“Supervising” Your Governance Volunteers

These days I visit with a lot of nonprofit leaders. I often hear from Execs who find that leading their Board is extremely frustrating. And they are the same leaders who excel at leading and developing their staff teams. So, starting with last week’s article I have decided to share some of the thoughts I’ve had lately on the similarities between leading a staff team and leading a Board of Directors. 

One of the things that I believe makes it difficult for organizational leaders, is the unique relationship between the Executive Director and the Board of Directors in a nonprofit organization. Technically, a Board of Directors supervises and leads a nonprofit organization. With organizations that are completely volunteer led, this is pretty clear. The governance volunteers are responsible for all the things.

However, when an organization is the size and/or complexity that requires paid staff to operate, things get more complicated. For the sake of this article, I’ll be talking about organizations with at least a few staff, including an Executive Director. In these organizations, the Board of Directors no longer knows everything that is going on within the agency. Therefore, the relationship between the Executive Director and the Board President (or an Executive Committee) becomes the keystone that holds the organization together. 

In a nonprofit, the Board’s role is to look UP and OUT into the community to guide the organization forward. The Executive Director’s job is to look DOWN and IN to the operations of the agency to ensure that quality programs and services are delivered, constituents are taken care of, and the agency is carrying out the vision set forth by the Board. 

You see, the Board of Directors cannot do their job effectively if they do not get information from the Executive Director. Likewise, the Executive Director is not able to appropriately lead the operations without a strong understanding of the vision and strategies of the Board. They rely on each other to drive the work – and have the impact – that the nonprofit exists to provide. 

Organizations that have figured out the nuances of this unique relationship
are the ones that find the most success. 

Individuals join Boards for a variety of reasons. It may be because they have a deep passion for a cause. Or maybe they came out of a difficult situation, and want to help others with similar struggles. Some people see it as their responsibility to help make our world a better place. Whatever the reason, it’s safe to say that no one is born knowing how to be a great Board member, or what an organization needs. 

This is why, even though the Board essentially supervises the Exec, the Exec needs to take some responsibility for leading the board. Execs can benefit from drawing on their staff supervisory skills when it comes to leading their Board. Let me tell you what I mean. 

  • Clear Job Descriptions

    • You wouldn’t hire a staff person without telling them what you need them to do, right? First, it would be difficult to find anyone who would take a job under those conditions. Second, once you had them onboard, how would they know what to do?
    • The same idea applies to your governance volunteers. What does your nonprofit need from the Board? Fundraising? Strategy? Relationships? Workhorses? Getting clear about what is needed from the volunteers will make it easier to go looking for them, and probably easier to recruit the right ones.
    • Sometimes leaders are afraid that if they are blunt and open about their need for something, like fundraising volunteers, that it will scare people away. I say that it doesn’t do the organization much good to bring someone on who is not going to do the work the agency needs. And we certainly don’t want to trick people into joining a board.
    • Don’t soft sell what you really need. Put it right out there. It will eliminate the people who do not want to do that work and attract the ones who do.

  • Clear Expectations

    • When onboarding new staff, you likely tell them both the functions of their job; as well as what is expected of them now that they work for your company. This probably includes things like meeting requirements, policies, procedures, “the way we do things around here” and so on.
    • The Board needs to know what is expected of them too. Especially with smaller nonprofits, the volunteers you recruit will not likely come with any prior Board experience. And even if they do have a history of serving on Boards, every organization is different, and what they need and expect from their Board will be different.
    • In working with organizations and their Boards, I recommend they clarify the expectations they have of their individual Board members in the following categories:
      1. Attendance/Service Commitment 
      2. Executive Director Support
      3. Community Connection
      4. Fiduciary Governance
      5. Intellectual Contributions 
      6. Mission and Outcome Focus
      7. Fundraising and Storytelling
    • Paint a picture of how you want your Board members to act/contribute/engage in each of these areas. Then talk about them. Make sure all Board members know what is expected of them. Use it when you are recruiting and onboarding new folks. 

  • Teach Them

    • Especially if you hire a lot of young staff, you likely know the importance of teaching them how to be good employees; as well as how to do their job. Smart supervisors understand that in order to shape a good employee, you need to be patient, start where they are and support their growth.
    • We’ve already stated that no one naturally knows how to be a great board member. And while the Exec is supervised by that Board, there is a whole lot of “leading up” needed to grow them into effective governance volunteers. This is a little different than the kind of teaching that you do with your staff team, but it’s just as important. Maybe they need to understand how to run quality meetings, how to speak about your organization in public, or how to negotiate the politics of your community or industry.
    • I get very excited about this aspect of leading volunteers! These are valuable skills for enhancing the work of your Board – no question. But they provide so much more! These skills help your volunteers to grow personally and professionally, extending the impact of your organization in unique ways. It also gives them the tools needed to do other great work in your community.
    • Generally speaking, the volunteers who serve on Boards of really big organizations in your community probably put some time in serving smaller organizations. They had to learn how to act, present themselves and share their ideas and insights. It’s not a bad thing to become known as a great place to cut your governance-volunteer-teeth. By doing so, you attract the kind of people who strive to serve on larger boards. Those folks bring energy, connections, and drive.

