Archive for the ‘Nonprofit leadership’ Category

There’s so much confusion about the appropriate job of a nonprofit board member.

Lots of boards ask me to help them understand what their work really is.  I often refer to a list that BoardSource created a few years ago that has become a reference in our sector.

Here’s the list.  I’ll be discussing these responsibilities in my upcoming blog posts. There’s lots to talk about here! What do they really mean? How do you implement them?

Ten Basic Responsibilities of Nonprofit Boards  From BoardSource

1. Determine the organization’s mission and purpose. It is the board’s responsibility to create and review a statement of mission and purpose that articulates the organization’s goals, means, and primary constituents served.
2. Select the chief executive. Boards must reach consensus on the chief executive’s responsibilities and undertake a careful search to find the most qualified individual for the position.
3. Provide proper financial oversight. The board must assist in developing the annual budget and ensuring that proper financial controls are in place.
4. Ensure adequate resources. One of the board’s foremost responsibilities is to provide adequate resources for the organization to fulfill its mission.
5. Ensure legal and ethical integrity and maintain accountability. The board is ultimately responsible for ensuring adherence to legal standards and ethical norms.
6. Ensure effective organizational planning. Boards must actively participate in an overall planning process and assist in implementing and monitoring the plan’s goals.
7. Recruit and orient new board members and assess board performance. All boards have a responsibility to articulate prerequisites for candidates, orient new members, and periodically and comprehensively evaluate its own performance.
8. Enhance the organization’s public standing. The board should clearly articulate the organization’s mission, accomplishments, and goals to the public and garner support from the community.
9. Determine, monitor, and strengthen the organization’s programs and services. The board’s responsibility is to determine which programs are consistent with the organization’s mission and to monitor their effectiveness.
10. Support the chief executive and assess his or her performance. The board should ensure that the chief executive has the moral and professional support he or she needs to further the goals of the organization.

The New York Times today ran an opinion article about a new study from the national organization Feeding America.

The study showed that one in 8 Americans sought emergency food aid last year. (This is 37 MILLION PEOPLE!)

Lord have mercy, as we say in the south! They are feeding one million more Americans a week than they were in 2006.

Hunger is alive and well in America, it is awful to say.

The need is so very clear. All over our country and the world, there are people desperately in need.

We fundraisers and nonprofit leaders are on the front lines of the battle for safe, decently-fed, healthy families in our communities.

If you ever start to lose heart and feel that what you do is not making a difference, do step back and look at the real results of your work.

I think fundraising is one of the most noble professions ever.

When I say we are on the front lines of the battle, I am not kidding.  We literally can make the difference between tragedy and safty, or hunger and food, or the difference between illness and health. We do this because we bring in the resources to make it happen.

We are the catalyst. We bridge between the well-meaning people who want to help and those who so desperately need the help.

Don’t ever lose heart. Call me or email me if you need to and I’ll pump you up.  Find other fundraisers and bond with them for support. Our causes need us more than ever, ever before!

Onward, and may the force be with you!

How important is it that you coach carefully any of your volunteers?  And you need to choose them carefully too!

I am commenting today on a LinkedIn discussion. The person who started the conversation told of a private school where two different board volunteers spoke about fundraising to the other parents. The first volunteer who spoke complained about “slack parent giving” last year, particularly compared to faculty/staff giving. And he was dressed in a monotone of gray.

Wow, just the sort of delivery designed to get parents charging ahead to support the annual fund! Make folks feel bad and you’re lost before you start.

The second volunteer was a more “flamboyant” presence. He went on about how generous parent booster giving had been last year – to sports and extra-curricular activities. He was engaging and warm.

The first volunteer was deadly (he had a track record of defeat), and the other one was enthusiastic (he had experienced success.) Clearly the person who had a negative and defeatist tone would never inspire other volunteers.

This also shows that you can’t expect every single board volunteer to be a great fundraiser. I think it’s delusional to expect all board members to be able to be effective advocates for the cause or successful fundraisers. We need to select, train and “pump up” our volunteers carefully!

I like to script my folks – or at least give them talking points – so they make an appropriate and engaging presentation. Negativity or arm-twisting never work!

Never trust a volunteer to get up in front of a crowd and deliver the right message. Remember, they aren’t in the business, they are just beginners (usually).  So take control, brief them and give them the talking points.

If you’re really on top of things, actually schedule a formal rehearsal with them. Put them in front of a fictitious group of people and let them practice.

Alice Korngold, contributing writer for Fast Company Magazine is blogging about building nonprofit boards, one of my favorite topics.   I loved her post titled More Bad News for Nonprofit $$: More About Building Better Boards to FIx This,

She takes a much-needed business person’s approach to nonprofit boards. Here’s my favorite: she says that the best people she has worked with, or recruited to a board were “key revenue problem-solvers.”

Nonprofits need to evaluate their business model frequently for missed revenue opportunities and sources of increased earned income. A board member with the right skill set can be invaluable in these cases.

She cites as an example a new board member who was the global pricing strategist for a major consulting firm.  The new board member “pulled a nonprofit out of the red by helping them revise their pricing strategy, thereby shifting the organization into financial health.”

She cites another example of the right kind of board member – an individual who is active in politics and has governmental contacts.  This person can help protect or help gain legislative appropriations or governmental grants.

Or she recommends seeking new board members who have business connections who can “leverage corporate partnerships.”

Clearly recruiting the right new board members is key, key, key to an organization’s future. As Ms. Korngold comments, it’s so important to enlist board members who have relevant experience and who can understand your organization’s challenges and opportunities. It’s up to us to determine what experience and expertise we need on our board, and then go after people who fit that model.

What does it take to enlist outstanding board members who can be “revenue problem solvers?” (don’t you just love that description!)

I believe in planning far, far ahead and targeting potential board members years ahead of time.  You just have to take the time to carefully, deliberately decide who you need on the board. If you take the time to get to know them and let them get to know you, then you’ll be able to enlist the right leadership that your board needs and deserves.