Many people who contact me want to talk (or complain!) about their nonprofit’s board of directors. They ask, “How can we…” Convince our board to raise more money? Encourage them to take their work seriously? Improve their leadership skills? Transition our board to a different role as our organization … [Read more...]
Is it OK to give up on your board?
Several years ago, while attending a Money for Our Movements conference hosted by the Grassroots Fundraising Journal, I witnessed an interesting debate. This was literally a debate, with two teams arguing the pros and cons of the proposition du jour: Are we ready to give up on nonprofit boards and allow our organizations to be … [Read more...]
Why fundraising is better than an endowment
Note: This guest post is from Harvey McKinnon, with assistance from his colleague Kevin Wilson. Thank you both! For many years I served on the board of a small arts organization. I loved the nonprofit, but one thing bothered me every time we went over the budget: our endowment. The endowment totaled about $900,000, just shy of our … [Read more...]
Board president confidential
Several years ago I shared Treasurer Confidential, which described my experience as treasurer of a nonprofit board. My volunteer career has progressed and (surprise!) I’m now president of our grassroots, one-employee organization. In theory, I am well-qualified. I’ve served on multiple boards. I train boards for a living. I write books … [Read more...]
Consulting and COVID, Part 2: What will you keep?
In a previous post, I shared how consulting colleagues have responded to the pandemic: rethinking priorities, pivoting to new styles of work, embracing emerging opportunities. I’ve been inspired by their thoughtfulness, creativity, resilience, and commitment to justice. I asked them to reflect on what they’ll carry forward into the … [Read more...]
Three tips for improving your virtual board meetings
Note: This guest post is from consultant Alyson Molloy Hussey. Thanks, Alyson! 2020 was a challenging year for many organizations. Faced with a totally different environment, nonprofit leaders were forced to pivot, adapt, and get creative. How about you? What was your biggest adaptation over the last year? Some of these … [Read more...]
Board members: What you can do right now
How are you doing? How is your organization doing? As we navigate the challenges of COVID-19, many nonprofits are taking tactical steps to serve and survive: implementing anti-infection measures, working from home, moving programming online, taking a hard look at their budgets, and so forth. In this new environment – which changes … [Read more...]
A conflict-of-interest game — for your board
Nearly all board members assume their responsibilities with good intentions and a degree of humility. If they weren’t concerned about a community issue – maybe one that affects them personally – they wouldn’t have joined the board. Perhaps they want to reduce pollution in their neighborhood, or create opportunities for their kids to … [Read more...]
Board members: It’s not a life sentence
Once upon a time, I served with a skilled, committed, hard-working board president: a great strategic thinker and also attentive to detail. This is a rare combination. If I could clone this person for other boards, I would absolutely do it. Our president, however, was always dancing on the edge of burnout. Lacking an obvious … [Read more...]
Design yourself a better board
Imagine the following exercise. Gather your board members around a flip chart. Ask the following question: "If we could design the perfect board for our group, what skills, qualities, and representation would we want in prospective board members?" Skills, qualities, representation Skills include specific expertise to help the … [Read more...]