  • Hold Them Accountable

    • Just like with your staff, sometimes your volunteers will need to be held accountable. This can feel awkward, because – again – they are your supervisors. There is a lot to consider when it comes to this concept, and I’m going to dive deeper in an upcoming article. For now I’ll just say that the easiest way to hold people accountable is by having clear job descriptions and expectations as noted in the first two bullets. Those tools, communicated clearly and regularly, are the foundation of any good accountability system. 

  • Communication

    • I’m also planning to do a separate article on this topic. So I’ll just say that leading people is about relationships. And you can’t have a relationship with people without healthy communication. If you’re only communicating with your volunteers at Board Meetings, you’re missing a key component to leading your Board. Can you imagine only speaking with staff at official meetings? Watch for more on this one. 

The Execs role in leading a Board varies from agency to agency. Some may drive the leadership of the Board, while others may have a supporting role. Either way, staff need to provide some leadership and guidance in order to get valuable contributions from the volunteers. 

The good news is that this does not all fall on the shoulders of the Executive Director. Shaping the Board should be a joint effort between the Exec and the Board Chair. Younger organizations with the founder engaged, may need to do a lot of work to transfer leadership to the Board. More developed organizations may even have a Board Governance Committee, whose entire job is to focus on the health, structure, and culture of the Board.

Leaders who would like to learn more about their role in supervising the Board can email me at Kim@Athena-CoCo.com, or schedule a Discovery Call today. Let’s connect!

Kim Stewart

Kim is a mom, lover of being active and the outdoors,
and helper of nonprofits and small businesses.
kim@athena-coco.com

Culture – It’s Not Just About Your Staff Team

In my years with the YMCA I thought a lot about how to lead my staff team, how to build a healthy culture, communication strategies, accountability, problem solving, and more. I also thought a lot about how to lead and engage my Board of Directors. But I didn’t think much about the crossover between these two functions of leading a nonprofit organization.

In fact, I thought these two areas of my job were very, very different. Now that I have some distance and my thoughts have evolved, I see that there are more similarities than there are differences. I’m going to spend the next few articles looking at the similarities and what we can learn from them. 

I’ve written more than a little about building healthy cultures, leading a team, communication, and more, more, more. Go check those out, if you’re so inclined. 

One of the most important roles of a leader is to create a healthy culture for their team. In the nonprofit sector, we usually think that this means our staff team. Right? A healthy staff culture is crucial to delivering quality services, caring for our constituents, and ensuring our staff are nurtured. Logic would tell us that the same is true for our volunteer teams, and even our governance volunteers. 

Think for a moment about your Board of Directors. How would you describe the culture of your Board team? Are they uber professional? Super laid back? Well connected to one another? Eager to help? Something else? Take a moment to jot down all the words that come to mind when you are thinking about the characteristics of your board. 

Once you can describe the current culture of your board, I’d like for you to think about how that compares to the culture of your staff team and/or the agency as a whole. Are they similar or different? Are the similarities intentional or by happenstance? There is nothing that says they have to be the same or different. 

After you do a little work to define the culture of your board and how it compares to the rest of your organization, a good next step is to decide if what you have is what you want. This project is an excellent way to engage volunteers in defining and creating the board culture that is best for your nonprofit! Your Board Governance or Board Development Committees can dig into everything from the board meeting agenda or room set-up to onboarding and engagement of the volunteers. 

The skills and strategies that create a healthy culture for your staff are pretty much the same for creating a healthy board culture. 

  • Aligning values:

    • If your organization has not gone through the process of clarifying and understanding your values, that’s a great first step! If you have gone through this process, the next step is to consider how they relate to your board. The values for the organization do not have to be exactly the same as the values for your board. They can be the same, similar, or even different. It’s based on the needs of the organization. 
    • For example, an organization that serves children may have a very lighthearted culture among its staff. Perhaps the kids need a positive atmosphere. At the same time the organization may be helping children escape really horrible situations. In that case the board likely has some very serious topics to discuss. The culture of the organization may be light and fun, while the culture of the board could be serious and more stoic.

