Gailperry.com » Nonprofit leadership

Don’t Let Your Board Members Check Their Brains at the Door

Gail — Thu, 29 Apr 2010 03:05:33 +0000

I ran across a terrific post today by Lisbeth Cort from the “Nonprofit Execs on the Edge” blog.

She discusses why board members need to set aside time to discuss bigger picture issues. And how important it is to “just talk” in order to “think more expansively.”

Here you are, having spent a lot of time and effort enlisting a group of smart, capable people for your board.

Then you waste their time and energy on low level discussions.

Is This Your Board Meeting?

Then what do you have?

Someone once said: “the greatest waste of human brain power in the world is the typical nonprofit board meeting.”

What are your impressions of THAT quote? : )

You may have heard me rant and rave about boring board meetings – one of the most dangerous perils for any nonprofit board.

Because if you have boring board meetings, what kind of board will you end up with?

A BORED BOARD.

And is a bored board willing to take real action? Will they dive into fundraising and friendmaking for the cause? Forget it!

Time to liven up your board meetings – and liven up your board!

A Board’s Legal Responsibilities – Do They Know Them?

Gail — Wed, 24 Mar 2010 13:50:35 +0000

Is your board taking enough responsibility for your organization’s results in the world? Do your board members really understand how firmly the monkey is stuck on their back, so to say?

Let’s hope they recognize it!

Do Your Board Members Understand that the Monkey Is on Their Back

I really wonder if board members understand their incredible responsibility.They are the LEGAL GUARDIANS of your organization.

I’ve been thinking a lot about boards this month as I work on my new webinar series, “Create a Fired Up Board in Action for the Cause.”

I personally study “high performing boards” that I run across in my work. And I pay attention to what they are doing to be so successful.I find that many, many boards don’t even understand their legal job.

So let’s just lay this out. I’m quoting from a great little web article from BoardSource, that aptly summarizes the legal responsibilities of boards.

These come from well-established principles of nonprofit corporation law. Most states have adopted some variation of these. And courts would use these to determine if a board member might have acted improperly.

These standards of conduct are usually described as the THREE DUTIES OF A NONPROFIT BOARD MEMBER: duty of care, the duty of loyalty and the duty of obedience.

Duty of Care

The duty of care describes the level of competence that is expected of a board member, and is commonly expressed as the duty of “care that an ordinarily prudent person would exercise in a like position and under similar circumstances.” This means that a board member owes the duty to exercise reasonable care when he or she makes a decision as a steward of the organization.

Duty of Loyalty

The duty of loyalty is a standard of faithfulness; a board member must give undivided allegiance when making decisions affecting the organization. This means that a board member can never use information obtained as a member for personal gain, but must act in the best interests of the organization.

Duty of Obedience

The duty of obedience requires board members to be faithful to the organization’s mission. They are not permitted to act in a way that is inconsistent with the central goals of the organization. A basis for this rule lies in the public’s trust that the organization will manage donated funds to fulfill the organization’s mission.

10 Basic Responsibilities of Nonprofit Boards

Gail — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 00:01:27 +0000

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

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.
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.
Provide proper financial oversight. The board must assist in developing the annual budget and ensuring that proper financial controls are in place.
Ensure adequate resources. One of the board’s foremost responsibilities is to provide adequate resources for the organization to fulfill its mission.
Ensure legal and ethical integrity and maintain accountability. The board is ultimately responsible for ensuring adherence to legal standards and ethical norms.
Ensure effective organizational planning. Boards must actively participate in an overall planning process and assist in implementing and monitoring the plan’s goals.
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.
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.
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.
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.

Fundraisers are on the Front Lines of the Battle

Gail — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 16:02:35 +0000

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 to Coach Your Board Volunteers

Gail — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 06:35:03 +0000

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.