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Annette Marquis Holston Valley UU Church February 26-27, 2010 To explore the key roles and responsibilities of congregation boards. To explore ways of organizing to assure everyone is working to fulfill the congregation's mission. To discover ways to work effectively with professional staff, boards, committees, teams, and members for the good of the congregation. To review advantages and disadvantages of various model of governance from the Carver Model of Policy Governance to other models of hierarchical and collaborative governance. To determine criteria of good governance so boards can evaluate themselves on their effectiveness in serving the congregation and its mission. Governance and Ministry Rethinking Board Leadership By Dan Hotchkiss Governance as Leadership: Reframing the Work of Nonprofit Boards Richard P. Chait, William P. Ryan , Barbara E. Taylor There is no right way to organize a congregation. Some mistakes have been made often enough that it is only fair to warn against them. We can know good governance when we see it. Dan Hotchkiss, Governance and Ministry A unified structure for making governance decisions: ▪ Articulating mission and vision ▪ Evaluating programs ▪ Ensuring responsible stewardship of resources A unified structure of making operational decisions ▪ Program leaders (paid and unpaid) work harmoniously to create effective programs with the support of a structure that delegates authority and requires accountability. A creative, open atmosphere for ministry ▪ Members take advantage of the many opportunities to share their talents and interests in an atmosphere of trust and creativity in which structure, goals, and purposes are clear. Dan Hotchkiss, Governance and Ministry TJD Annual Meeting – April 30 – May 2, 2010 Standing on the Side of Love ▪ Penn Center, St. Helena’s Island, SC Weekly webinars Right relationships and conflict – Dr. Helen Bishop Governance and leadership – Annette Marquis Faith development – the Rev. Sue Sinnamon What Works? – the Rev. Jake Morrill Southland UU Leadership Experience August 8-13, 2010 - The Mountain Anti-Racism Conference – October 8-10, 2010 A congregation easily becomes an end in its own mind – recruiting people to an empty discipleship of committee service, finance, and building maintenance. Institutional management is a necessary but ultimately secondary function of a congregation. If souls are not transformed and the world is not healed, the congregation fails no matter what the treasurer reports. Dan Hotchkiss, Governance and Ministry The end The Working Board Model Committee-Centered Model Staff-Centered Model Governance and Ministry Dan Hotchkiss, Alban Institute This is a functional system up to about 150 at worship. The Board is comprised of Officers and at-large members Chairs or representatives of committees Officers and atlarge Clergy Chair Chair Board Chair Chair Chair Advantages Disadvantages • Improves communication, everyone knows what’s happening in the congregation • People bring a lot of experience • Can make overall decisions by involving major areas of the congregation • It is prone to micro-management • A lot to ask of individuals to chair a committee and be on the board – inherent conflicts of interest • Different skills needed • Boring meetings • Not elected by the congregation Clergy Board Committees handle operations of the congregation in their area of specialty/interest Finance Facilities RE Membership Staff report to committees, at least functionally Advantages • People volunteer in area of specialty, Finance, Personnel, RE, etc • Committees are free to operate as they choose – little oversight • Lots of people involved in every decision so people feel included • • • • • Disadvantages • Not bond through a common vision Some committees become more powerful then others Tends to create triangles New ideas have to be run through multiple committees Maintains the status quo, can get a "no" at any step, no one can say "yes" Gives an illusion of accountability but authority generally resides with the committee • Staff report to and are supervised by committees (Committees are very bad at being bosses) Finance Clergy Board Building Finance Clergy Board Building Staff Add a staff member Clergy Finance Board Personnel Staff Building Staff Staff Add more staff Strong ministry-led congregations Ministers "cast the vision" Congregation does not have meetings of any significance The pastor can say yes or no Teams are picked who are in favor of the task NOTE: Uncommon in UU Congregations Clergy Board Staff Staff Staff Advantages • This model begins with the goal of saying "yes" • Infinitely scalable-model of ministry teams • Committees have nothing to do but ministry teams rather than committees • Congregation has little say in what happens • When people are unhappy, they leave Disadvantages • When the minister leaves, people leave Elected Committees and Committee Chairs Staff Reporting to Committees Multiple governing boards • Operations Board • Programs Board A unified structure