Building Your Best BoardBuilding Your Best BoardBuilding Your Best BoardA 2‐part webinar series: October 2 & 9, 2013
Building Your Best BoardA 2‐part webinar series: October 2 & 9, 2013
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Building Your Best BoardBuilding Your Best BoardPart I: Board Roles & Best Practices for Board Development
Building Your Best BoardA 2‐part webinar series: October 2 & 9, 2013
Kristy Meyer
Ohio Environmental Council
Francisco Ollervides & Diana Toledo
River Network
Peter Lane & Nancy Oswald
Institute for Conservation Leadership
Goals of Webinar series
By the end of this Series you will be able to:
1. Reflect on the roles and responsibilities of a nonprofit Board and assess areas where your own Board can be strengthened
2. Identify steps you can take to strengthen your organization’s Board recruitment and orientation practices
3. Identify the benefits of a board governance plan and know 5 things every plan should include
4. Consider steps to engage your board in building a plan
5. Create accountability mechanisms to ensure progress
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y p g
ChatLast week recap‐
What did you learnWhat did you learn about your organization
d B d?and Board?
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Typical Board Roles (Governance)
1. Ensures ongoing viability of the organization2 Connects to the community2. Connects to the community3. Makes decisions & sets policies that define how
the org carries out its Missionthe org. carries out its Mission4. Manages the organization
5. Manages the organization’s finances
6. Ensures effective planningp g
7. Monitors and evaluates Programs
58. Assesses its own work and replaces itself
Typical Board Roles
Where does your BoardWhere does your Board spend most of its time?p
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Annual Plan for the Board
• Why an annual plan• Why an annual plan for the board?
• What it is and isn’t
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Annual Plan for the Board
Benefits
• Identifies the most important work ahead for the board (big picture)
• Clarifies what the board expects of members and committeesT k h k f d• Takes the guess work out of agendas
• Raises likelihood the board will fulfill its duties & meet its goalsmeet its goals
• Keeps (or shifts) focus on governance• Helps the board hold itself accountable
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Helps the board hold itself accountable
Annual Governance Plan for your Board
What to Include• “Big 5” categories for “planned attention”
1. Strategy and trends (big picture)2 Board development goals2. Board development goals3. Monitoring the organization’s performance (goals, $,
programs, etc.)4. Managing the performance of the board
and its committees5 Major “must‐dos” from policies bylaws other requirements5. Major must dos from policies, bylaws, other requirements
• What, when, success measures, responsible partyi l
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• Committee plans
Sample Board Action PlanWhen Performance or Success Who is Responsible
What We Will Accomplish
Deadline, quarterly, key board meeting dates, etc.
Measuresp
Committee or ad‐hoc group, point person, etc.
1 Elect new board Q1 Identify needs 3 b th t Nominating Committee1. Elect new board members
Q1 – Identify needsQ2 – Propose slate
3 new members that provide needed skills
Nominating Committee
2. Decide whether to Q2 – Identify issues Decision made, meets Ad‐hoc Committeeexpand to Butler County
Q3 – Identify options & criteriaQ4 – Decide
agreed upon criteria
3. Review org’n's performance on annual goals
Q2, Q4 Reviewed on schedule and decisions made
Full board, with preparation from Exec. Cmte and Staff
f l hl d4. Increase financial oversight
Monthly: meetings and budget reports
Reduced variationIncreased confidenceClean audit
Finance Committee (reactivate)
i h l l h i i h i5. Improve oversight and support of Exec. Director
Q1 – Set annual goalsQ3 – Feedback, inputQ4 ‐ Conduct review, set new goals
Exec. Dir. and Board satisfaction with support and feedback (debrief)
Chair with review committee
Sample Board Action PlanWhen Performance or Success Who is Responsible
What We Will Accomplish Deadline, quarterly, key board meeting dates, etc.
Performance or Success Measures
Committee or ad‐hoc group, point person, etc.
