Much of the recent news around nonprofit boards relates to a situation with lessons for all of us, so how could we resist reference to the Sweet Briar College saga and how it relates to nonprofit governance? Despite the board’s decision to close Sweet Briar College, the 100+ year-old, private, women’s liberal arts school in…
Who wouldn’t jump at the opportunity to guarantee a great legacy? Most of us want to be remembered for the impact we’ve had on something that matters. Ironically, nonprofit boards often cringe at what can – and should – be among their defining legacies: executive succession. According to a recent study by Leadership New England…
Board diversity, of all things, might be the catalyst for an unexpected parity between nonprofit and corporate boards. Research shows both venues need – and slowly seek – new perspective in the form of millennials. NPR recently reported that millennials comprise the largest workforce ever in the US. In fact, according to an article in…
Over the last two decades, governance — the work performed by boards of directors – has become a more challenging endeavor than ever before. Overwhelmingly, resources are scarcer, requiring organizations to do more with less. Scandals in the corporate, public and nonprofit sectors have resulted in increased pressure and scrutiny on boards of directors from…
In the absence of time, we err toward an abundance of information. Quoting a French philosopher who said, “If I had more time, I would have written a shorter letter,” a recent article in Associations Now illustrates the irony of packing all available information into a report and hoping its readers have the capacity to…
Nonprofit doesn’t mean non-business. Since the “non” part of profit simply refers to where profit goes (back into the organization, not to shareholders), a nonprofit is otherwise a mission-driven business, complete with business processes, revenue, P&L, employees, etc. Almost. Perhaps the key difference between nonprofit and for-profit businesses lies in perception — society’s AND their…
Sometimes, despite good intentions, nonprofit boards miss the mark. Even when organizational decline is obvious to external stakeholders, the board fails to recognize the problem or solution. While most of these crises aren’t necessarily caused by the board, the board sometimes is the culprit. A recent article in The Nonprofit Times identifies common circumstances and potential…
Best Practices, Governance Principles Revised, The Nonprofit Times, Feb. 25, 2015 reports this week Independent Sector released an updated edition of its 33 Principles for Good Governance and Ethical Practices, marking the first major revisions since its original release in 2007. The event was marked by bi-partisan fanfare on Capitol Hill. As one Senator noted, establishing…
The impact of gender diversity in the board room is the focus of a recent article in the Harvard Business Review. Despite research that shows better performance, higher profitability, and increased collective intelligence on teams with gender diversity, the composition…
This report provides a summary of U.S. State laws regarding nonprofit board electronic voting tools in the board room. Whenever possible, we have included the legal citation, as well as an explanation of the legal vocabulary, how and where to…
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