A few months back, I shared some of my favorite one-liners, jokes, re-frames, and hot takes from the many workshops and meetings I’ve facilitated.

That post was a shout-out and a gift to my fellow trainers, facilitators, and group leaders. Like I said then: Steal these lines!

Here’s another round of insights, zingers, and stories specifically about boards, based on decades of facilitating board workshops, webinars, and planning retreats. If you engage with nonprofit boards as a consultant, coach, trainer, or facilitator, you might find these useful.

As before, I’m crediting those who shared these lines with me … when I can remember who they are. If you want to claim credit (why not?) or direct us to the originator, please use the comments section to set the record straight. It’s good to acknowledge the wisdom of others.

As noted in the last piece, I’ve workshopped this material in many ways and in front of many groups, testing different phrasing and timing. I encourage you to do the same.

Where board members come from

Nobody emerges from the womb as a board member. It’s not like the midwife says, “It’s a girl … and she’s a board member!” (With thanks to Kim Klein)

Why do we reach out to complete strangers and ask them to lead our organizations? Why aren’t we filling our boards with the donors, volunteers, clients, alumni, and allies who already understand and appreciate our work?

If you’re not consciously designing your board to include specific skills, qualities, and representation, then your default strategy is “I know a guy…” Random recruitment yields random results.

Desperation won’t work in your personal life, and it doesn’t work when recruiting board members. “Anyone who’ll say yes” is a pretty low bar.

Board expectations and operations

On the value of board job descriptions: You might be thinking: If we specify what we want, we’ll scare away potential board members who can’t fulfill our expectations. Well, if people can’t meet their obligations, would you rather find out before or after they’ve been voted onto the board?

A clear, concise board agreement is attractive. Prospective trustees review the document and say to themselves, “Wow, this group is organized. It’s impressive how they’ve thought through this stuff.” And they’re more likely to say yes.

The purpose of meetings (especially board meetings) is to make decisions. If your agenda doesn’t include any decisions – it’s just report after report after report – consider cancelling the meeting. There are so many other ways to share information.

To deal with random brainstorming, I propose the following policy: All suggestions must be followed by the phrase, “If my idea is approved, this is what I am personally willing to do to implement it.” Because it’s way too easy to dream up cool stuff for other people to do.

If your board spends a lot of time debating ideas that aren’t actionable because you don’t have the resources to take action, you may not be using your time wisely.

Boards and fundraising

The vast majority of nonprofit boards stink at fundraising. If your board struggles to raise money, you are not alone. In fact, that makes your group normal.

If you want your board to raise money, start by redefining the word fundraising. It’s not about money – it’s about relationships and how you treat people. Everyone can be an ambassador.

Why board members need to give: There’s karma in fundraising. How can you ask someone to do something that you’re unwilling to do yourself?

Succession planning

Upon joining a board, one of the first questions to ask yourself is, “What am I going to do today to replace myself?” (With thanks to Kim Klein)

Part of leading well is leaving well. (With thanks to Don Tebbe)

Broken boards

Somebody said to me, “All the important conversations at our board meetings happen out in the parking lot after the meeting is over.” This is the definition of dysfunction.

We’ve created a nonprofit governance model based on volunteers supervising professionals. (pause) And this is a good idea because…?

“I’d like to fire my board,” said the executive director, “but then who would I complain about?”