Changing Nonprofit Board Structures: The Place of Process Directors
By: Eugene Fram
When changing, or even just modifying, a nonprofit’s board structure, the typical nonprofit board will be divided into several groups on the issue: 1) directors who want change, 2) directors opposed to change, some strongly opposed and 3) what I call process directors.
Process directors like to sit back and examine issues. (more…)
Volunteers Alert: Are You President/CEO of a Nonprofit? Charity boards
By: Eugene Fram
Nonprofit volunteer directors who hold the title of President/CEO and then have the chief operations officer listed as the Executive Director may be in for a surprise. (more…)
The Nonprofit President/CEO – How Much Board Trust Is Needed?
By; Eugene Fram
The title president/CEO clearly signals to the public who has the final authority in all operating matters and can speak for the organization. They are not an ambiguous set of titles However, the terms “manager’ or “executive director’ can be quite ambiguous and do not have the same external clout.. An executive director can be the administrator in a small church or the operational head of a large arts organization. The public and some corporate directors often view managers and executive directors (because of the organizational history of nonprofit) as “hired hands,” not as managerial professionals who are able to manage all operational activities.
The president/CEO designation calls for a trusting relationship with the board based on mutual respect, drawing from the symbolism that he or she is the operating link between board and staff. It is a new type of partnership culture. However, from a assessment viewpoint, the board still has a legal and moral obligation to ‘trust but verify.”
Source: Policy vs. Paper Clips, pp.35-36, Third Edition (2011). Available on Amazon.com in paperback or Kindle format.
My Blog Site: http://bit.ly/yfRZpz
How Nonprofit Board Members/Management Can Make Sense of Sustainability
By: Eugene Fram
I recently read an article published in April, 2011 issue of the “Nonprofit Quarterly” by Jeanne Bell, titled “Beyond Financial Oversight: Expanding the Board’s Role in the Pursuit of Sustainability.’ I think the suggestions in it will be of interest to nonprofits whose budget expenditures are mainly centered around staff and programs and less on maintaining material & real estate.
First, the article calls (more…)
Executing A Nonprofit Organization’s Planning Function With Radar & Traffic Cops
By Eugene Fram
A nonprofit board has the primary responsibility for ensuring that proposed programs and services that the organization can offer are in the best interest of the clients it serves and the community or membership it represents.
Specifically the board’s board planning and resource committee provides the “radar” for the nonprofit board and also acts as its “traffic Cop.” <–more–> It provides the radar by evaluating whether the organization is being correctly positioned to meet the current and future needs of clients. As a traffic cop, it helps make certain that new board projects align with the mission, are completed in a timely manner and that wise use is made of volunteers’ efforts and time.
The committee has an obligation to seek the best sources of information for policy changes and to review and filter proposed changes that come before it, as suggested by the staff, board, volunteers and community members.
The entire nonprofit board is responsible for monitoring the implementation of adopted changes, which should be those that best fit the organization’s mission, vision, values and resources.
Source: Policy vs. Paper Clips, Third Edition (2011), p. 102.
My blog site: http://bit.ly/yfRZpz
Changing Nonprofit Boards – Overcoming Nostalgia.
By: Eugene Fram
In many US locations, there are several nonprofit organizations that are over a century old. In contrast, only a handful of the Fortune 500 companies claim this longevity level. However, when it comes to making organizational changes on nonprofit boards, < –more — > such as the board should set policy an leave operations entirely to management, board veterans often just don’t buy the idea.
These persons feel that board members have to know operational details if the board is to assist the chief executive to achieve the organization’s mission.Some of these board veterans have nostalgic visions of how things used to be when the organization was a small one. Others fear that if they give up their operational roles, the organization will not be the “family” or caring organization they perceived they knew.
If these directors are continuing to make good board contributions, the board chair and CEO need to try to persuade them that with growth, there has to be movements to meet changing times and to hire qualified managers and staff. New policy challenges need to be developed for these veteran directors. However, don’t be surprised if a few simply resign their board positions.
Source: Policy vs. Paper Clips, Third Edition, (2011), pp. 99-100
My blog site: http://bit.ly/yfRZpz
How to know when a nonprofit board has achieved a positive culture?
Nonprofit board culture is really about having chemistry that works. Is there transparency and openness? It is an intangible, but it is critical. Is there a spirit of inquiry? That means, for example, that one director can disagree with another director or with the CEO without being hostile or being viewed as hostile for having an opposing opinion. (more…)
There isn’t a nonprofit director or trustee who wants to be personally financially liable for his or her association with a nonprofit director led or trustee led organization. Those persons currently holding one or more of these positions, or is considering one, should be able to answer the following questions (more…)
What’s required to develop a positive nonprofit board culture?
Directors & CEO Alert: Never underestimate the power of the established board culture as a barrier when attempting to make changes. However in some instances culture can be an asset in change management.
Source: “Policy vs. Paper Clips” Third Edition, 2011, pp. 156-157.
These absent directors can offer valuable support, and the other directors want more involvement, not their resignation. One approach is to consider moving from a board format requiring director operational involvement to one that focuses (more…)
Nonprofit Management 