for making governance decisions: • Articulating mission and vision • Evaluating programs • Ensuring responsible stewardship of resources A unified structure of making operational decisions • Program leaders (paid and unpaid) work harmoniously to create effective programs with the support of a structure that delegates authority and requires accountability. A creative, open atmosphere for ministry • Members take advantage of the many opportunities to share their talents and interests in an atmosphere of trust and creativity in which structure, goals, and purposes are clear. Dan Hotchkiss, Governance and Ministry Minister and Board share the vision Committees are used only in its original sense - to help a body to do its job - helps the board to do the boards work Program teams, ministry teams rather than committees Minister and board have unique responsibilities and joint responsibilities Staff Team (as Ministers) ▪ Practical work Board (as governors) ▪ Fiduciary Work Shared Functions (As discerners) ▪ Planning work ▪ Generative work Governance Ministry Accountability Board Staff Policies Committees Teams Roles of Board and Staff Governance Ministry Lay Leader Ministry Leader Board Staff Oversight Management Strategy Discernment As governors As ministers As discerners Obedience Care Loyalty • Obey the law • Obey your constituted documents, by-laws • Make sure that anything a board member votes for is legal under the by-laws • Be diligent • Attend meetings • Read board packets • Be an advocate for the congregation • Don’t do anything to harm the congregation Governance Philosophy of governance Discernment Mission Statement • Who are we? • What difference do we make, and for whom? Board covenant Board selfgovernment • Board agenda • Board committees • Conflicts of interest • Discipline and removal of board members Core Values • What principles do we intend to observe, no matter what Open Questions • What are the unanswered questions about our mission that we will reflect upon in the coming year? Strategy What major choices have we made about how we will fulfill our mission? • Program development plan • Membership development plan • Capital Plan • Staffing Plan Management Delegation to staff Monitoring • Global Delegation • Staff Structure • Financial reports • Staff reports • Board inquires • Financial Audit Delegation to Others Evaluation Care for people Vision of Ministry • In what new and different ways will we transform lives in the next 3-5 years? • Program development goals • Membership development goals • Capital budget • Operating budget Oversight • Health & safety • Nondiscrimination • Universal access • Congregational covenant Care for staff • Compensation & benefits • Creating and filling staff positions • Discipline and discharge of staff • Whistle-blower protection • Grievances • Personnel manual Care for resources • Financial controls • Insurance • Capital reserves and endowments • Document retention Powers reserved to the board • Program evaluation • Board and head of staff evaluation • Staff evaluation • Clergy leader performance review Advantages Disadvantages • Congregation views leadership as working together as a team • Moves away from having bodies who do both policy-making and do the work • Vision is shared by board and minister • Clarity of roles of ministry teams • Requires trust between the board, the minister, and the ministry leaders • Members are less involved in decision-making Dan Hotchkiss, Alban Institute Basis for the governance system is policies Board has limited role. Their purpose is to answer three questions: Whom do we serve? For what reason? At what cost? Board handles their own governance Sets executive limitations - a fence around the paid staff. Staff is free to act as long as they operate within those limits Board speaks with one voice A congregation and its lay leaders grant authority to staff in order for it to morally hold staff accountable for its actions. CEO - Chief Executive Officer COO - Chief Operating Officer CSO - Chief Staff Officer (General Manager) • Does not truly exist in organizations with congregational polity. The CEO in our congregations is more of a general manager. Congregations have the final word. • The individual who guides the day-to-day operations, usually with an administrative emphasis. Highly functioning church administrator. • Charged with responsibility for general oversight of the staff system. In reality, most of our senior ministers have supervisory management responsibilities but must involve the board in senior level hiring and firing. Congregation Board of Trustees Minister or Executive Team Program Ministry with children and youth Worship Development Pastoral Care Fundraising Investments Operations Grant-writing Finance Human Resources Facilities Ends An end statement is a big mixing bowl - an outcome to be achieved, for whom, and for what cost? A congregation might have 7 or so end statements. Executive limitations sit in smaller bowls inside the end statement in order to restrict actions in completing the end statement. For