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Trusteeship 101

Trusteeship 101. What Have You Gotten Yourself Into?. Today’s Topics. Benefits of Trusteeship What Makes a Good Trustee Your Rights, Obligations & Liabilities Your Roles and Responsibilities Case Studies. Benefits of Trusteeship. Ability to give back Ability to support children

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Trusteeship 101

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  1. Trusteeship 101 What Have You Gotten Yourself Into? CAIS Trustee/School Head Conference January 27, 2007

  2. Today’s Topics • Benefits of Trusteeship • What Makes a Good Trustee • Your Rights, Obligations & Liabilities • Your Roles and Responsibilities • Case Studies

  3. Benefits of Trusteeship • Ability to give back • Ability to support children • Recognition as leader in community • Opportunity to work with remarkable folks • Membership in a larger group of leaders • Opportunities for learning • Stimulation of different work from daily work • Being valued for the experience you bring • Practice in “big picture” strategic thinking • Develop meaningful lifelong friendships

  4. Characteristics of a Valued and Effective Trustee • Classic characteristics • Team Player • Integrity • Open Mind • Competence • Keys to real success • Common sense • Sense of humor • Enthusiasm

  5. Ten Trustees Nobody Wants on the Board • The one-note • The continual devil’s advocate • The commander • The unprepared • The orator • The micro-manager • The loose lips • The vigilante • The über parent • The board seat collector

  6. Rights and Obligations • Same for directors of all nonprofits • Governed by nonprofit corporate law

  7. Rights • To a strong partnership • To strong leadership

  8. Obligations • Duty of Care • In decision making • In policy making • Duty of Loyalty • The school comes first • Understand the power of your position • Duty of Obedience • Stay true to the mission • Support the decisions of the board • Support the Head and staff

  9. Liabilities • Board is ultimately liable • Individually and collectively • Subject to state volunteer protection laws • Risk can be mitigated • Director’s and Officers Liability insurance • General liability insurance • Stay informed

  10. Required Reading & Knowledge • Articles of Incorporation • Bylaws • Internal Policies and Procedures • IRS Form 990 • Insurance Coverage

  11. Roles and Responsibilities • Engagement • Mission • Head of School • Financial • Legal • Program support • Fundraising • Board Effectiveness

  12. 1. Engagement • Prepare • Attend • Participate • Follow-up • Recognize conflicts of interest • Accept and support all board decisions • Keep all board deliberations confidential

  13. 2. Mission • Review, adopt, support, promote • Create future vision • Engage in strategic planning • Establish policies consistent with it

  14. 3. Head of School • Search for and hire • Set compensation • Set goals together • Evaluate performance based on goals • Support and nurture

  15. 4. Financial • All trustees share fiduciary responsibility • Oversee financial resources • Oversee physical campus • Oversee investment management • Engage outside auditor

  16. 5. Legal • Adhere to school policies and procedures • Follow local, state & federal laws and regulations • Bring issues to Head and Board Chair

  17. 6. Program Support • Understand you do not make • Management decisions • Personnel decisions • Curricular decisions • Represent school in the community • Give unqualified public support of school, Head, staff, and board • Cultivate good relations among constituencies and neighbors

  18. 7. Fundraising • Make a stretch gift to the Annual Fund • Make a stretch gift to all Capital Campaigns • Be an active fundraiser • Identify • Cultivate • Solicit • Thank • Steward

  19. 8. Board Effectiveness • Organize committee structure • Set annual board goals • Do board self assessment • Commit to professional development • Maintain vitality of the board

  20. Case Studies • Real cases from NAIS schools • Modified from NAIS website • Case Study #12: Six Quick Case Studies • www.nais.org/resources/article.cfm?ItemNumber=145022

  21. Parent Complaint You are at a fund-raising cocktail party, and an influential parent and community member tells you that the 3rd grade teacher is not doing her job. He claims the only reason his child has learned multiplication is through the additional efforts of his wife, not the teacher.

  22. Faculty Complaint You receive a Mailgram signed by the entire faculty expressing their disapproval of the firing of the long term school librarian and asking for a meeting with the trustees. The Head has already informed the board of his decision. Furthermore, he proposed using the Executive Committee as a sounding board to work out the timing and terms of the dismissal since he expected it would be unpopular with the faculty

  23. Trustee Complaint Trustee Tom Jones, a major donor, does not agree with the recent board decision to revise the financial aid policy to better align with the mission of seeking a diverse student body. After the meeting, he meets with other parents to share his outrage that the board would invest more funds to attract certain students when there is no problem filling seats with full pay students. The board chair hears from one of the parents who tells him he felt uncomfortable with the conversation.

  24. Enthusiasm! “Enthusiasm is one of the most powerful engines of success. When you do a thing, do it with all your might. Put your whole soul into it. Stamp it with your own personality. Be active, be energetic, be enthusiastic and faithful, and you will accomplish your object. Nothing great was ever accomplished without enthusiasm.” -Ralph Waldo Emerson

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