Immediate-Term Steps Nonprofits Can Take in an Era of Political Transition / Uncertainty. Every national, state, and local election has the potential to impact communities and the nonprofits that serve them. The difference this year is that impact remains largely unknown. As each segment of the nonprofit sector scrambles to anticipate and interpret the implications…
Have you ever been to an open meeting where something came out into public view that would have been better if it had been handled privately? Perhaps someone’s reputation or career was damaged before the board had time to discuss the full scope of the facts? Executive sessions are designed to handle such matters. When…
Among the many lessons in our recent, historic election is the truth about the company we keep. As reflected on social media, like-minded people tend to gravitate to those who think – and sometimes look – as they do. Though easily attributable to human nature, this pattern enables us to overlook blind spots that can…
In response to the uncertain economic climate, the expectations for the culture of boards has changed. Shareholders know that the composition of the board of directors forms the cornerstone for strategic planning and strong performance. Investors have seen their fair share of governance failures in recent decades and they are starting to look at board…
The power in the room was palpable. Not just at the recent BoardEffect Users Conference, where hundreds of BoardEffect administrators congregated to learn with – and from – one another, but every time I’ve witnessed professional peers convene to gain and share knowledge. They consistently generate energy from one another, leveraging their experiences to offer…
The board of directors of a nonprofit organization is the ultimate governing body of the group. Individually and collectively, the board is responsible for financial oversight, providing leadership and direction, being transparent and accountable to its stakeholders, and protecting its legal liability. It’s rare to discover a board member of a nonprofit that has strong…
If you’ve attended a board meeting for the first time, you may be surprised at just how much happens there in the space of a short time. You might also have come away from it with a new appreciation for the full weight that board members carry as they make decisions.
As the date for the board meeting approaches and the “to do” list grows by the minute, it’s easy to get caught in a panic. Just when you thought you had things under control, you find that one committee has not turned in its report, the location for the meeting needs to be changed, and…
Having term limits is a good way to ensure that a board is actively working on recruitment and succession planning on a continual basis. Boards with and without term limits find that board turnover is a little like the changing of the guard. It’s a regular event. It’s inevitable. It can be somewhat entertaining and…
That moment when your read or hear something that stops you in your tracks – it’s transformative. Maybe it inspires new ideas or just encourages you to look differently at the same old thing. Like your board meeting. Or the tools you use in them. Consider the survey, an instrument commonly distributed to board members…
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