{"id":30342,"date":"2017-12-14T11:29:04","date_gmt":"2017-12-14T16:29:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.glensfalls.com\/glensfallsbusinessjournal\/?p=30342"},"modified":"2017-12-15T10:00:31","modified_gmt":"2017-12-15T15:00:31","slug":"failing-board-member","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.glensfalls.com\/glensfallsbusinessjournal\/2017\/12\/failing-board-member\/","title":{"rendered":"Failing as a Board Member?"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Michael Cruz is president of Lighthouse Advisors LLC, Queensbury.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

It is Board transition time.\u00a0 I recently ran into a friend who was celebrating rolling off a nonprofit board.\u00a0 That also means there is a new member coming onto that board.<\/p>\n

We generally accept board seats because we want to give back to our community.\u00a0 You are identified (and recruited) to join the board because you have business expertise they want.\u00a0 We accept the role because we have expertise that will enable a nonprofit to operate better.\u00a0 And, board seats require our financial support.\u00a0 So, we do not (and should not) accept the board responsibility lightly.<\/p>\n

What is your role as a board member?\u00a0 It should be to provide guidance to the mission of the organization.\u00a0 The executive director reports to the board.\u00a0 Therefore, you become his\/her \u2018supervisor\u2019.\u00a0 It requires us to make personal donations.\u00a0 It also requires us to ensure the organization has a solid strategic plan.\u00a0 Most importantly, it requires us to ensure that the nonprofit has the resources to accomplish its plan.\u00a0 All of these responsibilities are covered clearly by the Independent Sector, a national nonprofit dedicated to effectiveness of nonprofits throughout the U.S. in an article called \u201cThe Principles for Good Governance and Ethical Practice\u201d that can be found at www.independentsector.org.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

So how do we fail our nonprofits?\u00a0 Often, we do not exercise our authority in an effort to get along with other board members.\u00a0 We do not ask critical questions when we see something that does not seem right.\u00a0 Many members simply \u2018go along\u2019.\u00a0 In other words, we do not provide the same oversight that we do at our own company.\u00a0 Because nonprofits are there to provide a public service, we are not as critical as we should be of the organization\u2019s effectiveness.\u00a0 Good enough, all too often, is just that.\u00a0 Good enough.<\/p>\n

A while back, I served on a board that had to terminate its CEO.\u00a0 After the termination, I spoke privately with every board member.\u00a0 Seventeen people told me that they thought that the CEO was leading the organization in the wrong direction.\u00a0 Each person said that they thought that everyone else was okay with his direction.\u00a0 Imagine, seventeen people disagreed with the direction.\u00a0 Not one agreed.\u00a0 Yet the Board was not discussing this.<\/p>\n

One of the key failures was the organization\u2019s ability to generate sponsorships and revenues to meet the cause\u2019s longer-term needs.\u00a0 We had collectively failed to monitor the adherence of the staff to the nonprofit\u2019s strategic plan.<\/p>\n

A positive example is the Civic Center Coalition in Glens Falls.\u00a0 The board came in to save the public use of a key facility for the community.\u00a0 They undertook a strategic plan process that outlines a three-year plan to make the Center a better place.\u00a0 Equally important they focused on making sure that the facility has a long-term plan for economic vitality.\u00a0 If you have been to an event there recently, you know that they are succeeding!<\/p>\n

If you are joining \u2013 or are already on a board, there are some things you can do to live up to your obligation.\u00a0 Ensure there is a strategic plan.\u00a0 Make sure the team is adhering to the plan.\u00a0 Review the\u00a0 executive director\u2019s performance and offer help and feedback to keep the team on track.\u00a0 One of the things we advocate is that the final agenda item always be an \u2018executive session\u2019.\u00a0 That is a time that the board meets with NO paid staff members in attendance.\u00a0 Including the CEO.\u00a0 Maybe there will be nothing to discuss.\u00a0 But, that has never been true on a board I have served on.<\/p>\n

Try it and you will see the difference in the effectiveness of the nonprofit you are giving your time and energy to.\u00a0 It\u2019s what you do in your business, right?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

It is Board transition time.\u00a0 I recently ran into a friend who was celebrating rolling off a nonprofit board.\u00a0 That also means there is a new member coming onto that board. We generally accept board seats because we want to give back to our community.\u00a0 You are identified (and recruited) to join the board because […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":89,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-30342","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-business-reports"],"yoast_head":"\r\nFailing as a Board Member? - Glens Falls Business Journal<\/title>\r\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\r\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.glensfalls.com\/glensfallsbusinessjournal\/2017\/12\/failing-board-member\/\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Failing as a Board Member? - Glens Falls Business Journal\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"It is Board transition time.\u00a0 I recently ran into a friend who was celebrating rolling off a nonprofit board.\u00a0 That also means there is a new member coming onto that board. 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