We often meet our clients at a critical juncture in the their board operations. They’ve decided to implement BoardEffect to improve a cumbersome paper process or transition from a different tool that is not meeting their needs. When clients first…
Technology changes faster than boards do. (Well, technology changes faster than most things do. And boards tend to change slowly, so it stands to reason.) But today’s boards of directors have more reason than ever to keep pace. New tools,…
The success of every board depends upon the collaboration and melding of ideas of the board members. According to Frank Martinelli, President of the Center for Public Skills Training, every board has three broad areas of responsibility including: Planning and policy development Community and organizational development Fundraising and support development Effective boards of directors move…
Writing a motion for a board meeting isn’t difficult, but it does take some forethought. Perhaps you’ve been to a board meeting where someone filed a motion and so many amendments followed it that the final version didn’t remotely resemble the original wording. A well-written motion is specific, unique, and concise. By writing a clear…
At some point in planning for executive succession, a nonprofit board will ask, “what makes a good executive director?” Vision, leadership, passion, and patience are common answers offered by board members and executive directors themselves. The most unusual (and perhaps telling) answer, though, is one that will (but shouldn’t) surprise: the board.
Comparing different board portal vendors to ultimately make a selection is serious business. After all, the chosen board management software needs to support the always high-stakes, often confidential, and sometimes controversial work of your organization’s governing body…usually for many years to come. A thoughtful, rigorous board portal comparison is key to ensuring the selection of…
Recently, I had the pleasure of attending a workshop presented by Susan Howlett, a private nonprofit consultant based in Seattle, where she summarized the main points raised in her book, “Boards on Fire! Inspiring Leaders to Raise Money Joyfully.” One strategy Susan suggested was how to design the agenda of what I have since come…
The terms consent agenda and consent calendar are interchangeable terms. A consent agenda is a board meeting practice that groups routine business and reports into one agenda item. The consent agenda can be approved in one action, rather than filing motions on each item separately. Using a consent agenda can save boards anywhere from a…
Attending a board meeting for the first time can be eye-opening, and maybe a little intimidating, for those who have never experienced one before. It quickly becomes evident how much time and energy go into a board and how much responsibility board members have. Becoming an active and effective board member is more of a…
In much of life, less is more. This is true when it comes to the length of speeches, weeks of winter, consumption of natural resources, and strokes in golf (to name only a few examples). This is also true in regards to paper in the board room. This prior BoardEffect post offers a valuable framework…
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