… Read more