Success as administrator often comes down to the ‘basics’

• Published date: 01 February 2018
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.1002/ban.30613
• Date: 01 February 2018

Editor: Jeff Stratton

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Success as administrator often comes down

to the ‘basics’

Ask successful long-term nonprofit executive di-

rectors how they’ve been able to work with boards

for so long and the answer often just comes down

to doing the basics well over time.

Executive Director Scott Jackson (Riverton,

Kansas) has been an administrator for 40 years,

with 32 years as executive administrator. “I believe

that my relationship with the board of directors

has been successful for very basic reasons,” he

said. Here are a few:

1. Understand and fully accept that the

board is your employer in every sense of the

word. “I am never defensive with or argue with the

board as a whole or any one board member,” said

Jackson. “That could be the catalyst for my firing.

“I think all employers deserve respect for their

position and authority and I show them that

respect. That respect is shown by always being

totally honest with them about every aspect of our

work and always showing common courtesy at all

times.”

2. For any successes, give credit to the

board and thank them for their guidance and

support. “In addition, give credit to the employees

for their hard work to make us successful,” said

Jackson. “For our failures, I take responsibility

and explain how and why the failure occurred,

and how I or we can correct it or learn from it for

the future.”

3. Avoid using the word “I.” “I prefer ‘we’ or

‘our team,’” Jackson said. “This job is not about

me; it is about the organization’s success, and that

is always achieved by a group or team.”

4. Develop a personal relationship with each

board member. “I want to know their likes and

dislikes, community affiliations, personal interests

and about their family,” Jackson said. “I want to

know enough about them to have a genuine ‘per-

sonal’ conversation occasionally.”

5. Understand that serving on a voluntary

board can be a boring and thankless job. “I

know this firsthand, as I have sat on many boards

in my career,” Jackson said. “I acknowledge that

part of the job is boring but necessary.

“We ask each board member how much detail

they would like sent to them in advance of meet-

ings,” Jackson said. “For example, some want all

the detailed financial reports in advance of the

meetings and some want the briefer, less detailed

charts and graphs. By respecting their time com-

mitments, we accommodate those individual

wishes.”

6. Attempt to finish board meetings in one

hour. A Directors’ Report is sent in advance of the

meeting, along with the financial reports of their

choosing, which allows the finance director and

Jackson to cover their material quickly and be

available to answer questions or expound on any

February 2018 Vol. 34, No. 6 Editor: Jeff Stratton

continued on page 4

INSIDE THIS ISSUE

Build better board meeting agendas 2

Boost your board’s nancial contributions 3

Prevent board acrimony 5