  • Decide the culture is important

    • The main ingredient in any healthy culture is to be thoughtful about the experience of those involved. By simply being intentional about the type of culture you want – you’re taking a huge step towards creating a great experience for your Board team. 
    • A healthy culture requires that the organization and its leaders decide that the culture is a priority. You cannot create a positive culture without first deciding that it matters. When it comes to culture, the biggest problem I see is that leaders ignore the importance of being intentional about this piece of their organization.

  • It starts at the top

    • When it comes to the staff culture, the Executive Director or CEO sets the tone. They define the values and decide that the culture is important. However, with the Board of Directors, it’s not just about the Exec, it’s a combination of the Exec and the Board President. Between the two of them they drive the culture. The Exec connects it to the operations of the organization, and the Board President is the one who sets the tone for the governance volunteers. 

  • Listening and Caring

    • Creating a culture involves listening to what is going on with the members of the board. And not just listening, but also genuinely caring about how the volunteers are feeling and what their experience is like. This is how you keep your finger on the pulse of what is going on. 

  • Communications 

    • Circling back to #1, once you have established your values, you should talk about them. All. The. Time. Talk about what they mean to the board as a team. Use them when making decisions. Include them in opening thoughts, plan them into board meeting agendas, and use the language as you work to create the culture you want and need. 

As mentioned earlier, a Board Development or Board Governance Committee is an excellent group to tackle this project. Their role is to ensure healthy board dynamics. If you do not currently have a committee focused on the growth, direction and health of your Board of Directors, consider starting one and making this their first initiative. You could even start it out as a task force, with growth into a full committee coming next. 

Would you like help evaluating the culture of your Board of Directors? Or, do you want to start a Board Development Committee of your own? Let’s visit! Email me at Kim@Athena-CoCo.com, or schedule a Discovery Call today. Let’s connect!

Kim is a mom, lover of being active and the outdoors,
and helper of nonprofits and small businesses.
kim@athena-coco.com

Board of Directors Evaluation

More and more lately I’ve been asked to conduct board evaluations. This has been a good way to develop a relationship with an organization, and to help them when they know something “just isn’t right.” Oftentimes a nonprofit leader can tell that things are not going the way they want them to, but they just can’t put their finger on the actual problem (or problems). That’s where I come into the picture!

When I start visiting with an agency, I usually begin by asking them a few questions. Sometimes that’s all it takes to get them thinking and moving in the right direction. More often, those questions lead to even more questions, which leads to me coming in to provide a full evaluation. 

The components of a full evaluation can look different from agency to agency, depending on the size, longevity, whether or not they have paid staff, and more. There are several things I look at when evaluating the health and effectiveness of a board. Some include: 

  • The Executive/Board Chair relationship
  • Executive Director’s thoughts on board leadership
  • Board President’s understanding of board leadership
  • Management tools that have been established 
  • Communication systems
  • Official or implied board expectations
  • The board’s effectiveness in carrying out their responsibilities
  • Whether or not the board is fulfilling their duties

Let’s look at each of these aspects of nonprofit leadership.

Executive Director/Board Chair Relationship

Some organizations have the Executive Director report to an Executive Committee, the Human Resources Committee, or even the whole board. Any of those options are fine. The important thing is that there is a healthy, open and honest relationship between the Executive Director and the person or group they report to. 

This relationship is unique to the nonprofit sector and can be tricky. In many organizations the Executive Director drives the work and leadership of the Board of Directors. The tricky part comes up because the board is actually the supervisor of the exec. So the board supervises the individual who informs and guides their work. Even in agencies where the board is largely self-governing, the exec and the board rely on one another to drive their pieces of the organization.

This relationship is key to the success of the nonprofit. It requires mutual respect and an understanding of each other’s roles and responsibilities. Clear, open and consistent communication is the foundation to ensuring relationship success. 

Executive Director’s Thoughts on Board Leadership

Whether the exec likes it or not, some portion of their job involves board leadership. Every organization is different and therefore, what each nonprofit needs from their board is different. Since the Executive Director works in the agency every day, she or he is best informed about what the organization needs from its volunteers. The board looks to the exec to shape their work. 

Additionally, no one is born knowing how to be a good board member. Even when someone comes to a board with experience serving on other Boards of Directors, it doesn’t mean they know how best to serve this organization. 

When evaluating this aspect of an agency, I consider whether the exec wants to be completely hands off, or if they are trying to micromanage the volunteers. Either can lead to challenges. Going back to the previous point, we look at the communication that has happened between the board and the exec. Have they addressed what roles each will fill? If not, how does anyone know what they should be focusing their energy on? 

Board President’s Understanding of Board Leadership

What does the board president believe their role is? Are they there to just lead meetings? Should they be driving a set of strategies? Can they address volunteers who are not contributing? Not to sound like a broken record on these first three bullets, but it all comes down to the relationship and communication between the exec and the board. 

