The board member, personal expression and social media: Put the organization first

• Published date: 01 May 2017
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.1002/ban.30456
• Date: 01 May 2017

Editor: Jeff Stratton

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View this newsletter online at wileyonlinelibrary.com • DOI: 10.1002/ban

The board member, personal expression

and social media: Put the organization rst

If a board member mixes her political or social

views with her service to the nonprofit organization on

Facebook, Twitter or any number of online media, you

can expect some blowback due to the association.

How the executive director and the board ad-

dress this issue can be tricky, because although

the board member has every right to her personal

views, if your organization becomes enmeshed

with them it can create a negative impression.

This is why the administrator and board leader-

ship should create awareness among board mem-

bers that there can be unintended consequences to

the nonprofit if the board member is airing strong

views on social media. The board chair and CEO

can lead in this area, using the following ideas:

1. Board members who are active online

should make clear with their posts that their

views don’t represent the organization’s.

Nonprofit consultant Carol Weisman (http://

www.boardbuilders.com) believes board members

who post controversially on social media can be a

problem if they post when they are representing

the nonprofit organization. They should be asked

to take offending posts down, Weisman said.

This is the type of issue where the board chair

should speak directly to the board member who is

creating a negative issue for the organization with

his controversial postings.

Years back, Weisman worked with an organiza-

tion whose cause was pediatric cancer. One of the

women involved in the organization started a blog

with helpful tips for parents whose child was un-

dergoing treatment for pediatric cancer. Weisman

said, “It was information such as ‘If they tell you to

show up at 7:30 a.m., don’t come until 8:15 a.m.

They aren’t ready for you until then.’ and ‘Judy is

the best infusion nurse, the worst is….’”

This was the type of information the parents

loved, Weisman said, but the hospital hated it be-

ing made public. Even though her information was

helpful to parents, the hospital strongly disap-

proved, Weisman said.

The hospital was a donor to the organization

and a partner with it, so the blogger had to shut

down the blog. “She could do the blog, but not as

a board member, and not while mentioning her

organization,” Weisman said.

Remember, the board speaks with one voice,

and that’s another reason board members (or the

CEO) should not go berserk with their personal

social media, Weisman said.

2. Be careful about trying to limit board

members’ personal social media.

In these fraught and tense times, people are ex-

pressing strong political views, but also expressing

themselves personally. This includes board members.

Christina Green, writing on frankjkenny.com in

May 2017 Vol. 33, No. 9 Editor: Jeff Stratton

continued on page 4

INSIDE THIS ISSUE

Do your actions pass the smell test? 2

What to do when a board member won’t

‘hang up his spikes’? 5

Grade your board’s fundraising 8