Maintaining a Board of Directors

1
Maintaining a Board of Directors
2
What is a Board of Directors?

• It is often
• a watchdog
• a cheerleader
• a manager
• a planner
• a communicator

3
The governing group that governs an organization
is called

• a Steering Committee
• an Executive Committee
• a planning group
• Trustees

4
Why should you maintain a strong Board?

• It ensures that the mission of the organization
  will continue to be well understood by those who
  are in a position to further it.
• It helps to pave a smoother relationship between
  paid staff members and the Board.
• It helps to keep the Board from getting into
  legal problems and helps to extricate it if it
  does.
• It paves the way for easier fundraising for the
  organization.
• It helps ensure a steady supply of new Board
  members, the lifeblood of most nonprofit and
  small community organizations.

5
How do you maintainan effectiveBoard of
Directors?
6

• 1. Develop a system to assist Board members in
  understanding the Board and their roles on it.
• Making sure Board members have a clear, written
  understanding of the way things are and why
• Furnishing clear job descriptions for members

7

• 2. Design a process for welcoming, training, and
  mentoring new members.
• 3. Maintain a healthy, effective relationship
  with paid staff.
• Inviting staff members (and even interested
  volunteers) to meetings
• Making sure the staff is getting the support they
  need
• Creating other opportunities for the Board to
  better understand the work done by staff members

8

• 4. Hold effective meetings.
• Try an unconventional place to meet
• Make sure new members have the opportunity to get
  to know one another
• Put together a readable, relevant, interesting
  Board packet
• Bring in experts
• Make sure everyone says something during the
  meeting.

9

• 5. Maintain a sensible work level for Board
  members.
• Try to maintain a balance for staff
  responsibility
• 6. Develop a policy for dealing with urgent
  matters between meetings.
• Popular ways often include
• Phone trees -- these are especially helpful for
  small, local Boards
• Communication by E-mail can be a lifesaver for
  larger groups that are spread out geographically.
• Having a designated "point person" who
  distributes information to everyone
• Developing a small internal newsletter to be sent
  out to Board members regularly or as needed

10

• 7. Define terms of membership.
• How will you choose your officers?
• Will your Board be staggered?
• Will your Board have term limits?
• How will you ensure a diverse membership?
• 8. Be aware of state and national laws that will
  affect the Board and the organization.
• There are many different laws that will determine
  what you can or cannot do
• Have a lawyer familiar with nonprofit law as a
  Board member
• Remember you want to know the rules before you
  play the game

11

• 9. Develop and maintain a conflict-of-interest
  policy.
• Review the policy.
• Sign a paper that acknowledges that they have
  read and will comply with the policy.
• 10. Organize an annual retreat.
• Evaluate the Board's work over the past year
• Ask the Board to decide the year's agenda
• Offer Board members which organizational programs
  or community issues they'd like to learn more
  about over the coming year

12

• 11. Have regular (if infrequent) formal
  evaluations.
• Discuss how things are going both among the Board
  as well as with the organization the Board serves
• Look at the organization's by-laws
• 12. Celebrate your accomplishments!