Board of Directors

This post first appeared in the Corridor Business Journal. Outside of the few wonkish people who really enjoy board meetings, these events aren’t usually very sexy or exciting. They’re often filled with overly detailed minutes of previous meetings, bewildering financials and... Read More →

This post first appeared in the Corridor Business Journal. Nonprofit organizations play important roles in communities as experts in their areas of service. It is therefore problematic when nonprofit organizations shy away from advocacy and policy work. Admittedly, a nonprofit... Read More →

This post first appeared in the Corridor Business Journal. Unless its bylaws or articles prohibit or limit their use, a nonprofit board may develop committees to support its work. Committees serve various functions, from addressing complex and time-consuming issues to providing... Read More →

This post first appeared in the Corridor Business Journal. One of the responsibilities of the board is evaluation of the organization’s chief executive. In most organizations, performance evaluation is done annually. Too often, however, the executive must remind the board of this... Read More →

One of the responsibilities of a board of directors is to manage and maintain itself. This responsibility includes recruiting new board members, providing adequate training for members, ensuring members are following through on their board responsibilities, and evaluating how... Read More →

This post first appeared in the Corridor Business Journal. The relationship between the board and its chief executive is critical to the health of the organization. Ideally, this should be a relationship of co-leadership, one in which both parties are able to fully engage their... Read More →

This post first appeared in the Corridor Business Journal. Most nonprofit organizations recognize that strengthening and building their organizational capacity enhances their programs and increases the impact of their essential work. Despite this, it is often a struggle for... Read More →

Developing a succession plan for an organization is a basic risk management exercise, yet many nonprofits have not taken the time to consider how they will continue their important work in the wake of leadership changes. Admittedly, succession planning takes time, but the time... Read More →

One of the frequent concerns that I hear from nonprofit staff and board leaders is about board member engagement. The challenge, however, is that board member engagement often has an ‘I’ll know it when I see it’ quality and we don’t always do a great job of describing what we... Read More →