Grade your board's fundraising
Date | 01 January 2018 |
Published date | 01 January 2018 |
DOI | http://doi.org/10.1002/ban.30611 |
B&A For Board Members
DOI 10.1002/ban © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc., A Wiley Company • All rights reserved
Prevent board/administrator conict: Clarify who does what
Many boards struggle with this basic question about board and administrator responsibilities: who does what?
The question gets to the heart of board and administrator responsibilities. A board that understands its role and re-
sponsibilities understands that the board concentrates on the big picture (what the organization will do), and delegates
implementation of how the nonprot meets its mission to the executive director (how things get done). The board
navigates, while the administrator steers the ship. ■
The following diagram is an excellent tool for clarifying responsibilities:
Clarify board and administrator responsibilities
The Board
Answers these questions rst:
• The organization’s vision
• The organization’s mission
Responsible for:
• Goals for the nonprot
• Policies
• Concentrates on end results
• (always the board’s primary focus)
Asks:
• What?
• Why?
• How much?
Votes/approves
The Executive Director
Acts based on the board’s answers to
questions/decisions
Responsible for:
• Objectives
• Action plans
• Regulations
• Procedures
Determines:
• How?
• When?
• Where?
• Who?
Recommends to board
Grade your board’s fundraising
Most boards earn average or below-average
marks from their executive directors for their abil-
ity to raise money for the organization. Fully 71%
of the boards earn a C grade or lower from their
administrators.
The data come from Board & Administrator’s
Survey on Nonprofit Executive Compensation, con-
ducted late in 2016.
Give your own board a grade for its fundraising
performance. How does it stack up? ■
Percentage Board Size CEO’s Years of Experience CEO’s Years in Current Position
A 5% 17 36 26
B 19% 17 30 18
C 30% 12 28 17
D 30% 13 28 18
F 11% 14 25 14
No Response 5% 8 30 19
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