Get Your Board Basics Right

September, 2011--Non-profit consultants Amy Cahners & Susan Donahue just finished leading a very successful half-day workshop for the Foundation for MetroWest. Sixty-six individuals representing 29 nonprofits attended “Building a Strong Foundation: Getting the Board Basics Right”. On November 18, they will lead a second session entitled “Building a Better Board: Getting the Right People for the Job.” We asked Amy and Susan to comment on a few of the topics that were included in the first workshop, and to give us a short preview of what we can expect in November.

Q: We ask that Executive Directors or senior staff members attend your sessions accompanied by one or more board members. Why do you feel this is important?
A: There are two major reasons for this. First, the ED - Board Chair relationship is a vital part of any nonprofit organization. So, it is important for both of them to hear the same messages and learn together about best practices in nonprofit management and oversight. Also, we find that EDs and staff members are often likely to read about improving their operations, attend workshops, and find other sources of professional development. On the other hand, board members rarely receive education on how to be a board member before they take on the job and rarely do they seek out continuing education.

Q: You talked about the importance of setting expectations and creating solid job descriptions for board members. Do you often find that this is a missing piece when you work with non-profit boards?
A: All too often nonprofit boards do not have thorough, practical job descriptions for their board members. Even fewer have job descriptions for officers, committee chairs, and committees. It is very difficult to effectively recruit new board members or talk about expectations for current board members if you do not have it clearly laid out for them.

Q: You mentioned leadership as one of the essentials to a high performing board. How do you define leadership in this context?
A: In this sense we aren’t talking so much about leaders who have lofty visions and dreams for the organizations, which is never a bad thing to have! What we are most concerned with are people who have a sense of ownership for the organization; people who show up, step up to the plate, and ensure that the necessary work is getting done by engaging others and participating themselves.

Q: Please comment on why you believe Board members need to consider the topics you will cover on November 18.
A: In our consulting practice we frequently hear that non-profit organizations can’t find “good” board members, have excessive board turnover, have new board members who are under-performing, etc. This can be discouraging and can keep the board from fulfilling its role. We will address these common issues and give participants practical tips and tools to find, recruit, elect, and retain qualified, engaged board members.