Board Development

Developing a Strong Board of Directors for Your Nonprofit Organization

Each and every day, Boards of Directors chart the path for nonprofit organizations!

Are you prepared and informed enough to make those decisions?

Are the correct people serving on the board?

Are you making legal decisions for the organizations?

Why is Board Leadership and Development important to the success of nonprofits?

Boards OWN the organization and are responsible for its well being as provided in all by-laws approved by the United States Treasury Department.

Boards are the driving force in the planning of the future for nonprofits.

Boards are responsible for driving the Mission and Vision of the organization.

Board members need to hold themselves accountable for their performance.

Without a strong board of directors, the executive director and staff are expected to not only have the vision for what the organization can become, but also to do all of the work.

An effective board can provide a foundation for the mission of the organization and a framework of expectations that make it possible for the management, staff, and volunteers to focus upon the day-to-day tasks of making that mission a reality.

The bottom line: Without a strong board, nonprofit organizations show limited success in meeting both client and community need.

Steps to Board Building

Building an effective board is similar to creating a winning sports team. Recruiting talented players that fit the team and training them to play their best are key ingredients.

Board members join an organization for a limited amount of time and pledge their personal, professional, and financial resources to advance the mission of the organization.

Some helpful questions for board member “recruiters” to ask include:

• What gaps in expertise exist on the current board?
• Who is likely to be interested in the mission of the organization?
• What does the position offer to the prospective board member? Why join?

Even the best of teams experience challenges, so providing a “playbook” of policies that build unity and enthusiasm for the mission and define how the conflict will be resolved will go a long way toward making sure that the board fulfills its purpose.

If you find that your organization needs help in building the board you need then you should consider contacting Diversified Nonprofit Services. They can offer your organization a program tailored to your needs and help you focus on Board Leadership & Development.

What Board Leadership & Development Services does DNS provides?

• DNS provides an assessment to the organization that will measure the effectiveness of the board.
• DNS works with the organization to determine the current make-up of a board, in addition to identifying the needs and gaps on the board.
• DNS introduces the Eight Key Functions of board members and develops strategies that will help board members become more effective.
• DNS aids the organization in developing a comprehensive board recruitment and retention strategy.
• DNS leads the organization in the development and implementation of a board peer review and performance appraisal.

For more information visit The Perfect Nonprofit. Also feel free to contact Kevin Bingham at kevin.bingham@dnsassociates.com or speak to him directly at: (972)722-8199.

Additional Board Building Resources:

Below are just a few of the websites online filled with information to help you have a better board of directors!

We at NonprofitExpert would like to thank all the organizations listed below that contribute greatly to the collective knowledge of how nonprofits should go about developing their respective board of directors! We also have additional information about boards at our category site link titled: Board Guide

BoardSource
Provides articles on many aspects of governance, such as forming an audit committee and evaluating the performance of the chief executive. There is also a Q&A section with practical advice for enhancing day-today operations.

Free Management Library
Complete, highly integrated library for nonprofits and for-profits created by Carter McNamara of Authenticity Consulting. Covers over 75 topics of interest, including: crisis management, business operations, sample job descriptions, and conducting effective meetings.

Volunteer Today
A journal that provides the fundamentals of volunteer management and increases awareness of the volunteer management profession.

BWB Solutions helps nonprofit organizations accomplish their mission. They work with all types of nonprofits, helping them become stronger through strategic planning, research, board development and organizational capacity building. Make sure and also check out their blog: http://www.nonprofitboardcrisis.typepad.com/

To Recap:

Strong nonprofit boards are essential to achieving the mission of the organization.

Recruiting board members who support the organization and providing training to help facilitate board work are critical elements of success.

Many resources to guide board recruitment and development are available online at the sites listed above.