Does Your Board Need a Tune-Up?
Like regular oil changes and recommended maintenance on your car, your nonprofit organization’s Board of Directors needs regular maintenance to keep it running smoothly, efficiently and effectively. But like that scheduled oil change, sometimes we are just too busy juggling life’s demands to have it done on time, and we run a few hundred (thousand?) miles over. Yikes! Since Boards don’t really come with Owner’s Manuals from the factory, what are the telltale signs that your Board is due (or past due) for some maintenance or repairs?
- Do Board members leave meetings with heightened passion and energy for the organization?
- Do Board committees know their goals for the year, and have what they need to accomplish them?
- Are Board members knowledgeable and comfortable representing the organization without staff?
- Does every Board member make a financial donation at some level in addition to volunteering on a committee?
- If asked individually, would each member describe themselves as “successful” in their role on your Board?
If you answered no to any of the questions above, your Board could need some maintenance. If you answered no to 3 or more, you could be overdue and in need of repairs! Each of these questions could be cause for specific maintenance or repairs. Here are my thoughts…
- Do Board members leave meetings with heightened passion and energy for the organization? For Board members to be passionate and energetic about the organization, they must be engaged. Are all your Board meetings scheduled for the year? If so, using your strategic plan and organizational knowledge and history, create an annual calendar that outlines what actions, issues and responsibilities will need to be addressed at each regularly-scheduled Board meeting. Doing this will increase transparency, empowerment and accountability, and allow the Board to be proactive than reactive. How is information communicated at Board meetings and within the Board structure? Develop an internal Board communications checklist with deadlines and accountability so no one feels out of touch!
- Do Board committees know their goals for the year, and have what they need to accomplish them? Each committee should start the fiscal year off with their goals listed and a simple plan to meet them, including a list of resources needed for the job. What is the purpose of the committee? Does the Board expect them to act as researchers and advisors so the Board can approve committee action before it happens, or does the committee have the authority to act on behalf of the Board? What are the expected paths of communication between committee and Board? If your committees aren’t working effectively, ask whether your committee structure supports the work the organization is doing in the community. Your committee structure may need a complete overhaul!
- Are Board members knowledgeable and comfortable representing the organization without staff? Often, nonprofits are like amoebae: constantly changing… but (hopefully) always within the shape of its mission. The Board’s responsibility is to ensure the mission stays in focus and impacts the organization’s shape (activities). Does your Board know how the mission is being translated in the community through staff-guided programs? Can your Board speak clearly and confidently (and accurately) about your organization? Weave programmatic information into Board meetings and activities so there is a direct correlation between the Board’s action and the staff’s success in fulfilling the organizational mission in the community. Your Board’s knowledge of and access to programmatic information may need to be updated!
- Does every Board member make a financial donation at some level in addition to volunteering on a committee? One indication that Board members are fully engaged is 100% participation in your annual fund campaign at any level, which is why many foundations ask that question on grant applications. Whether they are involved directly or indirectly, every Board member (and staff) impacts fundraising in the community by representing the organization (even unintentionally) and telling its story. Each Board member should be your biggest advocate, loudest cheerleader, and best example to the community as a donor and volunteer. Perhaps your Board’s role in the organization’s resource development strategy needs to be clarified!
- If asked individually, would each member describe themselves as “successful” in their role on your Board? It is rare to find a Board member who joined a Board with the goal of being unsuccessful. Usually, lack of Board involvement means they don’t perceive they have been asked, or if asked, not given right the tools to do the job. Like any team, your Board has a unique culture based on its makeup. The first step to ensuring that your Board is a good match for each member is to assess your Board’s strengths and weaknesses, and overlay that onto the goals of the Board. Clarify why each member is important to the Board and how they impact the overall success of the organization. Each side – the Board member and the organization through the Board of Directors – should know what they will give, and can expect to get in return. Consider changing the old Nominating Committee to a Board Development Committee to strategically build Board capacity!
Bottom Line: The investment in the regular care and maintenance of your Board of Directors can prevent bigger problems in the future that may be costly in both time and dollars to repair. Summer is a great time to put additional time and energy into assessing and developing what your Board needs to be successful next year.
Maggie Clay Love is an independent, licensed development consultant in Raleigh, NC, with 20-plus years in fundraising and nonprofit management. She specializes in organizational and board development, fundraising strategies and philanthropic partnerships, corporate campaigns, and grant writing. Maggie can be reached at maggie@maggieclaylove.com or 919.845.2770.