Board governance – Page 9 – The Healthy Non-Profit

Dear board volunteers . . . please do a better job with your recruitment efforts

May 13, 2013 erik Board governance, Fundraising, volunteers

DonorDreams blog is honored to be hosting the May 2013 Nonprofit Blog Carnival. The theme this month is “Dear board volunteer . . .” and the idea is “If you could write an anonymous letter to a nonprofit board about something they do that drives you crazy, what would that letter look like and what suggested solutions would you include?” If you are a blogger and would like more information on how to participate and submit a post for consideration, please click here to learn more.

I wanted to expand the Nonprofit Blog Carnival concept in May. So, I reached out to real non-profit people and asked them to also write an anonymous letter to their board volunteers. These folks are executive directors, fundraising professionals, board members, donors, community volunteers, consultants and front line staff. I promised everyone anonymity in exchange for their submissions.

We will officially celebrate May’s Nonprofit Blog Carnival on Wednesday, May 29, 2013. In the meantime, I hope you enjoy this real look at real issues that our community deals with on a daily basis.

Here is today’s letter:

Dear Board Volunteers,

Why ME?

After years of on again, off again volunteer work in the community, I was recently asked by a local not-for-profit to be a part of their resource development committee. Planning, strategizing and fundraising have always been kind of a natural for me, so I eagerly accepted the challenge. And what a challenge it turns out to be…

Getting involved with the organization was enlightening. I met a lot of great people who had many terrific ideas. There seemed to be an early interest from the RD committee in meeting and discussing these ideas, although it became readily apparent that the follow through was a bit lacking. It also became apparent to me that there are several types of people, or bees, that flock to the not-for-profits: Executive bees, Worker Bees, and Busy bees.

Now some explanation: The Executive bees, or E-bees are the the group of power brokers that get involved with the not-for-profits. These are people in the community that have influence, wield formal authority, and are typically respected by their peers and fellow board members. The E-bees guide or drive policy, typically bring some fundraising ability to the table, but aren’t going necessarily roll up their sleeves and get their hands dirty. They definitely bring value to a not-for-profit.

So, the Worker bees, or W-bees, are still respected by their peers, this is the group that will roll up their sleeves and get their hands dirty. Want to be able to spot a W-bee in a crowd? It’s not too tough. Go to the next big event. Look for the board members that are setting chairs or moving tables. Take a picture of the board member walking around selling the raffle tickets at the event. I’ll bet that you just found yourself a Worker bee. Don’t worry, these are helpful bees to have around, in of course the right mix.

Now the Busy bee, or B-bees, are are interesting creatures, and they can be a little harder to identify. B-bees, like the name implies, kind of roll around and oftentimes wind up in the mix with the E-bees and W-bees. Often, they feel that they may have influence when in fact they have very little. They may talk a good game, but their lack of follow through and lack of willingness to commit doesn’t make them a very good Worker bee. B-bees like the activity found in the rest of the swarm but aren’t necessarily going to bring much to the table. It has been my experience that Busy bees are responsible for the flurry of inactivity that occurs in not-for-profits. Be careful when dealing with a Busy bee, because like all bees, they still have stingers. And because of their lack of focus on the real issues at hand, they are always slightly more inclined to use those stingers than the E-bees or W-bees. These bees often bring little to the hive and can be more bother than they are worth

OK, so why all the bee analogies? Simple. In order for not-for-profits to be successful, here has to be a healthy synergy with a good mix of the right type of volunteers. People all have to work together. And there has to be the right mix of people to make all of that happen. Like a beehive. Ultimately, of course, it the responsibility of the Board and the Executive Director to ensure that brought proper board development brings the right mix of volunteers together.

Recently, one of the current board members met with me and explained that there had been some transition, and that there several vacancies on the board. He was very excited to meet with me, and after only a few short minutes of conversation asked me “would you like to be on the board?“

I smiled and asked if he was serious. I didn’t ask because because I was flattered by the offer, but because I was so taken back by the way he asked me. This was a Worker bee, who is very involved, very well intended, but had put no thought into why he asked me.

When I asked him why he was so interested in recruiting me he said that it was because: 1) he liked me and 2) he liked some of the work I had done on the resource development committee. I cringed. This, I thought, is the exact reason that the board is in the trouble that it is in.

Boards and execs must make board development a number one priority. There has to be a defined methodology to volunteer recruitment, and it has to have a basis beyond choosing friends and picking the “nice guys”.

Pick a strategy and pursue it.

