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 executive director
What’s In a Name? Benefits Of The Nonprofit President/CEO Title
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…) |
How Is Trust Developed Between The Nonprofit Board Chair And The Chief Executive?
How is trust developed between the nonprofit board chair and the chief executive?
By Eugene Fram
First, in order to maintain trust between the board chair and CEO, the chair must be certain that the evaluation of the organization and the performance evaluation of the CEO are inclusive, i.e., cover a balance of the most relevant outcomes. Otherwise, the evaluation outcomes have the potential to damage the trust relationship that’s necessary to drive organizational growth. (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…)
CAN A BOARD MEMBER EVER HOLD A STAFF POSITION IN THE SAME NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION?
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.
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…)
Limits on President/CEO’s Fiscal Discretion
Do boards set a dollar limit on the president/CEO’s fiscal discretion?
The chief executive should have complete discretion as long as he or she works within the budget and budgetary guidelines. However, if any major changes are needed, the board must approve them. For example, (more…)
NONPROFIT CEO-BOARD CHAIR RELATIONSHIPS
The Special Relationship:
Nurturing the CEO-Board Chair Bond
By Eugene Fram
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. One problem is that (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…)
Nonprofit Management 