foundation boards

A Special Relationship: Nurturing the CEO-Board Chair Bond*

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A Special Relationship: Nurturing the CEO-Board Chair Bond

By Eugene Fram              Free Digital Photo

Viewer Favorite – Updated & Revised

Here are tips to assure the best possible partnership between the board chair and CEO.

Keeping boards focused on strategic issues is a major challenge for nonprofit leaders.  This leadership crisis is intensified by the fact that board chairs tend to have short terms (according to BoardSource, 83% stay in office only one or two years). Thus, nonprofit CEOs  and board chairs need to bond quickly. For the good of the organization, they must come together swiftly and create a partnership that works. Here are golden rules for the CEO and board chair to follow: (more…)

Can Nonprofit Management Usurp Board Responsibilities?

Can Nonprofit Management Usurp Board Responsibilities?

By Eugene H. Fram

On balance management will always have more information about the organization than volunteer board members. As a result, directors must be proactive in seeking information from management and a variety of other sources, even if they must involve employees other than senior management. Following are three field examples showing what has happened when boards failed to be proactive (more…)

Maintaining World Class Integrity in a Nonprofit Boardroom: Guides for Action

Maintaining World Class Integrity in a Nonprofit Boardroom: Guides for Action

By: Eugene Fram

There is little question that boards have overall responsibility for ensuring a nonprofit’s integrity. Take, for example, the case of a nonprofit where the former executive director and a board member conspired to steal $4 million of the organization’s funds. While the board did operate within its fiduciary duties and had no personal liabilities, an attorney in the case reported: This does not prevent a state’s attorney from laying blame on the board, however. Although there may be no personal financial loss, the board its individual directors and the organization can suffer significant repetitional loss when integrity issues arise. http://bit.ly/REmSoC (more…)