This Month's topic: When Boards Fail in their Role
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| This Month's Topic: When Boards Fail in their Role |
Each month, this area provides with a
number of my favorite and most helpful sites regarding the topic of the month.
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Management
Tip of the Month
Each issue, I start with a discussion
of my management perspective on the month's topic, and give you a few hands-on
ideas to consider.
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Recommended Publications
Here, I provide you with my
recommendations on the materials available that can help you
become more mission-capable in the area of When Boards Fail in their Role.
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Technology
I provide you with some good ideas for
uses of tech to better your organization in the area of When Boards Fail in their Role.
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Marketing
Tip
So much to say, so little space to say
it.....
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Next
Issue
In December, we'll close out 2006 with examine an issue that is very important issue of Conflict of Interest.
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Websites of the
Month
Here are my recommendations for websites of interest
on this month's topic: When Boards Fail in Their Role
Back to
Top
Management Tip of the Month
When Boards Fail in Their Role
.
This topic is a bit amorphous; it was suggested by a reader, and I
really liked the concept, but it's hard to get your hands around. How
can boards fail? Lots of ways. Here are some of the most common.
1. They don't come to meetings: You don't have a quorum, you don't get stuff done.
2. They don't do their homework: Board members who come not having done their preparation are not ready to set policy or act as a check and balance on staff.
3. They focus on management rather than policy: This
is pretty common, and happens a lot when staff members don't give
smart, talented board members anything meaningful to do at
meetings....they'll find something to fill their time, even if it means
stepping over the line. Keep board members focused on policy by
engaging them on key issues, and keeping them informed of new
developments, in person, or online.
4. They dis the organization (or other board members) in public:
This is like the black plague for an organization that needs public
support and acceptance. It most often happens when their is not good
leadership on the board itself. People feel that they are not getting
their say, or that meetings are ineffective and the go outside to gripe.
5. They disregard standard business practices. No
budget? No problem! The resources we need will show up. No insurance?
Well, we're a nonprofit, no one will sue us. No audit? Hey, we can't
afford one, and our staff and board are all such good people....
I've heard all of these. Just because you are mission-based does not
mean you can ignore standard common business sense decisions.
6. They ignore their own priorities or polices:
What's the point of having a strategic plan or financial policies if
they are going to be ignored? This kind of waffling makes staff crazy,
since they don't know what the board really wants. Note to boards who
do this....you are even more liable as a fiduciary if you ignore your own policies, plans and priorities.
So, what can you do as a manager or board member to reduce this kind of behavior. Try these actions.
1. Have job descriptions, including attendance expectations, for board members. Enforce these requirements.
2. Have a board mentoring program. This
will help get new board members on (pardon) board with the
organizational culture and take their jobs seriously. Warning: pick
your mentors carefully!
3. Include non-board members on committees to evaluate potential board members.
This brings new skills and lets you make sure a potential board member
is serious about meeting the organization's expectations.
4. Send board leadership to leadership training.
Strong board leadership is key to strong, vibrant boards. Pay to have
your leadership go. United Ways, MSO's, Community Foundations and often
law and CPA firms have this kind of training.
5. Mix your board: Half advocates for what you do, half business people with business skills.
the first group keeps you honest to my first rule of nonprofits:
"Mission-Mission-Mission!". The second group keeps you honest to the
second rule:"No Money, No Mission!"
Finally, and from personal experience, if you feel your board is
failing, go talk to them, or get a consultant who will evaluate the
situation and talk to them for you. DON'T let the situation continue!
Your mission is too important to be sabotaged.
If
you found this hint helpful, there are lots more management, marketing, and
technology ideas for you in the "Ideas" section at
www.missionbased.com. Check them
out--they're free.
And, remember to take a look at the
Mission-Based Management
Blog.
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Top
Print Resources
My recommendations for texts on When Boards Fail are
shown below. The listing below has the best books in this area.
How are We Doing? A 1-Hour Guide to Evaluating Your Performance as a Nonprofit Board, by Gayle Gifford.
Governance as Leadership, By Richard Chait, et al
Nonprofit Boards that Work: The End of One Size Fits All Governance, by Maureen Robinson
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Technology Tip
How can Tech help when the Board Fails
In my list of problems I listed in the Management Tip, I noted that one
method of board failure was board members not coming prepared, and
another was board meddling in management rather than policy. In both of
these cases, more information is part of the solution, and tech can
help.
As regular readers know, I am a big advocate of a section of your
website just for board members. Password the area, and include
everything you can think of related to your board. Names, addresses,
phone and email. Committee information including members, meeting dates
and locations, minutes of past meetings, etc. Bylaws, budgets, audits,
links to interesting articles on issues in your mission area....and
then ask your board members what they want. Finally, make sure you have
a live training session to show them what's on the site and how to
access it.
The idea here is to keep them informed, keep them in touch, and to let
them investigate issues at their own speed, at work or at home. They'll
be better prepared, and feel more involved, both of which is great for
a more functional board.
If you found this hint helpful, there are lots more
management, marketing, and technology ideas for you in the "Ideas" section at
www.missionbased.com. Check them
out--they're free.
Back to
Top
Training Schedule for Peter Brinckerhoff
Below you'll see the date, location, and topics
of public training I'm scheduled to do in the next few months. For more
information on a particular speaking engagement, get in touch with the contact
person listed in the right hand column, or
email me.
For more information on my availability throughout
the next 12-18 months, available topics, sample agendas, and fees go to
www.missionbased.com/training.htm
| Date |
City |
Topic |
Contact |
| 11/01/06 |
Lake Tahoe |
Trends in Nonprofits |
IACCA
Mary Quinn
quinn.mk@gmail.com |
| 11/03/06 |
Hilton Head, SC |
Ethics in Nonprofits |
NISH SE Regional Meeting
Debbie Ignatz
dignatz@nish.org |
| 11-09-10/06 |
Portland OR |
Intro to Marketing |
NISH
Deborah Atkinson
Datkinson@nish.org |
| 11/15/06 |
Bonita Springs, FL |
Mission-Based Management |
Community Foundation of Collier County
Mary Ellen Barrett
mbarrett@cfcollier.org |
| 11/17/06 |
Altoona, PA |
Mission-Based Management and Marketing |
AFP of the Allegheny Mountains
Joe Scialabba
scialaj@dioceseaj.org |
| 11/29/06 |
Farmington, CT |
Nonprofit Stewardship |
Connecticut Association of Nonprofits
Julia Wilcox
jwilcox@ctnonprofits.org |
Marketing Tip
When Boards Fail and Marketing
Now let's turn to a messy failure of a board: one that is public and
ugly. What do you do? You use your marketing smarts to minimize the
damage and move on.
First, as always, when you mess up, fess up. Talk to your staff and
board about the issue, what needs to be done, and admit guilt if the
organization is, in fact guilty. Talk internally before anywhere else.
Second, if the issue gets into the public through the media, and if the
organization has made errors, talk to your legal counselors and then
confess to what you can (you may be constrained by future liabilities
somewhat).
Third, you may need to fire/eject board members, and recruit new ones.
Do this carefully, and make sure that the new members know about your
dirty laundry (they'll find out anyway, so let them hear it from you)
Fourth, if there is service impact, talk to service recipients
directly, and assure them (to the extent you can) that things will be
fine, in the short or long run.
Finally, ask staff how they are doing, and act to ameliorate whatever stress you can.
Why is this marketing? Because you are identifying your markets (board,
staff, media, service recipients) finding out their needs and wants,
and meeting them.
If you want to see more about this in detail, take
a look at more about my book
Mission-Based Marketing; Second
Edition
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