Maintaining a Board of Directors

1. Maintaining a Board of Directors

2. What is a Board of Directors? • It is often: • A watchdog • A cheerleader • A manager • A planner • A communicator

3. The governing group that governs an organization is called: • A Steering Committee. • An Executive Committee. • A planning group. • Trustees.

4. Why should you maintain a strong Board? • It ensures that the mission of the organization will continue to be well understood by those who are in a position to further it. • It helps to pave a smoother relationship between paid staff members and the Board. • It helps to keep the Board from getting into legal problems; and helps to extricate it if it does. • It paves the way for easier fundraising for the organization. • It helps ensure a steady supply of new Board members, the lifeblood of most nonprofit and small community organizations.

5. How do you maintainan effectiveBoard of Directors?

6. 1. Develop a system to assist Board members in understanding the Board and their roles on it. • Making sure Board members have a clear, written understanding of the way things are and why • Furnishing clear job descriptions for members 2. Design a process for welcoming, training, and mentoring new members. 3. Maintain a healthy, effective relationship with paid staff. • Inviting staff members (and even interested volunteers) to meetings. • Making sure the staff is getting the support they need. • Creating other opportunities for the Board to better understand the work done by staff members.

7. 4.Hold effective meetings. • Try an unconventional place to meet. • Make sure new members have the opportunity to get to know one another. • Put together a readable, relevant, interesting Board packet • Bring in experts. • Make sure everyone says something during the meeting. 5. Maintain a sensible work level for Board members. • Try to maintain a balance for staff responsibility 6. Develop a policy for dealing with urgent matters between meetings. • Popular ways often include: • Phone trees -- these are especially helpful for small, local Boards. • Communication by E-mail can be a lifesaver for larger groups that are spread out geographically. • Having a designated "point person" who distributes information to everyone. • Developing a small internal newsletter to be sent out to Board members regularly or as needed.

8. 7. Define terms of membership. • How will you choose your officers? • Will your Board be staggered? • Will your Board have term limits? • How will you ensure a diverse membership? 8. Be aware of state and national laws that will affect the Board and the organization. • There are many different laws that will determine what you can or cannot do. • Have a lawyer familiar with nonprofit law as a Board member. • Remember you want to know the rules before you play the game. 9. Develop and maintain a conflict-of-interest policy. • Review the policy. • Sign a paper that acknowledges that they have read and will comply with the policy.

9. 10. Organize an annual retreat. • Evaluate the Board's work over the past year. • Ask the Board to decide the year's agenda. • Offer Board members which organizational programs or community issues they'd like to learn more about over the coming year. 11. Have regular (if infrequent) formal evaluations. • Discuss how things are going both among the Board as well as with the organization the Board serves. • Look at the organization's by-laws. 12. Celebrate your accomplishments!