board of directors
The Board Speaks With One Voice
When a non-profit board is being developed and new members added, there is excitement to embrace the diverse perspectives of a wide range of stakeholders. But having many different voices at the table can sometimes make it challenging for a board to make decisions. If a board doesn’t...
Getting Started with Board Recruitment
Your non-profit has done the work. You’ve got a nominations committee ready and willing to get to work finding new board members. There’s a team of other board members and staff helping to build a list of names of potential nominees and keeping a keen eye out for more names to add. But...
Nominations Committee
On paper, its easy to have a full and complete list of potential candidates to join a non-profit board of directors. Doing the work of speaking to all those candidates can be a challenge. Who takes on this important job? Dumping the recruitment task on the same group of board members each year...
6 Actions to Reduce the Stress of Being a Non-Profit Board Treasurer
Perhaps the most avoided position on a non-profit’s board of directors is that of Board Treasurer. The Board Treasurer is responsible for overseeing all aspects of a non-profit’s financial system, from policy development to internal controls, from budgets to the annual audit, or from...
The Role of a Non-Profit Board Vice-Chair
A non-profit board has many tasks to handle, and if there is no paid staff team, that list can become quite long. While the Board Chair is the leader of the board, the job is usually too much for one person. That’s where the role of Vice-Chair (Vice-President, etc.) becomes important. The level...
The Role of a Non-Profit Board Chair
Non-profits are complicated entities. There are strategic priorities to fulfill, board meetings that need to follow protocol, and often a team of volunteers who are helping to do the work. In a small non-profit, with few, or no, employees, the Board Chair is a critical position for...
A Better Way to Address New Business at a Board Meeting
A non-profit board meeting traditionally has a few recurring agenda items such as approving the previous meeting minutes, committee reports, old business, and new business. The terms old business and new business are closely tied, and confusion can arise trying to figure out what items are...
How to Schedule a Board Meeting
It can be hard enough to schedule date night for two people already living in the same house. Now consider how hard it might be to schedule a meeting for 10+ people, all with different work schedules, different family demands, different levels of engagement, and…they don’t get paid...
Board Members Can Only Wear One Hat at a Time
The board of a non-profit does its job by taking a strategic leadership role, not an operations role. That doesn’t mean a board can’t also handle the day-to-day work if there are no paid staff. Confusion happens because its hard to understand how board members are both strategic leaders...
Two Documents to be a Stronger Board Member
The holidays are a great time to relax and unwind with family and friends. But if you’re a non-profit board member, it can also mean an extended period that you are away from a regular board meeting. Governance skills can get a little rusty. When a meeting is finally called, and maybe the...
A More Flexible Board Meeting
A board meeting is more flexible than most people realize. Sure, there are a few things that are necessary legal steps. For example, approving the agenda, approving the previous meeting minutes, and following the correct process for making and seconding motions. After that you can create a...