example, can't misspend money to achieve the end. If it's not spelled out as a limitation, anything can be done once. Based on past history, board might create a limitation based on failure. Our members and friends will enjoy a deeply, meaningful, transforming liberal religious experience through inspirational worship, education and individual spiritual practice. Outcome: "will enjoy a deeply, meaningful, transforming liberal religious experience" For Whom: "Our members and friends" At what cost: "inspirational worship, education and individual spiritual practice" Advantages • Board is free to focus on vision questions • Volunteers are engaged in meaningful ministry • Staff and the minister are evaluated on preestablished goals • Minister is focused on running the church, not much time left for ministry Disadvantages • Gives significant control to the minister Richard Chait and his colleagues argue that we should shift emphasize modes over models in seeking to govern well. Richard Chait, William Ryan and Barbara Taylor, Governance As Leadership: Reframing the Work of Nonprofit Boards (Hoboken: John Wiley & Sons, 2005) Type 3: Generative Prevent theft, waste or misuse of resources. Ensure that resources are deployed effectively. Promote lawful and ethical behavior. The board “speaks with one voice.” Safeguard the mission against unintentional drift and unauthorized shifts in purpose. Type 1 Questions • • • • • Can we afford it? Is the budget balanced? Is it legal? How much money do we need to raise? Should we move resources from one program to another? • Is staff turnover reasonable? • Are we treating staff fairly and respectfully? Oversees strategic planning process and articulates what matters most for the future. Aims to construct a consensus about what the congregation’s strategy should be. Crafts forms and structures to mirror the congregations priorities and values. Builds authority, responsibility and accountability into the system. Type II Questions • What’s the plan? • What other congregations are doing this and what can we learn from them? • What can we do to improve the congregation’s image in the community? • How can more people know we are here? • How can we address the growing number of children in our congregation? Defines what knowledge, information and data mean. Thinks retrospectively and constructs the congregation’s “dominant narrative.” Chooses and uses new frames of reference. Engages others within (and beyond) the congregation in generative thinking. Type III Questions • How do we meet people’s spiritual needs? • How do we make this a great place to work? • How to we assure our children incorporate liberal religious values into their lives? • How do we live our values in our community? • Why did our minister leave? Type Board Type II: Board as as Type 1: III: Board as Control Mechanism Direction Setter Meaning-Maker conscience ethical compass : headlights curbstone :: air :traffic controller daminspiration : river rudder : boat : poet roadway navigation automobile person : pilot spirit : higher guidance system landlord : tenant : satellite purpose 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. Your facility is crowded on Sunday mornings and there is parking and limited space for religious education. A Board member was arrested for public exposure in a children-focused restaurant. Your canvass campaign was 10% over projections. Two African American men were arrested in your community for protecting an African American woman from being beaten by a white man You were left an undesignated bequest of $20,000. It was just discovered that your treasurer has not made any deposits from the Sunday collection in 6 months. Three youth were caught drinking in the building. Your minister announced his/her resignation. A member sent out an email to selective members of the congregation - the email used derogatory language to blast the president and the board. What are the board questions? • Fiduciary • Strategic • Generative Decision (1) •Board researches models •Invites wider conversation with committees Reflection Stage •A tentative decision about what we are going to try. Decision (2) • Try the new model. • "permission to play" rather than suspending the by-laws. • Appoint a special committee called the Policy Board-delegate all authority to them. Trial •After the trial, make the changes necessary to implement the new model It's easier to start a new thing than to replace something in existence. It's easier to create new norms of behavior for new people than it is to change norms of behavior for old people. If you tell people what's being discussed, who is discussing it, when a decision will be made, people will tolerate a lot of top-down decisions. Special thanks to Dan Hotchkiss and Richard Chait for their valuable work in the area of governance and to the participants of the Art of Governance workshop for their commitment to improving the quality of governance in their congregations in order fulfill our grand Unitarian Universalist vision of world community with peace, liberty and justice for all.