Management Tools

In case it hasn’t been clear so far – effective nonprofit leadership boils down to relationships. However, putting tools and processes in place can help ensure that the work that goes into building great relationships is well managed. Pieces that I recommend boards establish include: 

      • Clear board expectations
      • A process for deepening connections
      • System for tracking prospects
      • Clear and thoughtful communication systems
      • A thoughtful and thorough on-boarding process
      • Professional and effective board meetings 

Without some of these basic processes in place agencies often end up spinning their wheels. They have great conversations with no system for following up. They create great connections, but lose track of the individuals. Or they attract really great board or donor prospects, and end up scaring them away by appearing unorganized and unprofessional. 

Communication Systems

I cannot emphasize the importance of this enough. A communication system does not need to be elaborate. However, it does need to be thoughtful and intentional. Without a plan, emails can spiral out of control. Pretty soon, no one wants to be associated with the organization because they cannot handle the number of communications they receive. 

Well functioning organizations come to an agreement as a board/staff team about how often they communicate and in what manner. They establish an understanding about etiquette. When there is a real emergency, they can deviate from their plan, otherwise they trust their system and make adjustments as needed. 

Board Expectations

I touched on board expectations under the management tools section. Like communication, this component is so important that I wanted to call it out separately as well. 

No one likes to commit to something if they don’t know what they are getting themselves into, right? This is especially true with joining boards. When a new board member is recruited, there’s a good chance that this is their first experience serving on a Board. It’s an unknown for them. Using Board Expectations as a recruiting tool can answer a ton of questions for them and help them to make a good decision about getting involved. 

Your expectations can be used for evaluating the board’s performance as a whole and as individuals. You can also reference it when dealing with issues of engagement or to raise the bar for the board team. As an organization’s needs change, board expectations are easy to change and update. Expectations should tie directly to what an agency needs its volunteers to be doing in order to advance the cause.

Board Responsibilities

 Every board has three overarching responsibilities. The governance volunteers are responsible for the mission, vision, and strategies. They ensure the organization has the resources (usually people and money) to deliver the mission, vision, and strategies. And they are responsible for making certain that the organization is operating legally and in a fiscally appropriate manner. 

These three functions are consistent across all Boards of Directors. A board evaluation looks at the extent to which the board owns these responsibilities. Sometimes it is a matter of seeing if they even understand that they should be owning them. 

Board Duties

Lastly, I like to review the board’s relationship to the duties of a Board of Directors. Like board responsibilities, duties are the same from one organization to the next. Responsibilities differ from duties in that responsibilities are functions, things the board does. The duties of the board speak more to how the board conducts itself.

Board duties include: Duty of Care, Duty of Loyalty and Duty of Obedience. Again, when evaluating an organization, I gauge their understanding of these duties, and their commitment to them. 

Conducting a board evaluation involves interviews with organizational leaders, review of documents, and sometimes attending a board meeting. It concludes with a report to the organization outlining and prioritizing opportunities for improvement. When a nonprofit knows that their board needs work, but they don’t know where to begin, an evaluation is a great place to start! 

Do you know of a Board of Directors that could be stronger, more efficient, or more effective? I’d love to visit with them to see if I can get them moving in the right direction. Email me at Kim@Athena-CoCo.com, let’s chat!

Kim Stewart

Kim is a mom, lover of being active and the outdoors,
and helper of nonprofits and small businesses.
kim@athena-coco.com

Should You Start a Nonprofit?

You see a problem. It could be for a specific group of people, for a community, or for the world. Or maybe a personal challenge leads you to want to help others in your situation. You have an idea for a unique and creative way to make the world a better place. And you think you might want to start a nonprofit. What’s next? 

A Forbes article states that 50% of nonprofit organizations will fail within their first year. A lot of energy and emotion goes into launching an organization. Before you make the decision to travel down this path there is a lot to consider. 

Who else is addressing this problem?

An unfortunate commonality with nonprofits is that there is a lot of duplication. Many agencies serving the same cause in a similar way creates confusion for clients/constituents, donors, partners and the community. It leads to unnecessary competition between organizations that could probably do more good by working together. 

As you are considering starting a nonprofit, you first need to get crystal clear on what problem you are working to solve. Then look around and see who else is working to fix that problem. Check out their methods for addressing the problem. Is your idea similar to some other agencies out there? If so, you may be better off trying to partner with those agencies and work together. However, if after researching you find that you have a unique and creative way to address the problem, you may want to move forward. 

What is your commitment level? 