1 Elect new board Q1 Identify needs 3 b th t Nominating Committee1. Elect new board members
Q1 – Identify needsQ2 – Propose slate
3 new members that provide needed skills
Nominating Committee
2. Decide whether to d t B tl C t
Q2 – Identify issuesQ3 Id tif ti &
Decision made, meets Ad‐hoc Committeeexpand to Butler County Q3 – Identify options &
criteriaQ4 – Decide
agreed upon criteria
3. Review org’n's performance on annual goals
Q2, Q4 Reviewed on schedule and decisions made
Full board, with preparation from Exec. Cmte and Staff
4 I fi i l M hl i d Fi C i4. Increase financial oversight
Monthly: meetings and budget reports
Reduced variationIncreased confidence
Clean audit
Finance Committee (reactivate)
5. Improve oversight and support of Exec. Director
Q1 – Set annual goalsQ3 – Feedback, inputQ4 ‐ Conduct review, set new goals
Exec. Dir. and Board satisfaction with
support & feedback (d b i f)
Chair with review committee
Committee Plans
Wh d1. Clear scope and charge for the
year (or next 6 mos )What do committees
year (or next 6 mos.)
2. Role of the board on major tasks• Do it
need to be• Do it
keep us posted or little reporting needed
successful? • Input• Approval• Help us decide (as a full board)
3. Approval of their plans4. Leadership
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4. Leadership
Sample Committee Annual PlanFundraising Committeeg
What We Will AccomplishWhenDeadline, quarter, key board meeting
Full Board Role(s)Approve, give input, report to, none needed
Performance or Success Measures
board meeting dates, etc.
needed
1. Identify resource and staff Feb Approve Approved, doablesupport needs, refine plans as needed
2 Board training on asks Apr Participate Increased confidence in2. Board training on asks, donor meetings, opening doors
Apr Participate Increased confidence in fundraising roles
3. Summer FR event July Input, Participate $10,000 netVolunteers outside board engaged
4. Raise board match for the fall FR campaign
Sept Give or raise $ $5,000 total100% board participation
How to Create your Plan
Identify what you need to Reviewy yaccomplish as a board
1. Brainstorm ideas
ExecutiveDirector Salary
Review for• Use 5 areas, minutes, or bylaws as prompts
• Tip: 6” x 8” sticky notesHold Arton River
Review forAllison
• Tip: 6 x 8 sticky notes
2. Organize similar ideas together and clarify
on RiverFundraiser Board
Electionsg yintentions
3. Decide what to include Recruit Board Memberwith Fi a ewith FinanceSkills
Questions?
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How to Create your Plan
Assign work to committees or ad‐hoc groupsor ad hoc groups
– Identify tasks that need clarificationclarification
– Charge committees with returning with their annual gplans, if needed
S h d l d t t iSchedule dates to review and approve the annual plan and committee plans
Creating Accountability
1. Ask, “How will we keep , pour plans moving and be accountable to each other?”
2. Schedule milestones and tasks in board agendas
3. Refer to the plan at imeetings
4. Board president oversight and omm ni ation
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and communication
Creating Accountability
What is the appropriate role of staff?What is the appropriate role of staff?
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Review and Questions
1. Reflect on the roles and responsibilities of a nonprofit Board and assess areas where your own Board can be strengthened
2. Identify steps you can take to strengthen your organization’s Board recruitment and orientation practices
3. Identify the benefits of a board governance plan and know 5 things every plan should include
4. Consider steps to engage your board in building a plan
5. Create accountability mechanisms to ensure progress
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Next StepsNext Steps
What seems most important pfor you to do next?next?
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Upcoming Programs & Resources
Custom Designed Services
Si t I t i PSignature Intensive Programs1. Leading from Within 20142. Executive Leadership Development Program 2014
Distance Learning1. Leading Coalitions and Networks (February-March 2014)2 E l ti Y I t (M h A il 2014)2. Evaluating Your Impact (March-April 2014)
Online Resources1. Benchmarking Your Organization’s Development (workbooks
for staffed and all-volunteer groups)2. Expectations of Exec. Director, Board, & President, other tools
21www.icl.org
Thank you! Please give us feedback by
l i h h illcompleting the survey that will pop up after the webinar endspop up after the webinar ends.
Please contact us!
Institute for Conservation River NetworkLeadership (ICL)Nancy Oswald
Ph (301) 270 2904Paco Ollervides
Phone: (914) 400 8210Phone: (301) 270-2904Email: [email protected]
Peter Lane
Phone: (914) 400-8210Email: [email protected]
Diana ToledoPhone: (301) 270-2903Email: [email protected]
Phone: (828) 258-2109Email:[email protected]
Kristy Meyer, Ohio Environmental Council, [email protected]