I get asked that question pretty often – What's the right board size? The answer is – it depends. What are your goals? Do you currently have a composition that makes sense? You may have seen studies that will tell you the average nonprofit board size is around 17. So what? That includes hospitals, universities, [...]
Here we go – another fall season is upon us! A time when many nonprofit leaders are overseeing the launch of new programs, breathing new energy into long-standing programs, gearing up for a year-end philanthropy push and oh yeah – you’re coming out of the typically quieter summer board season and kicking off the new [...]
Do you wanna guess what committee it is? In my years of working with many different types of nonprofit organizations, it has been proven over and over again. It’s the Board Development Committee. Sometimes it’s called the Governance Committee, or the Nominating Committee. I prefer "Board Development", because when functioning well, it's doing exactly that [...]
You know the one. They show up to board meetings- sometimes. Or they say they’ll do some stuff but there’s a 50-50 chance it will get done. Or they DO have good intentions but they haven’t been truly plugged in for a while. Or they’re the first one to leave a meeting. Or they [...]
Are you wondering where your board unicorn is? You know the one – every board meeting is well attended. Board members follow through on tasks. Committees are strong with clear goals. They even raise money for your cause! Shoot, people are asking how they can join your board because it has such a great reputation [...]
The board meeting has been on the calendar for months. And yet, you show up to find only a third of the members in attendance. How frustrating!! What the heck is the problem? Don’t they care about your mission anymore? Are they all travelling suddenly? Are they thinking about leaving the board? Dang, you certainly [...]