To Whom Should Advisory Boards Provide Service?
By: Eugene Fram
I have established or served on a number of nonprofit advisory boards. Based on these experiences, I suggest that board members, along with the CEO (more…)
Nonprofit CEO-Board Relationships
How Does A Nonprofit CEO Decline Board Advice?
How does a president/CEO turn down advice about operations or internal structure from the board.
With difficulty. It all depends on the type of culture that has been established by the board. Ideally, the president/CEO should be comfortable saying, (more…)
Using Imperfect Metrics To Evaluate Organizations & The CEO
Using Imperfect Metrics to Evaluate Organization and the CEO.
BY: Eugene Fram
At the beginning of the year, the directors conducting the evaluation and the chief executives agree on jointly developed goals and outcome expectations. The full board must ratify the goals, which should be achievable but challenging. Some goals are clearly quantifiable (e.g. membership data, revenues) and readily available.
Should a Nonprofit Board Meet Without The Executive Director Being Present?
By: Eugene Fram
The CEO’s involvement is central to the success of the organization. Here’s where that issue of trust comes into play. For the full board to meet without its top executive really says, “We can’t trust you to run this place.” (more…)
NONPROFIT BOARD RELATIONSHIPS: SHOULD THE CEO FOLLOW OR LEAD THE BOARD IN FUND-RAISING?
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…)
HOW DOES A CEO DECLINE BOARD ADVICE?
How does a president/CEO turn down advice about operations or internal structure from the board.
by Eugene Fram
With difficulty. It all depends on the type of culture that has been established by the board. Ideally, the president/CEO should be comfortable saying, (more…)
Designating a ‘Lead Trustee” Can Help Boards Improve Their Operations
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…)
Your Dysfunctional Nonprofit Board – What to Do
YOUR DYSFUNCTIONAL NONPROFIT BOARD – WHAT TO DO
Is your nonprofit board operating on two cylinders instead of six cylinders
needed for our current turbulent economic times? The updated and expanded third edition of Policy vs Paper Clips (http://policy-vs-paper-clips.com) on nonprofit governance is one vehicle to help a board to remedy this operating gap.
Thousands of nonprofit executives and board members, by reading the first two editions, have: (more…)
RESPECT FOR DEDICATION OF NONPROFIT MANAGERS & STAFF
Contents of “Policy vs. Paper Clips” – Third Edition (See Amazon Books)
The book is about developing a governance model which is professional, flexible, and efficient, has a simple structure (3 standing committees), requires a secure chief executive, (more…)
Nonprofit Strategic Planning: Using Imperfect Metrics Well
Nonprofit strategic plans are most vulnerable not in their development, but in their implementation. And implementation often hinges on some measurable indication of progress. (more…)
Nonprofit Management 