Starting a new business is a LOT of work. When you start a nonprofit organization, you have the additional challenges of extra government paperwork, developing and leading a Board of Directors, and fundraising. Not only that, oftentimes the founder ends up contributing a significant amount of personal time and financial resources in order to get the agency up and operating. Before launching a nonprofit, critically evaluate how much time and money you are motivated to put into it. 

It’s definitely worth noting that not all nonprofits require significant personal investment. Those with narrow scope and size can be launched with less backing and involvement. Which brings us to the next question you will want to consider. 

What is your long game? 

Nonprofits are often started as a result of a loss or trauma. For example when a child is lost, family and friends come together to channel their grief and desire to “do something” to honor their loved one. This is a great reason to start a nonprofit organization. It provides an instrument for managing grief, directing energy and routing funds. It can raise awareness and give people an opportunity to feel a connection to the child. Often these projects have a shorter lifespan. They serve their purpose and at some point are put to rest. And that’s okay. 

In other cases, the loss leads to something much bigger. Susan G. Komen is a great example. Susan’s sister Nancy started the organization in memory of Susan, with the purpose of ending breast cancer. Nancy had a long-game vision in the promise she made to her sister. 40-years later the organization is still working to eliminate breast cancer through research, education, screening, and treatment.

So, what’s your long game? Is your idea something you want to expand, and have live on long after you are gone? Do you want to keep it small and local? Your long-game can change as your organization evolves. Formulating a clear vision for where you want to take the agency can help you think through the previous question of your commitment level. 

Who will want to support your cause? 

Lastly, think about who will want to come alongside you and help you advance the work of your agency. Any successful nonprofit requires community engagement. Volunteers are needed to govern the organization as the Board of Directors. Donors or funders are almost always needed to provide operational resources. And community volunteers are generally needed to deliver programming or services, and to help with fundraising. 

When starting a nonprofit, one of the first things I always recommend is that the founder(s) get out in the community and talk to people about the problem and their solution. From there they find out who is excited about the work. Those are your potential donors and volunteers. If no one is interested in the project, it might not be a very good idea to go the nonprofit route. 

This article might sound like I’m trying to talk you out of starting a nonprofit organization. That’s not entirely true. What I really want to do is make sure that you make a good decision for you, for the people you want to serve, and for the nonprofit sector. This is another good article to read as you’re considering if the nonprofit model is right for you and your cause. 

Thinking about making the world a better place with your great idea? I would love to visit and talk through your options. Email me at Kim@Athena-CoCo.com, let’s connect!

Kim Stewart

Kim is a mom, lover of being active and the outdoors,
and helper of nonprofits and small businesses.
kim@athena-coco.com

Onboard New Board Members

When you are a busy nonprofit leader, securing a new board member might seem like an item to check off your “to do” list. And it is, to an extent. However, if you stop there, you are jeopardizing all of the hard work that you have put into finding and recruiting qualified board members. 

I am frequently asked about how to retain board members. As if there is one thing that you could do to keep a good board member. The reality is that retaining board members takes the culmination of many things. Some of them are within our control, and some are not. A board member being transferred out of state is not something that we can control. Treating board members respectfully and valuing them is totally within our control. 

In this article we’ll look at what to do once someone agrees to join your board. A professional onboarding process can work wonders in helping a new governance volunteer to feel welcomed, comfortable and valued. All key components in retaining a volunteer long-term. 

When someone agrees to join your board, there are the logistical things to do:

  • Add them to your board roster
  • Order them a name tag (if that’s something you provide)
  • Ensure they have all meeting dates and other commitments
  • Complete any necessary paperwork
  • Etc. 

After you get those tasks handled, then it’s time to think about the experience you create for your new board member. Consider putting an onboarding plan together that includes: an announcement, personal support, and education. 

Announcements

Does the new board member just show up to the first meeting? Or do you send a notification out to the board and staff announcing the new member? Needless to say, an advance notice is preferable. Other ways of making a newbie feel welcome could include a sign as they enter your facility, put their name on a marquee, or an announcement in your newsletter, on your website, or in the local paper. 

Take into consideration the personality and the culture of your board/agency as you send out the announcement. Should it be strictly professional and highlight the new volunteer’s accomplishments? Do you want to make it playful with fun facts? Does it make sense to share personal attributes about the new addition to your board? The answer will be different for each agency and each board. It may even tie to your mission. For example, if you promote reading, maybe the announcement shares the new board member’s favorite children’s book. 

Personal Support

Joining a new group of any kind can be daunting. It’s even more intimidating when everyone but you seems to know what’s going on. There are several ways to mitigate that uneasy feeling of walking into a room of strangers. Assigning a veteran board member as a mentor or a “board buddy” can help with the transition to a new group. 

