How to Build a High-Performing Nonprofit Board
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The webinar by Misha Charles outlines strategies for building a high-performing nonprofit board, emphasizing the importance of recruitment, governance, and culture. Key principles include aligning board members with the organization's mission, fostering diversity, and ensuring ongoing training while prioritizing a positive organizational culture. Successful boards are characterized by competency, coordination, and a clear focus on goals.
How to Build a High-Performing Nonprofit Board
- 1. How to Build a High- Performing Nonprofit Board Misha Charles Webinar delivered to GW Alumni Association 10 April 2013
- 2. First, the Scary Stuff Penn State University of Virginia Susan G. Komen for the Cure Central Asia Institute
- 4. When Boards Work Advance mission Provide resources Ensure effectiveness Mitigate risks Uphold the public trust Open doors Do no harm
- 6. People “Getting the right people on the bus, the wrong people off the bus, and the right people in the right seats.” Jim Collins
- 7. Recruitment Set target board size Seek mission- alignment, experience/expertise, availab ility, resources, leadership potential Pursue group-fit Ensure diversity and inclusion Involve all members Expand network w/tools like LinkedIn Try before you buy
- 8. Orientation New member handbook Governance primer Position descriptions Meetings with key leaders Site visits
- 9. Placement Committees Task forces Mentor pairing Preparation for leadership
- 10. Ongoing training Formal training w/ staff, consultants Informal readings and discussion Access to free resources Observation of other boards Conferences
- 11. Work “Efficiency is doing the thing right. Effectiveness is doing the right thing.” Peter Drucker
- 14. •Bylaws •Policies •Meetings •Planning •Evaluation •Committees •Annual calendar Structure and Process
- 15. Culture “At the end of the day, just remember that if you get the culture right, most of the other stuff -- including building a great brand -- will fall into place on its own.” Tony Hsieh
- 18. Culture = Core Values Deliver WOW through Service Embrace and Drive Change Create Fun and a Little Weirdness Be Adventurous, Creative, and Open- Minded Pursue Growth and Learning Build Open and Honest relationships with Communication Build a Positive Team and Family Spirit Do More with Less Be Passionate and Determined Be Humble Hiring to Values Standard interview Cultural interview Customer service training $2K offer to quit
- 19. Boards Have Culture Too Relationship with CEO Interaction among members Decision-making Engagement Use of resources Adherence to rules, policy Openness to change
- 20. How to Build it Recruit for culture Develop and display norms Model behaviors Create traditions and stories Link to past board members Enshrine in policy Hold accountable
- 21. The high-performance board, like the high-performance team, is competent, coordinated, collegial, and focused on an unambiguous goal. Such entities do not simply evolve; they must be constructed to an exacting blueprint. David Nadler
- 22. Questions?
- 23. Misha Charles LinkedIn.com/mishacharles | @mishajcharles
Editor's Notes
- #2: Note: The tips we will discuss are designed to be used by board leadership (officers or committee heads) and CEOs/founders.
- #3: We have seen some pretty spectacular governance failures over the past couple of years, examples of boards doing poorly. Of course, not all board fumbles are scandalous. More pedestrian missteps—like consistently hiring the wrong CEO or failing to ask questions about finances—are equally threatening to organizations. Each underscores how critical it is for boards to perform at a high level.
- #6: And when they are performing at a high level, this is the secret sauce: The right people doing the right work within an organizational culture with all the right norms and values.
- #9: Handbook includes bylaws, policies, most recent minutes, position descriptions, committee charges
- #12: High performing boards do the right work well.
- #15: Bylaws -Term limits-Board composition-Standing committeesMeetings-Consistent procedure-Formal voting-FrequencyCommittees-Typically: finance, fundraising, programs, governance/nominating-Standard reports and dashboards referencing missionAnnual Calendar-Approved by board-Board meetings-Committee meetings-Program evaluation-Evaluation of leader-Evaluation of board and members-Leadership succession planning
- #16: High performing boards do the right work well.
- #21: Note about changing board culture: Culture changes slowly over time as influential people begin to act differently. Culture does not change by decree.
- #22: Note about changing board culture: Culture changes slowly over time as influential people begin to act differently. Culture does not change by decree.
- #24: Culture changes slowly over time as influential people begin to act differently.