Board & Administrator for Administrators Only

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Latest documents

• Candid to host webinar on impact measurement strategies
• Be prepared for leading through crises that are likely to come along

  To be sure, the chaos wrought by the pandemic as well as the social and political conflicts of the last few years have turned a spotlight on the ways in which nonprofits' operations are vulnerable to disruption. And, having weathered these challenges and made it through to the other side, many organizations are eager to put these things in the rearview, ready for a return to “normal.”

• Consent agendas can help bolster governance, board effectiveness

  For many nonprofits, keeping board members engaged during regular board meetings can be a challenge. But it's especially acute when their meetings run long—board members who are tired and itching to go home after a two‐hour meeting are certainly less engaged than when they walked in the door.

• Challenging times spur need for boards to boost their skill sets, experts say

  Undoubtedly, nonprofit and for‐profit enterprises throughout the world have been challenged by the chaos wrought by the COVID‐19 pandemic, not to mention the social and political unrest of the last few years. That's not to mention high inflation and other economic factors that have had a major impact on their operations. All of which, experts note, have increased the pressure for their boards to rise to the occasion and bolster their hands at governance.

• Consider anonymous recruitment process when mulling new board members

  In many nonprofits, the senior leadership, staff and board are constantly on the lookout for individuals who might make good additions to the board when an opening comes up. And when a possible nominee is identified, it's often standard practice to reach out the person, letting them know they might be contacted for consideration.

• Expand role of development committee as organization matures

  It's common for nonprofit boards of all sizes to have a fundraising committee—also known as a fund development committee—to take on various fundraising tasks. But the day‐to‐day responsibilities of this committee should change with time, according to fundraising experts. In short, as the organization grows in size and maturity, the development committee should transition from conducting the actual, on‐the‐ground donor solicitations to focusing on longer‐term revenue streams and the organization's big‐picture fiscal health.

• Keep tabs on potential outside influences of board members

  Ideally, nonprofit board members are all suitably independent, meaning that their thoughts and opinions—and ultimately, their votes on matters of importance—are not made while under any outside pressures.

• Webinar offers pointers on engaging board members
• Encourage all members to become ‘board champions’

  While it's true that those in leadership positions on nonprofit boards often have the highest visibility and expectations to be “board champions,” those who do not serve as officers can be just as effective in championing the organization and providing exceptional support for the board.

• Mind the differences between vision, mission statements

  With the new year upon us, many nonprofits take the opportunity to refresh their mission statements and/or vision statements to take into account any changes the organization has undergone or plans to undertake in the coming year. But often, organizations are unclear about what the mission statement should say versus what should be included in the vision statement—in fact, many nonprofits simply conflate the two, when experts argue they are indeed two separate things.

Featured documents

• Plan your approach to preventing micromanagement

  For a long‐term planned approach to preventing board micromanagement to succeed, the executive director should prepare well in advance....

• Conflict of Interest Guidelines
• Questions board members should ask about D&O
• Improve the board meeting agenda packet
• Be intentional when building an effective board culture

  According to James Mueller, author of Onboarding Champions: The Seven Recruiting Principles of Highly Effective Nonprofit Boards, board members may not be giving much thought to their board's culture, but they should be, or else risk organizational dysfunction....

• Boards have key role to play when bringing on new ED

  When it comes to onboarding, most nonprofit staff think of the process of bringing a new board member online and getting them informed and prepared to take on their new role in the organization. But onboarding goes another way too—boards need to have a process in place when they bring on a new...

• Design junior board programs with motivations of younger supporters in mind

  Surveys consistently show that nonprofits face challenges when it comes to establishing leadership pipelines within their organizations that help cultivate young people to take on more substantial roles as they grow in experience and engagement with the group. To address this, many charities are...

• Efforts to diversify boards make progress in Wisconsin

  As organizations throughout the country face increasing pressure from stakeholders (and regulators, in some states) to improve gender representation on their boards, a handful of nonprofits have stepped in to help. One of those, Milwaukee Women inc (MWi), recently reported significant progress...

• Set new board members up for success with clear job descriptions, onboarding

  Failing to give your new board members a clear job description or following that up with an effective onboarding process is a surefire way to destroy any hopes of board engagement, according to Dottie Schindlinger, Executive Director of the Diligent Institute....

• Efforts to diversify boards make progress in Wisconsin

  As organizations throughout the country face increasing pressure from stakeholders (and regulators, in some states) to improve gender representation on their boards, a handful of nonprofits have stepped in to help. One of those, Milwaukee Women inc (MWi), recently reported significant progress...