Beyond Benevolence Building Better Nonprofit Boards

When boards ask how to evaluate their Executive Director, they forget that it is really they (the Board) who is being evaluated.  Boards have a very specific role: represent the interests of some group, be it citizens, members, or people who care deeply about an issue.  The Board is successful if th

I was talking with an Executive Director whose is beginning to feel attacked by her board.  A few Board members have heard complaints from a few members and decided to investigate.  They commissioned a survey which demonstrated that eighty percent of the members are “satisfied” or “very satisfied” w

Wise boards should seek the advice of their executive (or any staff members) when making decision. However, boards should also seek their own independent advisers as well. Here’s why (I know this will not make me popular). The purpose of the board is to serve a group of people. Let’s call them the m

We can’t make the decision I am sitting in a community-wide meeting of members of the clergy.  They are rankled because a community organization requested the use of their mailing lists to provide a valuable (and free) service to some of their members of their congregations.  The clergy were told th

A recent New York Times article described a group of nonprofits which closed their doors, not because they failed, but because they succeeded.  These nonprofits successfully completed their mission and felt that the most responsible thing for them to do is to suspend operations and declare victory. 

I run into a Dallas client at a networking meeting having worked with his board of directors on implementing Policy Governance. Previously, the board directly ran the entire organization which led to serious problems. There were questions of poorly managed funds, self-dealing, and a lack of accounta

One board member angrily complains that an letter improperly solicited the members of their organization. Accusatory emails shoot back and forth and the temperatures of the Board members and CEO begins to rise.  “This was the old way of handling problems,” one board member comments.  However, they h

Nonprofit board members are in a difficult position.  They are often not trained to fulfill their role as a member of the Board and must rely on the advice of the Executive Director in order to fulfill their job.  The problem is, one of the jobs of the Board of Directors is to hold the [...]

I attended the Frisco City Council meeting last night and was very impressed.  The Council uses Policy Governance as their governance system and you could see it very clearly, especially in the attitude of the Mayor.  Several times, Mayor Maso insisted on providing sufficient time for citizen commen

If the Board fails to write a policy that clearly expresses its intent, the Board can't hold the Superintendent responsible for failing to read the Board's mind.