Ask many people who work or serve on a nonprofit board and many times you will hear a consistent theme. Board members often don’t have in-depth knowledge of how to properly serve on a nonprofit board, and sadly, many organizations don’t have the resources to hire trainers to help well-intentioned people become effective leaders. .

The reality is that serving well on a nonprofit board is a bit of an art and, in fact, a privilege that comes with responsibilities, including legal and regulatory obligations. Board members should always see themselves as representatives of the community and a bridge to the non-profit organization they serve. Because board members are considered to have a special status and position when they help lead nonprofits, they must be aware of what not to do to ensure they perform appropriately.

• Serving is not a hobby: Serving on a nonprofit board can have benefits for board members because people meet like-minded peers. For example, you may find people who will help you in your career or business as you develop new relationships with them during meetings and events. However, it is always important to remember that the primary reason you are serving on a board is that while there are indirect benefits that could potentially come from the position, your primary focus should be on giving the charity your time, talent and money. Serving on a nonprofit board is a serious responsibility and requires commitment and care to ensure you’re bringing your “A game” to the cause.
• It’s not just about the mission: Every organization should be mission-focused, of course, but it’s not just about the cause. It is essential that board members are fluent and familiar with the organization’s mission, vision, statistics, facts, stories, and strategic plan. The mission is just one element of the big picture, and board members need to understand it at a high level, especially when they are engaged with others outside the organization. When board members go out to meet with donors and prospects, they are usually accompanied by the CEO or a fundraiser. Team members can explain, elaborate, and add color to a board member’s words and conversations, but each board leader should strive to be fluent enough about the organization and its work to be able to participate in a discussion. noun
• Don’t leave nonprofit politics to chance: Board members are responsible for ensuring the development, implementation and enforcement of organization policies. We live in a world of transparency, and in the digital age it is easy for something that may be well-intentioned to get out of control, and not in a good way. In other words, people can be quick to judge and criticize when they see something that has become a viral issue of some kind. The best defense for any situation is a great offense. Board members are responsible for ensuring that management and appropriate organizational legal and financial advisors prepare documentation that is reviewed and updated as necessary on an annual basis. Policy documents that are essential to any nonprofit business include donor privacy, email retention, whistleblowing, conflict of interest, document destruction, discrimination, and sexual harassment policies.
• There is no free ride: The reality is that carrying out an organization’s mission and the work it does on its programs requires money. Hiring the most talented people is also necessary to ensure that a team can properly plan and execute the work required. That means money is a necessity for any nonprofit organization. Board members have a legal and fiduciary responsibility to the organization in which they serve. They need to make sure a nonprofit has the resources it needs to complete its mission, and one of the most important needs a nonprofit has is money. Therefore, board members must understand that there must be a 100% board commitment to annual donations based on the financial capacity of each board member. Those who have more resources can give more, and one of the best rules to use in board fundraising is “give or take,” which means you give out of pocket or you collect from others. Board members should be aware that donors (particularly institutional sponsors) ask about board donations and if you can’t demonstrate the board’s commitment to the cause, why should anyone else want to donate?
• Micromanagement does not work: Key aspects of the board members’ jobs are to oversee overall strategy and planning, secure resources, approve the organization’s budgets, align the organization’s programs and services with the mission and performance of the CEO. What the board shouldn’t be doing is micromanaging an organization, questioning the CEO or management team, or getting involved in routine staffing issues. Let’s look at it another way; When companies have boards of directors, the members understand that they have an oversight and governance role. They do not work on the day-to-day business of the corporation. Nonprofits are businesses, and board members should understand that unless they are dealing with a crisis, their role is one of governance and oversight and not getting into the details of management and operations of the organization; that is the role of management.
• Board guidance and assessments are not sidebars: One of the essential activities that any board must perform is to reflect a mirror on itself. It begins by having new board members receive an orientation, either individually as they join or as part of an annual board orientation so they can understand good governance. Let’s be honest; Most people are not experts on the roles and responsibilities of the nonprofit board. If you want your charity to grow and become a sustainable organization, it must start with leadership at the top. You should orient board members to their responsibilities to the board and also to assigned committees. And, more generally, it is essential to have an annual board meeting that assesses the performance of the board. Organizations should budget for a consultant or facilitator to come to work with them once a year to assess board performance, often done during a board retreat and with tools including surveys, workshops, and other tools. evaluation, training and evaluation.

All nonprofit board members have different reasons for serving a given group. Of course, there should always be passion and interest in the mission and work done by the charity. It should never be assumed that board members will know or understand their work. Nonprofit leaders have a responsibility to ensure they have a well-functioning organization and if the board chair won’t talk about proper board governance, then CEOs shouldn’t be shy about bringing it up.