Meningful board activities

Nonprofit Chief Executives Should Have Title: President/CEO

 

Nonprofit Chief Executives Should Have Title: President/CEO

By Eugene Fram

This post, over several years, has developed a record of continued viewing interest. Rarely a day passes in which the data doesn’t include one or two views, or occasionally a day in which the viewer’s data can rise to five. For example, when previously updated in 2016 there were 525 post views and counting.  Perhaps the controversial nature of topic causes the longevity of interest

When nonprofit organizations reach a budget level of over $1 million and have about 10 staff members it is time to offer the chief operating officer the title of PRESIDENT/CEO. In addition, the title of the senior board volunteer should become CHAIRPERSON OF THE BOARD, and the title of EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR needs to be eliminated. Experience has shown that with a reasonably talented PRESIDENT/CEO at the helm, he/she can provide the following benefits: (more…)

Two Nonprofits Merge: Synergy or Collision Course?

Two Nonprofits Merge: Synergy or Collision Course?

By: Eugene Fram     Free Digital Image

Having led a merger committee that resulted in a successful merger with another nonprofit, I thought my field observations might be of interest to others contemplating a merger. These comments center on a merger of two equal partners, which plan to form a new organization, not the acquisition of one nonprofit by another. (more…)

The Nonprofit Dream Team: a Board/CEO Partnership that Works!

The Nonprofit Dream Team: a Board/CEO Partnership that Works!

By: Eugene H. Fram    Free Digital Image

Re-balancing and maintaining important relationships in a nonprofit organization can be important to its success. Do various players fully understand and accept their specific roles. Is there mutual trust between players? Are communications open and civil?

I recently encountered an association CEO who complained that his board wanted to judge him without establishing mutually agreeable goals, outcomes or impacts. He felt what is needed is a partnership arrangement where the board does not judge the CEO and organization based on political or personal biases but overviews the two in terms of mutually accepted achievements. This, he contended, forms a substantial partnership between board and CEO and staff. If the board thinks it can judge management, he stated, it gives it a personal political type of power, unrelated to performance. As an example he pointed to an unfortunately common nonprofit situation where a CEO is given an excellent review and fired six months later because there had been a change in the internal board dynamics. (more…)

Can Groupthink Hamstring Change on a Nonprofit Board?

Can Groupthink Hamstring Change on a Nonprofit Board?

By: Eugene Fram        Free Digital Image

Dictionaries typically define groupthink as “…the lack of individual creativity, or a sense of personal responsibility that is sometimes characteristic of group interaction.” In my opinion, the process is as lethal to the nonprofit board as smoking can be for humans. It ties boards to past experience and discourages experimentation. Since many nonprofit charters require boards to “conserve assets” and board members are characteristically volunteers, the nonprofit culture inevitably defers to groupthink–it’s in their DNA! “One goes along to get along.”
(more…)

Once Again: How Should Nonprofits Conduct Board Evaluations?

Once Again: How Should Nonprofits Conduct Board Evaluations?

By: Eugene Fram

Recent (2017) data from BoardSource show that only about 58% of boards have had “formal, written self-assessment of board performance at some point. Only 40% of all boards have done an assessment in the past two Years,” a recommended practice. With the rapid turnover of directors that nonprofit boards traditionally experience, this seems inexcusable. As a “veteran” nonprofit director, following is what I think can be done to improve the situation. (more…)

Can Only Three Nonprofit Board Committees Engage Directors Meaningfully?

 

Can Only Three Nonprofit Board Committees Engage Directors Meaningfully?

By: Eugene Fram

Current research shows that the average nonprofit board has an average of 4.5 standing  committees, down from 6.6 in 1994. * I suggest three standing committees. ** This three-standing committee configuration is flexible. Its strength is that it generates a coordinated robust review of the past board experiences to drive an emphasis on policy development and strategic planning. Organizations know where they have been, are thinking about the future but are not mired in micromanagement

    A Policy/Strategy Focused Board

(more…)

The 12 New Year’s Resolutions EVERY Nonprofit Board Should Make

The 12 New Year’s Resolutions EVERY Nonprofit Board Should Make

 

By: Eugene Fram   Free Digital Image by Stuart Miles

Now that we’ve moved into December, I’m starting to see a bigger and bigger number of articles on one specific topic – New Year’s Resolutions.

And I came across some interesting numbers.

More than 40% of Americans make New Year’s Resolutions – exceeding the 33% who watch the Super Bowl each year. But as many as 80% of those “self-promises” fail by the end of February, and ultimately only about 8% are actually kept.

There’s a solution, of course. The experts who understand these things – say there’s a much higher likelihood that you’ll stay on your New Year-inspired self-improvement path if you come up with resolutions that are clear, simple, tangible and observable (measurable). The goal, of course, is to create positive impacts for clients.

I have to tell you: Not only did this advice make tremendous sense to me; it also inspired me.

After all, if regular folks can make resolutions and find a path to success, why shouldn’t organizations do the same?

And that’s especially true of all types of nonprofit organizations – which will face one of their most-challenging environments in years in 2019.

So I devised a list of Resolutions every nonprofit leader should consider in the New Year.

And here’s how to do it: (more…)

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

id-100121468

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…)