Nonprofit CEO Board Chair Relationships –Anything Works!!
A recent NPQ Nonprofit Newswire (March 13th 2012), report concludes, that to build good nonprofit CEO-board chair relationships, “Task lists and job descriptions often propose a “one size fits all” recipe for the CEO-Board chair relationship, (but the lists have little to do with real world effectiveness.)” (more…)
Executive Director: When Is It An Appropriate Title?
By Eugene Fram
An Executive Director title compared with a President/CEO title for a nonprofit’s chief operating executive is a debate that still pervades the nonprofit governance discussions. Following is a list of situations when the Executive Director tile is appropriate.
Note: This article has received constant attention since being published in May 2010. I am reissuing it here in the event some new readers might have missed it.What’s in a Name? Benefits of the President/CEO TitleInsights into Nonprofit Governance and Nonprofit ManagementBY EUGENE FRAM Over the last 100 years, senior managers of nonprofits typically have held the executive director title. For about the last 30 years, many nonprofits have changed the title to president/CEO, following a common business practice. Many more nonprofits need to consider the same change to obtain some subtle but useful organizational benefits. A recent study reports that only 22 percent of trade association chief staff officers hold the president/CEO title. For professional societies, the proportion is only 9 percent.1 Many chief staff officers in larger faith-based human service and health-related organizations still hold the executive director title. Even the senior manager of Carnegie Hall in New York City still carries the executive director title. A wide range of nonprofits use the executive director title: churches, human service agencies, trade associations, and medical facilities. (more…) |
Who in a nonprofit organization is responsible for fund-raising? Should the CEO follow or lead the board?
By Eugene Fram
The CEO is the advance guard when it comes to fund-raising. First and foremost, he/she has to be alert to all places where the CEO can raise funds on his/her own initiative. (more…)
Can a board member ever hold a staff position in the same nonprofit organization?
By Eugene Fram
Sometimes a board member acts not as a director but as a different kind of volunteer. For example, Director Z has a particular accounting skill and wants to utilize it to help the nonprofit. The CEO agrees.
In this instance the board member is not a board member, but a volunteer working under the direction of the CEO. This distinction is easy to understand if you think about the example of a Boy Scout leader who also serves as a board member on a Boy Scout regional council. As scoutmaster, he follows scouting guidelines and directives provided by the organization’s professionals. As a council director, he helps to set policy for the Scout movement in the geographic area. In only one instance does he act as a director.
Whether or not he/she should receive a payment for the work is subject to various state law nonprofit laws and approval of the board.
Source: Policy vs. Paper Clips, Third Edition, 2011, pp.231-232.
Designating a ‘Lead Trustee’ Can Help Boards Improve Their Operations
Originally published by the Chronicle of Philanthropy, June 2, 2011, p. 34
By Eugene H. Fram
Few nonprofit boards do a great job of overseeing their organizations. Both nonprofit board members and CEO’s share that concern: Asked to rank their performance with academic-style grades by the nonprofit group BoardSource, chief executives gave their boards a C+, while board members gave themselves a B. (more…)
Nonprofit Management 