What’s Goverance Got to Do with It? Over my twenty years in the nonprofit sector I have held different seats at the governance table. As a member of an all-volunteer organization, I’ve experienced serving on a board that worked essentially as the staff. As an Executive Director of a nonprofit, I experienced a relationship with the board as my boss. While serving … Continue reading “What’s Goverance Got to Do with It?” Over my twenty years in the nonprofit sector I have held different seats at the governance table. As a member of an all-volunteer organization, I’ve experienced serving on a board that worked essentially as the staff. As an Executive Director of a nonprofit, I experienced a relationship with the board as my boss. While serving as a board chair, I was the leader of the board. In my professional work as a consultant, I am brought in to support boards in reaching their greatest potential. What have I learned based on my experience in each of these roles? Your organization is only as healthy as your board. When boards and board members are working in coordination with staff, the organization has leveraged the talents, and resources of 10-20 more people…for free! When boards and board members are not working in coordination with staff, the organization stalls out. I have seen the latter dysfunctional situation often as both a board member and as a consultant. In these situations, staff start to work around or ignore the board, viewing the board as “a necessary evil.” Board members wonder why the Executive isn’t “doing as they say.” So what are the key elements to an effective board-executive partnership? Although it was originally written for the corporate sector, the work of David Nadler, Beverly Behan and Mark Nadler, published by the Harvard Business Review on Building Better Boards, is a timeless resource for building engaged boards. Key Elements of an Engaged Board 1. The Mind-Set: Board-building is an ongoing activity, continuous improvement means annual self-assessments. 2. The Role: The board needs to be an engaged partner with the chief executive and playing the correct role for each situation. Is it a fiduciary role, strategic role or generative role? This resource explores the role of Governance as Leadership. 3. The Work: Identify the areas where the board can add the greatest value and focus attention here. 4. The People: The right people are not merely based on technical expertise but other competencies related to programs, external environment, quality of input and style of interaction. 5. The Agenda: Agendas dictate the work of the board. “show and tells” kill board meetings and crowd out time for serious and important discussions. Boards need to find ways to engage with the organization outside of official meetings so “show and tells” during meetings can be limited. 6. The Information: Boards can be left in the dark by either too much information to digest or information malnutrition. I have seen board tomes of 300 pages! Don’t only be a “recipient” of information but seek it out. Board members should be encouraged to collect and share information that they have identified externally. 7. The Culture: Robert’s Rules of Order are great obstacles to an engaged board. Use them sparingly. Engaged board cultures are characterized by candor, willingness to challenge thinking (respectfully), camaraderie, and teamwork. Where is your board in getting it right? Take a look at some of the other great resources on nonprofit governance or contact me to discuss next steps in building an engaged board. Resources: BoardSource Blue Avocado Nonprofit Quarterly
How to Design Opportunities for the 21st Century Volunteer Volunteerism in the U.S. has changed significantly over the last 50 years. In 2012, the US Bureau of Labor Statistics determined that 64.5 million people volunteered in the previous year. In previous research conducted in 2008, the largest change in the hours spent volunteering was in the 20-24 year old age group. In the most … Continue reading “How to Design Opportunities for the 21st Century Volunteer” Volunteerism in the U.S. has changed significantly over the last 50 years. In 2012, the US Bureau of Labor Statistics determined that 64.5 million people volunteered in the previous year. In previous research conducted in 2008, the largest change in the hours spent volunteering was in the 20-24 year old age group. In the most recent report in 2012, the people aged 35-44 were most likely to volunteer. For volunteer programs to be successful moving forward, they must be designed to appeal to these demographics. What does that mean? Between juggling full-time work and starting a family, younger volunteers need fun and flexibility. Volunteer opportunities need to be broken down into small pieces. “Episodic volunteering” is a term used to provide smaller, more manageable commitments. Microvolunteering is even less time commitment. This allows individuals to offer minutes of their time to help organizations. Sparked has developed a internet based platform that allows individuals and organizations to solve problems online in real-time all over the world. So how do you design a volunteer program for the 21st Century volunteer? 1. Break it down: Provide short-term opportunities. 2. Ask yourself: How can we use the internet? 3. Find that Perfect Match: Align the interest of the volunteer, the organization and the client being served. 4. Make it fun! Do you want learn more about effective volunteer engagement? Watch this presentation I recently gave at the University of Wisconsin, Communiversity Series, in Madison. Or explore these other resources: Volunteer Management: Mobilizing All the Resources in the Community (McCurley & Lynch, 2011) The Volunteerism Bibliography Association for Research on Nonprofit Organizations and Voluntary Action Corporation for National Service Virtual Volunteering Project Association of Leaders in Volunteer Engagement