This can be as informal or as formal as you and the board would like for it to be. The pair can meet prior to the new board member’s first meeting, so there’s a friendly face when they arrive. They can sit together during the meeting, to help with clarifying any questions that arise. And they can connect afterwards to explore how the experience was and continue to help answer questions. 

You can also assign a staff or volunteer to serve as the new volunteer’s personal host. Their job may be to introduce them around, and give context to the different players involved in the meeting.

Education

There is a lot to learn when joining a new board. Many describe it as drinking from a firehose. Finding the balance between giving them what they need to know in order to be effective, and not overwhelming them and scaring them away, is a tricky balance to find. Again, this will be different for every agency, and you will need to figure out what is right for yours. Here are a few ideas for methods of educating your new volunteers. 

  1. Orientation: If you bring in a new “class” of board members all at the same time, it may make sense to do a formal group orientation. It can range from a couple of hours to half a day. Involving staff and volunteers; as well as stories and activities, can reinforce learning and make it an impactful experience.
  2. Series of Conversations: When you bring new members in individually, it can be a little more difficult to keep it from being a total information-download. Think about breaking it up into different sessions, and again involve other staff and volunteers in the delivery. Spreading it out over a month or two can give the individual the opportunity to absorb all the new information.
  3. Self-guided Content: Another option is to create a series of emails, videos, or even podcasts that the new volunteer can consume over a period of time. This option is going to be less personal, and there’s the risk that the new person will not commit the time to review the materials. A board manual (print or online) that you give them to read would also fall in this category.

Some things you may want to include in your new board education are:

  • Why you exist – what is the critical social issue your agency addresses
  • How you help solve the problem for your community
  • What programs and services you deliver
  • The impact that your agency provides to the community
  • Key messaging
  • Review board expectations again
  • Duties and purpose of the board
  • How your board operates
  • Logistics – staff and board contact information, key dates, access to any portals or technology the board uses, and any other materials they will need

Finally, you might consider putting together a goodie bag for when they come to their first meeting. The goodies could include an agency t-shirt, their name tag, a notepad and pen, candy, and other swag. (This would be a great project for a board member who really loves to help with recognitions and appreciations.) 

How you bring a new person into your organization sets the tone for their experience. Want to retain your board members? Put intentional thought into all aspects of the experience you are providing for them. If you would like help putting together an on-boarding process that’s right for your agency, I would love to visit. Email me at Kim@Athena-CoCo.com, let’s connect!

Kim is a mom, lover of being active and the outdoors,
and helper of nonprofits and small businesses.
kim@athena-coco.com 

 

Engaging Prospective Board Members

In this article I talked about where to find prospective board members. (Incidentally, the sources for finding board members are also a great place to look for good donors.) Then, in this one I talked about the importance of clarifying your board expectations. Afterall, you wouldn’t take a paid job without knowing what the company was expecting from you. Similarly, no one wants to get into a volunteer position and be caught off guard by what is expected of them.

Today’s article is going to look at those crucial next steps. Once you know what you expect from your board members, and you have some ideas about where to look for and recruit them – you need to be ready with a plan for what to do with them once you start attracting them. 

I have observed leaders who meet someone – who has a little bit of interest in their organization – and they ask them to join their board right away. Finding, recruiting, and keeping good board members is hard work. It’s understandable that leaders may want to try and capture those interested as quickly as possible. However, slowing this process down is a much better approach. Let’s explore why. 

Recruiting Your Boss

Often, especially in younger nonprofits, the Executive Director does a lot of the work of recruiting the board. It often becomes just one more of the millions of things that she or he needs to work on. The very top reason to slow down the board recruitment process is because, as the ED, you are essentially recruiting one of your bosses. It’s safe to say that you probably want to make sure that you bring on someone who you trust, who you know will make decisions with the best interest of the organization in mind, and who is volunteering for your organization for the right reasons. 

Relationships Drive the Work

The work of a nonprofit organization is highly relational. Successful organizations engage more and more people in the important work of making the world a better place. Strong and healthy boards help to share the story of the organization, connect to partners, recruit more people to engage, and ensure impact and sustainability. Discovering how a prospective board member might contribute in an effective way takes time. It requires multiple interactions to develop a relationship and understand how their involvement can be mutually beneficial. 

Good Decisions Take Time

Just like you want to make a good decision for your agency, you also want to be sure that the prospect makes a good decision for themselves. They need to make a connection to your cause; determine if they have the time, energy and capacity to serve; and decide if your board is a good fit for them. It can be very disruptive to bring on a new board member, have them stay only a few months, and then lose them. 

For these reasons and many more, I recommend that organizations put a recruitment process in place. Having a process doesn’t mean that you cannot deviate from it, it just means that you have a plan for how to develop a relationship with a potential board member. 

