Transforming Grassroots Board: Starting a New Organization

1. New Roots Providence Transforming Your Grassroots Board

2. Board Transformation • Starting a New Organization • What it is like? How does it feel? • What have your most enjoyed? • What are the challenges?

3. What the literature says: Board Passages: Three Key Stages in a Nonprofit Board’s Life Cycle By Karl Mathiasen, III

4. What the literature says: “If changing boards can be such a painful struggle, why bother with it? I believe that developing and clarifying the board's role is essential because the board of directors' involvement, commitment, sense of partnership, and strength make the critical difference in an organization's ability to continue and to grow.” Mathiasen

5. Organizational Life Cycle 1) Organizing Boards: • Boards with 1 key leader • Boards that lead as a group

6. Organizational Life Cycle 2) Evolution to Staff • Staff from your Board • Staff from the outside

7. What does the literature say? Mathiasen: Whatever the impetus, both [types of] boards do eventually see the need for change and the need to act "more like boards." For both types of organizing boards, this realization leads to developing a new style of leadership, one that is shared between staffs and boards. Often the change is characterized by calls for "more systems," " clearer definition of staff and board roles," and " becoming more businesslike."

8. Organizational Life Cycle 3) Volunteer Governing Board • Boards become larger • How to choose the right people to move forward • Balancing relationships between board & staff

9. Organizational Life Cycle 3) Volunteer Governing Board • Members form committees and take new kinds of leadership: • Governing Committee • Other Committee Chairs • Fundraising

10. The Elephant in the Room: Founder’s Syndrome Resources – by Hildy Gottlieb • Founder’s Syndrome? Who Me? • Founder’s Syndrome – How Organizations Suffer … and Can Recover (Parts I & II)

11. Founder’s Syndrome Some Founder’s Syndrome Symptoms - Gottlieb • The founder is at the center of all decision-making. • Planning is not done collectively. • The board is recruited by the founder, rather than by the board itself. The board’s role is to “support” the founder, rather than to lead the organization. • There is resistance to any changes that will result in a (perceived or actual) loss of control.

12. Organizational Life Cycle 3) Institutional Board • Even more formal • Official fundraising role • Pattern of growth • Staying power

13. Solutions • Know who you are as a board member, and know what you want to accomplish. Every board member should know her/his own strengths.

14. Solutions • As organizational leaders, make a plan for the future. Have that hard conversation about your life cycle stages. Talk about the strains and talk plainly with your founder(s).

15. Solutions • Consider appointing a person from your Governance Committee to manage this situation • Build in moments to recognize your founders

16. And what if you’re in a real mess …? • Diagnose the problem – and for help, bring in a consultant • Make a safe space for “that conversation” • Use the research. There are lotsof articles on Organizational Life Cycles • Put the mission first!

17. References • Karl Mathiasen, III http://www.managementassistance.org/ht/a/GetDocumentAction/i/5975 • Hildy Gottlieb • http://www.how-matters.org/2013/03/24/founders-syndrome-part-i/ • http://www.help4nonprofits.com/PDF_Files/FoundersSyndromeArticle.pdf