How many E-bees should your board have? How many W-bees does the board need? Fundraising should be a key component to choosing board members. If prospects can’t fundraise, they may be better served working the beverage cart at the next golf outing. How will you deal with the Busy bees? Does your board have the stomach to truly self-evaluate, and then ask its members annually why they are there? If not, be prepared for a hive full of Busy bees, and be willing to accept the problems that B-bees bring.

When new members are solicited, tell them why they were chosen. It may be their ability to raise money, their position in he community, or their exceptional skills as a Worker bee. By identifying and sharing their desirable traits, you’ll make the board and volunteer recruitment process much easier. Volunteers and board members will have a defined sense of purpose.

Most importantly, you’ll never put a volunteer in the position of asking themselves “Dear Board, why ME?”

Sincerely,
The Honey Bear of Volunteers

If you have some advice for the author of our anonymous letter, please share it in the comment box at the bottom of this post in a respectful manner. If you want to submit an anonymous letter for consideration this month, please email it to me at the address in your signature block below.If you are a blogger looking to participate in this month’s Nonprofit Blog Carnival and want to learn more, then please click here.

Here’s to your health!

Erik Anderson
Founder & President, The Healthy Non-Profit LLC
www.thehealthynonprofit.com
erik@thehealthynonprofit.com
http://twitter.com/#!/eanderson847
http://www.facebook.com/eanderson847
http://www.linkedin.com/in/erikanderson847

Dear board volunteers . . . digging in your heels doesn’t help us!

May 10, 2013 erik Board development, Board governance, organizational development, volunteers

We will celebrate May’s Nonprofit Blog Carnival on Wednesday, May 29, 2013.

I hope you enjoy this real look at real issues that our community deals with on a daily basis.

Here is today’s letter:

Dear Board Members,

We have spent the last six months discussing board member responsibilities, attributes and expectations. We agreed in today’s climate, a healthy, engaged and responsive board is the foundation for sustainability. In order for our organization to thrive and grow, a new kind of board leadership is a must. Clear expectations were defined, a Governance Committee was established.

Now as we are in “ execution” phase, there appears to be push back on the direction of the board, its structure and responsibilities.

Honestly, this is so so frustrating and am wondering why we (the board & me) spent six months developing a plan when there was no intention of using it. This type of behavior is probably why you have had three Executive Directors in the past four years.

I am committed to raising board engagement to a higher level and creating a meaningful board membership experience but I need your help. If we truly want to impact the lives of the children we serve, we must change. We have the right mission for the right reason, let’s not let our kids down.

I know that change is not easy, but we need to push forward towards a solution. Here are just a few simple suggestions that I have:

let’s move a few of our more resistant board volunteers off of the board and onto another task force or advisory council,

let’s shake up our board leadership,

let’s add a few fresh faces by recruiting two or three new board volunteers, and

let’s find a donor who is willing to make a challenge gift that is tied to implementation of our original plan.

Sincerely,
G. U. Dummie

If you have some advice for the author of our anonymous letter, please be respectful and share it in the comment box at the bottom of this post.

Here’s to your health!

Dear board volunteers . . . I can’t do this all by myself.

May 9, 2013 erik Board development, Board governance, Fundraising, Planning, volunteers

I wanted to expand the Nonprofit Blog Carnival concept in May. So, I reached out to real non-profit people and asked them to also write an anonymous letter to their board volunteers. These people are executive directors, fundraising professionals, board members, donors, community volunteers, consultants and front line staff. I promised everyone anonymity in exchange for their submissions.

We will celebrate May’s Nonprofit Blog Carnival on Wednesday, May 29, 2013.

I hope you enjoy this real look at real issues that our community deals with on a daily basis.

Here is today’s letter:

Dear Board Volunteers:

First, let me say that I truly appreciate all the time, talent and treasure you give to our organization each year. That said, I must air my concerns regarding some practices that I see as undermining the functioning of our board and the ultimate success of our committees and fundraisers.

We have board committees designed to do work outside of the board meetings and then provide a written report to include in our board packet for review/approval at meetings. These committees are not functioning according to their design and reports are not being completed or submitted. As a matter of fact, few committees are even meeting unless I force the issue. Then I must type up the notes and follow-up on what is to be done.

New board members are learning the wrong way for committees to function. We developed the committee structure through a well thought out process….let’s use it.

You are all aware that we do not have a development person. So, it falls to me or the office manager to complete the tasks that you do not. While I understand that you are all busy, each committee chair could recruit community members to help with their committee. You can delegate and assign work to those folks. You can also check on your committee members completion of assignments.

Call/email/text your committee to stay in touch and remind them of their commitments. Get the job done!

When I am doing committee work, I am not doing the following:

writing grants,

completing billing or grant reporting,

marketing the agency, or

managing our staff and programs.

