It happened to me last month….. An executive director of a non-profit approached me after my keynote address at a very big event in Washington DC and mentioned how ineffective his board of directors is.
He was very impressed in what I have created at the Financial Policy Council http://www.financialpolicycouncil.org/ and wanted to explore ways I could assist him creating a similar type board at his non-profit.
I said why not and we went doing a series of things that helped his board better understand its role and get excited and engaged in the work of expanding its reach, increasing its accountability, and driving its growth strategy.
Here are some of the key tips I gave him which I thought I would also share with you.
Get Clear About Your Role. You must develop board by-laws, a committee structure, individual goals and individual roles and responsibilities. The board as a group must come up with all of these elements (with help) and together decide how they want to work and create accountability for themselves.
Find the Right People. Contrary to popular belief, a nonprofit does NOT want to recruit any warm body for their board. Instead you want to take a hard look at your organizational strategy and determine the skills, experience and networks required at the board level to make that strategy a reality. Compare those needs with the current board and determine where the holes lie. Then recruit people with those missing skills, experience and networks.
Continue Reading: Key Tips to Create a Right Non Profit Board