Board

Cultivating a dedicated and productive board of directors takes time, effort, and strategy. But the return is worth the investment. Done well, a nonprofit’s board is among its most valuable resources.

When nonprofits face trouble (financial irregularities, management mistakes or even illegal activities), outsiders often wonder where the board members were. Why didn’t they notice the problem? Why didn’t they take action? In an ideal world, board members would be well-informed of their leadership role, engaged in the nonprofit’s work, fiscally responsible and philanthropically supportive. But in reality, many board members—while well-intentioned—are not as active as they should be. The nonprofit’s leadership and the board itself share equal responsibility for this failing.

Board membership is not a lifetime commitment. It is a volunteer job and that changes with time, age of member, mission, and needs of the organization. Sometimes we see board members have lost their engagement in the organization. We know it’s time for them to move on.But it can be challenging to usher a board member honorably into retirement.

It depends. Most nonprofit CEOs would say that they do not need another board to “manage.”But an effective advisory board can benefit a nonprofit while supporting leadership. The board can bring valuable wisdom, new perspectives, key connections, and prestige to the organization.