Board Member Orientation Checklist
An upcoming election of a new slate of board members should signal the start of planning for the new member orientation. The quality of the orientation process is a reflection…
The Power of Board Succession Planning
All heads typically turn toward executive directors when talk of “succession” reaches the board room, but they’re not the only nonprofit leaders who warrant transition attention. All of them do,…
Effective Board Leadership is Like…
“Effective board leadership” is a hot topic. A Google search on the term yields about 2.87 million results, a few of which jump out as being quite informative. These range…
Advisory Board Best Practices: Roles and Advice
“Don’t worry, we’ll create an advisory board so you can stay involved,” says an incoming board chair to his predecessor. The not uncommon gesture is extended, of course, with enthusiasm,…
Recruiting Board Members: A Plan and a Process
Is it better to have several vacant board seats than to have those same seats filled by ineffective board members? Is it better to risk giving a “yea” vote to…
How to Run a Board Meeting
Running a board meeting can be a complicated affair. Whether you are the board chair worrying about maintaining focus and facilitating engagement or the board liaison preoccupied with the difficulties…
Board Member Election Process: Secrets for Success
Board elections culminate in the selection of new board members and officers, but where does the board election process actually begin? For a nonprofit organization with a traditional board structure,…
Board Orientation Packets: Following The Goldilocks Rule
You have to hand it to Goldilocks. In addition to fearlessly entering ferocious bears’ dens, this young lady knew precisely what she liked. When it came to bowls of porridge…
Tips from the Hot Seat: How to be a Better Board Chair
When the executive director of a sizeable nonprofit organization mentioned his board chair had stopped speaking to him, I was speechless. For the third time in as many years, I…
How to Hold New Board Member Orientation
Large or small, every board of directors should hold an orientation for new board members because it benefits the organization, including the scope of people it serves. All boards have…