My job requires 50 hours a week to just keep my head above water. When I take on these other tasks, I am drowning.

I have no problem putting in the 60-70 hour weeks just before a fundraiser, but I cannot do this week in and week out in order to balance my every day responsibilities and those of the various committees. We need to work together to ensure the success of our organization.

With each board member renewing their commitment to their chosen committees, we can guarantee the success of each committee and fundraiser, so please do your part.

Let’s start this year with a great attitude and renewed motivation.

Sincerely,
One sleep deprived exec

Here’s to your health!

Dear board volunteers . . . There is no “I” in board.

May 8, 2013 erik Board development, Board governance, organizational development, volunteers

We will celebrate May’s Nonprofit Blog Carnival on Wednesday, May 29, 2013. In the meantime, I hope you enjoy this real look at real issues that our community deals with on a daily basis.

Here is today’s letter:

Dear Board Members,

I am thrilled that you hired me as your Execute Director and entrusted me with developing this organization and moving us to the next level. It remains an exciting opportunity for all involved.

I have one little request to make: please let me do my job without fear that you’ll undo the things I’m attempting to put into place. It becomes difficult when I begin initiating policies/procedures and practices that received BOD approval only to discover that there are conversations that occur outside the Boardroom that derail activities that are under way.

It would also be helpful if each of you could remember that just because you have an idea or you have a strong reaction to something, you don’t necessarily get to have your way or make unilateral decisions. We have processes for decision making within our bylaws and they are there for a purpose.

Board meetings and committee meetings are venues for dialogue and discussion. If you disagree, speak up so that you are heard. If you oppose a decision, please respect your colleagues on the Board and honor the group decision. If you continually find yourself in disagreement with your colleagues on the Board, perhaps it is time to resign. It could be a sign that your job as a Board member is now done.

Sincerely,
New-to-the-party Patty

If you have some advice for the author of our anonymous letter, please be respectful and share it in the comment box at the bottom of this post.

Here’s to your health!

Dear board volunteers . . . A few observations and requests from a new member.

May 6, 2013 erik Board development, Board governance, Fundraising, organizational development, Planning, technology, volunteers

I wanted to expand the Nonprofit Blog Carnival concept in May. So, I reached out to real non-profit people and asked them to also write an anonymous letter to their board volunteers. These people are executive directors, fundraising professionals, board members, donors, community volunteers, consultants and front line staff. I promised everyone anonymity in exchange for their submissions.

We will celebrate May’s Nonprofit Blog Carnival on Wednesday, May 29, 2013. Up to that fun-filled day, I will publish real anonymous letters every day from real non-profit professionals right here at DonorDreams blog.

I hope you enjoy this real look at real issues that our community deals with on a daily basis.

Here is today’s letter:

Dear Board Members:

I’m absolutely thrilled and honored to be serving with each of you and to be of service to this fine organization. I consider my board service to be a privilege. I hope each of you feel the same way.

I do have some observations after serving on this board for the past seven months. They are as follows:

Madame Board chair, respect your fellow board members. While you were a teacher during your professional days, you are no longer dealing with students. Your fellow board members, or at least this board member, is a professional. Treat me as you would like to be treated. If you are having a bad day, please keep that to yourself. Frankly, I couldn’t care less if you are crabby. Do you really want that fact recorded in our board minutes?

Let’s try and have some fun with our board service. Our organization does not deal with life and death situations. It’s ok to interject some humor in or discussions.

We need to hold our CEO accountable. Setting stretch goals, providing regular feedback on performance and completing a written performance evaluation is important to our work and central to us meeting our outcomes. Let’s not shy away from having the difficult and uncomfortable conversations with our CEO. We will be a better organization in the long run as a result.

While fundraising is not central to our mission there is not one single reason why we cannot develop a culture of fund and friend raising in our organization.

WE NEED A STRATEGIC PLAN. Let’s plan our work and work our plan.

Twitter, Facebook, and Pinterest are here to stay. Our clients use social media. We need to be optimized across multiple communication channels. A website is great, but it’s no longer enough. The sooner we understand social media, the sooner we will reap the many benefits it has to offer us.

Just because an organization is 4X larger or 4X smaller than we are, does not mean that we can’t learn from them.

Can we please try to recruit fellow board members strategically?

Can we do something socially as a board so we can get to know one another?

That’s all for me. Just some random early observations from your newest board member. In spite of the above, each of you, in your own way, has energized me around our mission and the importance of our work.

All the best,
The new guy

If you have some advice for the author of our anonymous letter, please be respectful and share it in the comment box at the bottom of this post. If you are a blogger looking to participate in this month’s Nonprofit Blog Carnival and want to learn more, then please click here.

Here’s to your health!