Every organization needs to determine how their process looks. Many factors will determine what is right for each agency. An organization’s size, maturity, current programming, current board health, needs, and challenges are just a few of the things to consider. 

When working with agencies I recommend a minimum of 3 to 4 interactions prior to inviting someone to serve on the board. In the generic example below I’ve outlined some basic elements to include.

Board Recruitment Process

  • You get a Lead. This can come from networking, through your programming, a name presented by a volunteer, etc. 
  • Qualify that the Lead seems like a good prospect. Start (or continue) the relationship-building process. Take them out for coffee or lunch. Begin to share the idea of them serving on your board. 
  • If appropriate, invite them to observe a program or operations. Help them get a feel for the work that you do. During the observations make sure that someone hosts them. You want to clearly explain the methodology of your work, what sets your agency apart, and the intentional things you are doing to make a difference. 
    • Agencies that serve highly vulnerable populations may have to find different ways of educating a prospect about their work. 
  • Again – when appropriate, have them visit and observe a board or committee meeting. This is a good way for them to get a feel for the culture and how they might fit into it. 
  • Follow-up with the prospect to answer any questions, review expectations in detail, and explore how they are feeling about the possibility of getting involved. 
  • If they are interested, present to the board for a vote.
  • Officially invite them to join – OR – thank them for going through the process. 
    • A future article will talk about what to do with them once you invite them to join and they say: “Yes!” 
    • If you need to turn them away, share honest feedback. If the door is open to future involvement, let them know. If they are not a match, be clear about that too. 

As you consider who to bring into your organization, there is a lot to think about. Are they a good fit? Do they have skills that your agency needs? Can they help with connections, open doors, or raise money? These are all important questions you need to ask. I believe the most important thing to look for is passion. Do they care about the issue your agency is addressing and your strategies for solving it? If not, they may not bring their best self to the table and they may not contribute consistently. 

When you have a great first “date,” do the next logical step and ask them to get together again. Bringing someone on your board is not as significant as getting married. So after a few good “dates” it may make sense to start talking about taking the relationship to the next level; ie: getting them involved as a volunteer. Just as you should hire slowly and choose a life partner slowly – take your time bringing on new board members. 

If your organization needs help creating a recruitment process that is right for you, I would love to help! Email me at Kim@Athena-CoCo.com to learn more. Let’s connect!

Kim is a mom, lover of being active and the outdoors,
and helper of nonprofits and small businesses.
kim@athena-coco.com 

 

Board Expectations

A few weeks ago I wrote about the challenge of finding volunteers to serve on boards of directors. In that article I mentioned that an important component in finding and recruiting board members is clarifying the expectation your organization has for them. After all, it’s hard to commit to something when you don’t know what it entails. Clarifying your agency’s board expectations is a foundational piece of developing a strong board. 

An organization can set any expectations that are relevant and important to them. They can be as simple or as complex as needed. Personally, I like to outline board expectations into these seven categories:

  • Attendance
  • Executive Director Support
  • Community Conduit
  • Fiduciary Governance
  • Intellectual Contributions 
  • Mission and Outcome Focus
  • Fundraising and Storytelling

Organizations that take the time to clarify each component for their board will have a great tool for recruiting, managing and accountability. Because of the unique nature of nonprofits – where the Executive Director often directs the work of the board, which is also their boss – this tool can be crucial to ensuring that the board can hold itself accountable. Let’s explore each of these categories and what can be included. 

Attendance

In the simplest of terms, attendance means showing up to board meetings. You may want to set a percentage of meetings they are expected to attend. It is a good practice to have set board meetings, held on the same day each month and at the same times. 

Frequency of board meetings should be set based on the needs of the organization and the work of the board. That being said, I generally recommend monthly or every other month. When a group meets less frequently it can be difficult to maintain engagement and connection. However, sometimes geographic constraints or the work of the organization may require fewer meetings. In those cases it might make sense to have longer meetings. 

In addition to attendance at board meetings, an organization may want to set expectations around attending committee meetings, special events, trainings, programming and more. Some agencies require a minimum number of hours from their volunteers each month. 

This category is also where you can define your board terms. Spell out when terms begin and end, how long they are, the ability to serve consecutive terms, and maximum length a board member can serve.

Partner with Executive Director

Running a nonprofit is a big job! Supporting the Executive Director is one of the most helpful things a board can do. When given projects or tasks it should be an expectation that the board member executes them completely and on time. Often if a board member doesn’t follow through, that work falls on the Exec. That puts the Exec in a very awkward position of having to hold one of their bosses accountable or just doing it themselves. 

