Factors influencing the communication of nonprofit boards
Wednesday, February 7, 2007 at 08:42AM I've started working with a professor over at NCSU on collecting data for some work that focuses on Board communication and effectiveness. One of the things I've generated are some thoughts about some of the issues and questions associated with Board meetings and the types of communication that goes on in a Board meeting. Here is the list and my hope is that this will serve as the basis for some of our observations and the beginning of a questionnaire to collect data.
Who speaks the most at a Board meeting?
Based on roles the Chair, the ED and the Treasurer are the ones who will speak a lot and the rest of the Board responds. Committee chairs may be responsible for reporting out activities, but it would be interesting to notice who speaks the most and what the content is of those who speak. Is it a function of role? Is there a function associated with longevity on the Board? In other words are newer board members less likely to speak up?
Who creates the ideas and who does the work?
Boards are a plethora of ideas in my experience. It would be interesting to figure out who actually follows through on the ideas generated at a Board meeting? This also relates to another notion of when a direct request from one Board member (or the staff) goes out to other Board members, how many follow through and who? Are there agreements about work that is to get done at the Board meeting and, if so, who does them?
Percentage of Board's Activities
If we think about the Board's job responsibilities - what percentage of time over the year do they spend on fundraising, financial review, ED performance/evaluation, their own governance/nominations process, the outcomes of the program, etc??
Board Participation measures
Those who speak, those who use email, how often the visit the site, how often they volunteer outside of their board role, whether or not they make a financial contribution, how many committee meetings do they attend, etc. Those who speak, those who use email, how often the visit the site, how often they volunteer outside of their board role, whether or not they make a financial contribution, how many committee meetings do they attend, etc.
Decision Making
This might be interesting to look at from a couple of ways. Is it consensus or vote? How do they gather data to make decisions (who brings the data) and then when is it enough to make the decision? Who makes the agenda? What decisions are made? This might be interesting to look at from a couple of ways. Is it consensus or vote? How do they gather data to make decisions (who brings the data) and then when is it enough to make the decision? Who makes the agenda? What decisions are made?
Relationship with ED
This relates to both performance evaluation and the balance of micromanagement vs. governing but I don't have any more thoughts on this right now. There is some literature on this, not a lot, but I'd need to dig in my files for this one.
Reader Comments (2)
I attended Board meetings when I was working at that retreat center. The Board was made up of people hand picked by the ED. The ED had all the ideas, presented them, and got them approved thru cronyism. If anyone on the Board did not agree with the ED, eventually he would work behind the scenes to get them off the board. I remember one incident where the ED had us dept. heads write our reports as bullet points rather than text, deliberately so the Board members would have nothing to latch a question onto. Then he gave them one hour to look over ALL the reports with little time to ask questions, so he would be able to get his plan put through with no questioning from the Board. What a place that was and continues to be. A recent annual audit by an independent tax guy says there is reason to believe they may not be able to continue as a 'going concern'. Still the Board remains a bastion of his cronies. Sometimes Boards don't really fulfill their function.
It makes me wonder more about the ED than the Board. ED's are not doing anyone a service, including themselves, by keeping the Board at a distance.