Ten Things Every Nonprofit Board Member Should Know
Post by James V. Toscano
1. The Mission is why we do what we do. Let us focus in on it.
2. The Vision is what ultimately we want to achieve. We need to get there reasonably, effectively, and efficiently.
3. Those who show up at meetings decide what happens. Get to meetings or get off the board.
4. If only the executive speaks at meetings, something is wrong. Question the executive. Make sure the board reviews executive performance annually.
5. If only the chair speaks at meetings, something is wrong. Question the chair. Make sure the chair and board have fixed terms and term limits.
6. If board members don’t offer ideas and discuss/debate them, maybe disagree with one another until a consensus is reached, figure out who is in charge of the place and get open discussion of policy going.
7. If you do not see monthly or quarterly financials, or if there are no empirical measures of real impact shared with the board, ask for them.
8. If a plan, strategic, business and/or operational, isn’t being followed, demand development of one.
9 If committees do not meet or act, get one going in an area of expertise and have it hum with productivity.
10. If you are not asked to both give a contribution and ask others, begin the process and make sure every board member participates.
You are the Volunteer who is critical in ensuring that the nonprofit sector provides real public benefit. You need to work hard to make it happen.
Copyright 2011, The Good Counsel, division of Toscano Advisors, LLC. May be duplicated with citation.
[…] Board members must be activists. Lending one’s name to a board list is insufficient, unacceptable. One must not only attend meetings, serve on committees, support activities, engage actively in the development program and lead in stewardship but also actively participate in the significant decision-making guiding all of the organization’s activity. (See my piece on what a Board member needs to do.) […]
[…] 4. Ten Things Every Nonprofit Board Member Should Know […]
[…] 8. Ten Things Every Nonprofit Board Member Should Know […]
[…] written often about boards, board members and relationships in previous posts. See Ten Things Every Board Member Should Know and How Many Board Members Does it Take to Change a […]