Suggested & Field Practices From Most Viewed 2015 Blog Posts

By Eugene Fram

Currently my blog-site has over 350 posts on nonprofit governance. Following are six 2015 posts that stand out based on viewer interest.

1. https://non-profit-management-dr-fram.com/2015/11/15/the-nonprofit-strategic-plan-is-finished-tools-to-move-forward/
The nonprofit’s 3 or 5-year strategic plan has been completed with the entire board management and staff reading from the same document. But what about the shoals that must be bridged before its benefits can be implemented? For example:

2. https://non-profit-management-dr-fram.com/2015/11/08/the-nonprofit-ceo-exceeds-hisher-authority-what-happens-then/
For a nonprofit organization, it is necessary to hire a president/CEO or executive in whom the board can place a high degree of trust. But along with the trust, the board must ROBUSTLY annually evaluate the CEO and the organization’s performance.

3. https://non-profit-management-dr-fram.com/2015/10/25/why-are-some-nonprofit-boards-missing-the-mark-what-to-do-2/.
For-profit organizations or nonprofit organizations, in my opinion, have five identical basic board guidelines. For Deloitte Partners, a worldwide accounting and financial advisory firm, these constitute board responsibilities that can’t be delegated to management. The board has responsibilities to have: a viable governance structure, annual assessments of (board and) organizational performance, driven strategic planning, improved management talent and assured organizational integrity. A relentless pursuit of these lofty goals will enable nonprofits to be “on the mark.”

4. https://non-profit-management-dr-fram.com/2015/08/02/how-often-do-nonprofit-board-members-need-to-question-strategic-norms/
Following are four nonprofit areas that call for strategic scrutiny and, if recognized by several other current board members as constraints on the future of the nonprofit, the process may allow individual directors to seek positive change:

5. https://non-profit-management-dr-fram.com/2015/06/14/once-again-how-to-keep-a-nonprofit-informed/
With high performing nonprofit boards, directors will rarely be invited by the CEO to participate in operational decisions. As a result, management will always have more information than the board. Yet the board still needs to know that is happening in operations to be able to overview them. The name of the game is for the CEO to communicate the important information and to keep directors informed of significant developments. Still, there’s no need to clutter regular board meetings by reporting endless details about operations. Following are some practical suggestions:

6. https://non-profit-management-dr-fram.com/2015/12/13/dysfunctional-levels-in-nonprofit-boards-organizations-2/
These data and comments can lead one to conclude that all nonprofit boards are dysfunctional. I suggest that nonprofit boards can generate a range of dysfunctional behavioral outcomes, but the staff can muddle through and continue to adequately serve clients.