Transcript Board Development Slides Handout

Lets Talk Philanthropy
Where Boards Go Astray and How to Get Them Back on Track.
Presented by:
Dr. Suzanne T. Allen Ph.D., President, Philanthropy Ohio
Dani Robbins, Founder and Principal of Non Profit Evolution
Let’s Talk Philanthropy
Dr. Suzanne T. Allen Ph.D.
President,
Philanthropy Ohio
Let’s Talk Philanthropy
Dani Robbins
Founder and Principal of
Non Profit Evolution
Session Goals
• Learn the most common ways boards become
dysfunctional
• Set expectations for board members and reinforce
those expectations with board evaluations and;
• Dive deeper into ways to build
a high functioning board
Common Board Issues
Lack of Understanding of their Role, the Board’s Role and the
role of the CEO
“I’m a Volunteer”
Allowing the Unacceptable
Unengaged Members
I’m a Volunteer
Possible Solutions:
How this happens:
– Too much pressure for
board service
– Expectations not clear
when asked to join the
Board
– Time commitment not
communicated
– Board members not trained
to their role
– Job description
– initial discussion,
orientation annual
trainings
– expectations all include the
need to “be prepared to
meet as often as is
necessary to complete the
business of the board
during the term of one’s
service”
Lack of Understanding
How it happens
– In the absence of a formal plan to
perpetuate and educate your board,
you will be at the mercy of whoever
proceeded you, at whatever agency
your board members served
previously
– Not all volunteers are created equal
– Lack of understanding of
budget/financials
– Fear
– Lack of information
– Unwillingness to question
How to address it:
– Have the right mix on board
– Budget by activity
– Funding a part of every new
idea discussion
– Orientation to include
encouragement to speak up
and never vote for
something you do not
support
– Robust discussion at Board
meetings
– Encouragement to ask for
more information
Allowing the Unacceptable
How this happens:
– Don’t want to over step
– Don’t know how to fulfill role
– Don’t understand what is
acceptable
– Rubber stamp
– Conflict avoidance
– Fear
Possible Solutions:
– Policy on acceptable practices
– Define duties
– Create an environment
conducive to discussion
– Encouraging robust discussion
– Orientation to include discussion
of disagreement and
encouragement to not vote on
motions with which members
disagree
– Policies to remove problematic
members
Unengaged Board Members
How this happens:
• Executive Committee or
Management takes away all
real thinking and
responsibility
• Wrong people on the board
• No plan
• Disorganized meetings
• Strong Board members get
frustrated and quit
• Lack of clarity of authority
• And….I hate to say it…the
CEO builds it that way
How to address it:
– Eliminate the power
of the Executive
Committee to vote in
lieu of the full board
– Define duties and
responsibility
– Training on the role
of the board and the
role of the CEO
– Strategic Plan
– Clear assignments
– Task mastery
Board Development :
How to get where you want from where you are
Boardsource
Board Roles and Responsibilities
Mission, Vision and Strategic Planning
Hire, Support and Evaluate Executive Director/CEO
Fiduciary Responsible Agent
Policy Setting
Securing Resources/ Fund
Raising, as applicable
Mission, Vision and Strategic Planning
• The mission statement answers why
an organization exists.
• A vision is a description of what the
organization will look like at a
specified time in the future.
• Strategic planning is a process by which the board, staff,
and select constituents, decide the strategy for the future
direction of an organization and allocate resources,
including people, to ensure that target is reached.
Hire, Support and Evaluate the CEO
• Hire for what your
organization needs in a Leader
• Support, meet with, make
introductions
• Annual Evaluations – often
linked to strategic plan
• Succession Planning
Fiduciary Responsible Agent
• Read, understand and approve
the financials
• Review, understand and approve
the audit, as appropriate
• Review and sign the 990
• Understand how the programs tie
to the mission and the number of
people served in those programs
as well as the program's impact
Policy Setting
• Personnel
• Financial
• Whistle blower, Ethics/Conflict of interest
• Others relevant to field or community
Securing Resources/Fund Raising
When serving on the board of an agency that
raises contributed income:
The Committee is responsible for creating
and executing a plan to raise money.
The full Board is responsible for
introducing their network to the
organization, attending events, financially
supporting the organization and
encouraging other to do as well.
Expectations of Board Members
• Attend at least 75% of
Board Meetings
• Attend events and encourage
others to do so
• Serve on at least one
Committee
• Give a personally significant
financial gift
• Represent Organization
in the community at large
• Set and uphold policies,
procedures and ethical
standards of organization
• Solicit additional gifts
• Introduce Organization to
Board member’s circle of
influence
• Work for the betterment of
Organization
Identification Options
• What skill sets do you need?
• How diverse is your Board?
• How high profile is your Board?
• Who is in your pool of candidates?
• Are there community leaders you would love to have in a perfect
world? How can you start cultivating those people?
• Matrix mapping to insure diversity of thought
• Additional options?
Matrix Mapping
Occupation
Professional Experience
Social Network
Skills Set
Network
Ability
Experience
Race
Religion
Gender
Age
Evaluation
• Evaluation is a developmental process, not a
report card.
• The Board Development Committee is
responsible for giving the individual board
members and the entire board opportunities
for evaluation and reflection.
• Options:
– Self Evaluations against Expectations
– Committee individually evaluates members
against Expectations
– May lead to removal of Board members
Recognition
Board members
should be treated
like donors… plus!
Nomination for local
awards- AFP, Chamber,
Community Foundation
Articles in
newsletter, local
paper, etc.
Move your Board forward
• Talk with your Board about what they want, about why they
joined, and what they hoped to get out of their service.
• Call a retreat.
• Take a survey.
• Add some impact stories to the agenda.
• Have a Strategic Planning Strategy session and then continue to
talk strategy throughout the year.
• Present a environmental scan and discuss how it will impact your
clients, not just your agency, but your clients.
• Introduce some generative discussions at
board meetings.
Take 3 minutes and write down 3 things
you can do to move your Board
From: where it is
To: where you’d like it to be
Thank you for attending!
Stay tuned for:
• High Impact Corporate Community
Involvement
– Webinar: June 17 at 9am
• Demystifying Funder Transparency,
Focusing on Communicating Well
– Webinar: June 25 at 12pm
• Financial Administration Excellence
Course for Community Foundations
– Aug 20th Detroit, MI
• Philanthropy Ohio’s Summer Institute
– The Blackwell Center @ The Ohio State
University on July 9th, 2014
2 Summer Institute
Sessions with BoardSource®
•
Improve your board
chair-CEO relationship
•
Better identify and engage
board members
•
Learn how to orchestrate
strategic-level change
Member Rate: $250
philanthropyohio.org/summerinstitute
•
Put governing more, managing less, into practice
•
Huge savings vs. private BoardSource® session
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