Prevent board/administrator conflict: Clarify who does what

• Date: 01 January 2018
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.1002/ban.30612
• Published date: 01 January 2018

B&A For Board Members

DOI 10.1002/ban © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc., A Wiley Company • All rights reserved

Prevent board/administrator conict: 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 nonprot 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 nonprot

• 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