Secondly in this category, there should be the expectation that the board drives the strategies of the organization. The more that the governance volunteers can focus on this aspect of the organization, the more the Exec can focus on the operations. Looking outward and focusing on strategies to advance the work of the organization is an expectation of the board. 

Lastly, no one knows everything or can have their finger on the pulse of what is going on in the community all the time. Board members should be available to the Exec when they need advice, insight or special expertise. Volunteers must give their input with the best interest of the organization as their top priority.  

Conduit to the Community

Having a board of directors multiplies the number of eyes, ears and voices in the community on behalf of an agency. Board members should be out, seeing what is going on in the community related to the work of the organization, listening to what people are saying about it, and sharing about the outcomes and impact. In addition, they should be bringing information back to the board to discuss and help with decision making and strategizing. 

Some organizations utilize their volunteers to promote their work. This can involve expectations around attending networking groups or service clubs, or even hosting house parties to educate the public on the organization. Other agencies have their board submit names for “friend raising.” This involves bringing more people into their circle of organizational advocates, to nurture them into volunteers, donors, or even future board members. There are organizations that require a board member to secure their successor before their term expires. These are all options to consider when developing expectations.

Fiduciary Governance

This component is a little more tricky to quantify and measure. The board is responsible for the financial and legal integrity of the organization. Generally the Treasurer takes the responsibility of reviewing financial statements and interpreting them for the larger board. The expectation of the board is that they make decisions that are in the best financial and legal interest of the organization. It is expected that they led from a place of selflessness. 

Intellectual contributions

Every board meeting should include some sort of generative discussion. It is best if the discussion is around strategy and organizational advancement; however, sometimes the input of volunteers on operational topics is important. That being said, board members should be prepared for discussion and ready to contribute their thoughts, perspectives and ideas. 

Not everyone is comfortable sharing in large groups. That doesn’t mean that they don’t have valuable input. Some volunteers may submit their thoughts in writing after they have had time to process the discussion. When measuring board effectiveness it can be important to recognize and honor these differences in contribution styles. 

Mission and Outcomes Focused

Every governance volunteer should take the time to understand the critical social issue that the organization is working to address; as well as the unique way they are tackling it. They should be familiar with and support policies. And they should understand the organization’s needs. 

The staff (whether paid or volunteer) are responsible for the operations and program/service delivery. It is the board’s job to make sure that the programs/services are fulfilling the mission. They are the ones who need to be driving the measurement of program impact and connecting it to the purpose of the organization. 

Lastly in this section, the board is responsible for ensuring clarity around the values of the organization. Clarifying values helps with decision making, recruiting staff and volunteers, and communicating who you are and what you do. Board members are expected to be the ones setting the example of how the organizational values look in action. 

Fundraising and Storytelling

Board members should be expected to give a personally meaningful financial donation to the organization. This is important for so many reasons! Why should anyone else give to a nonprofit if the governance board doesn’t feel strongly enough about the cause to give? Why would a grantor award a funds to an organization that doesn’t have a passionate and committed board? It must start with the board. 

In addition to giving, board members should be expected to use their network, connections, and circle of influence to advance the organization. This includes asking them to contribute. I believe that this is one of the most valuable aspects of the nonprofit sector. They are compelled to tell people how they are making the world a better place and asking them to come alongside and help. 

This can be challenging for young nonprofits, or organizations that attract volunteers who have never served on a board. That’s where the phrase “personally meaningful” or “personally significant” can be helpful. An agency may set their initial expectation at $10/month, then ask those with greater means to consider an additional personally significant contribution. Special events can be a good place for volunteers to practice their storytelling skills and work on “friend raising” before they advance to fundraising. 

If the cause is important and the organization is making a difference, every board member needs to be giving. Period. 

You may notice that none of this is about daily operations. That’s because that is not the board’s role. However, with very young or very small nonprofits, there can be some cross over. As you develop your board expectations, I recommend you keep them focused on the governance side of the organization. This keeps it clean, and if/when the organization grows, the board will know what is expected of them in their role. 

Once you and your board have established their expectations, create a tool for tracking. Quantify as much as you can and put it in a spreadsheet. Put each board member’s name down the side and regularly evaluate how everyone is doing. At a minimum the board president/chair should look at it quarterly. You can also include it into your board packets. That way everyone knows where they stand and they can help hold each other accountable. One less awkward job for the Exec to do! 

Does your organization need help establishing expectations. These can be challenging conversations. It can help to have someone from outside facilitate the discussion. If so, I would love to help! Email me at Kim@Athena-CoCo.com to learn more. Let’s connect!

Kim is a mom, lover of being active and the outdoors,
and helper of nonprofits and small businesses.
kim@athena-coco.com