Just last week it happened again. Not only did I attend a pretty ineffective board meeting, but I also listened while several board members complained about how their meetings are a waste of time. I really don’t get it. You probably wouldn’t allow a meeting to ramble along without focus in a corporate setting, so [...]
While everyone else is busy engaging with donors this time of year, what if you spent some time appreciating your board members? I mean they're donors too, right? Do you treat your board members at least as well as your major donors? After all, not only do they invest financially, but they share their expertise [...]
Has this ever happened to you? Maybe you’re a peer who is counting on a board member to follow up on a project and it doesn’t happen. Or you’re the CEO and a board member told you they’d reach out to someone and they didn’t do it. Or the deadline for that fundraiser is tomorrow [...]
I hear it all the time - "My board chair doesn't get it!" and "Our executive director doesn't know how to involve us!" The dynamic between the nonprofit executive director and the board chair can indeed be very interesting! The executive director is hired as an expert in the nonprofit field, and the volunteer serving [...]
A new class of board members is about to join your nonprofit team! Are you ready for them? Are you committed to investing in their experience so that it’s meaningful for them and of benefit to your organization? Or are you avoiding eye contact and hoping they just find their way? If you want engaged, [...]
Periodically, I run across an article that addresses a common question among nonprofit leaders really well. Haven't we all gotten tripped up by the consent agenda at one point? Or maybe we haven't even tried it because we're uncertain about the appropriate use of one. It's my pleasure to share these guidelines for using a [...]