Fellow Training November 27, 2012

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Key Program Components

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Agenda

• Preparing to be a good board member• What are you looking for/seeing thus far? • Engagement?• Project

9 Responsibilities of Nonprofit Boards

Shap

e m

issio

n an

d st

rate

gic

dire

ction

Monitor and improve performance

Ensure leadership and resources

• Select, evaluate and develop CEO

• Ensure adequate financial resources

• Lend expertise; provide access to people

• Enhance reputation of organization• Oversee financial management, ensure

appropriate risk management• Monitor performance, ensure

accountability• Improve board performance

• Shape, clarify mission and vision

• Engage actively in strategic decision making and policy decisions

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What do good board members do?

• Before the meetings• During the meetings• Around the meetings

Good board members:• know what is going on• identify potential issues and • ensure they are resolved in a thoughtful

and timely manner.

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Good board members: Before the meeting

• Know the 10 things you need to know about your nonprofit

• Know where you are going to be most helpful– Committee work– Assistance to select staff (as a volunteer)– Different perspective

• Review agenda and pre-reading materials. Come with questions.

• Understand how board makes decisions and decision-making framework

10 Things You Should Know about Your Nonprofit

1. Core activities, who, what, where, for how long?2. Mission, Theory of change3. Organization chart/profile of key leaders4. Revenue mix/trends5. Key cost components6. Board composition/committees7. Key peers/competitors8. Other stakeholders 9. Recent events/public profile10.Results against mission

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Good board members: During the meeting

• Ask good questions, especially early in your tenure. Aspire to have the right question at the right time

• Recognize issues (governance, strategy, business practices)

• Engage constructively in the search for an answer

– Possible options

– Synthesize/structure the problem

• Bring beneficiary/stakeholder perspective into the room. What would our beneficiaries say?

• Hear dissenting points of view

• Recognize governance is not management and most nonprofits have limited capacity to manage new ideas

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What should you look for or learn?

• Who’s who?– Chair– Officers/committee chairs– Who seems to shape thinking and how do they

do it?• Quality of CEO-Board relationship• Role of the board. Is there meat on the table

or is management looking to manage the board?

• How are decisions made? Decision making framework?

• Which of the 9 responsibilities are the current focus of the board and why?

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Good board members: Outside the meetings?

• Connect to other members• If something seems missing, find out if it

really is…. Nonprofits have lots of history• See the work of the nonprofit• Know which hat you are wearing at any

point of time:– Director– Donor– Volunteer

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Small group discussion with your coach

• What have you seen in your board experience thus far? How do you interpret it?

• Have you engaged with the board? – What has helped?– Problems solve to improve engagement

• Project discussion– Work planning– Getting started

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Project or engagement counseling

• If you would like to spend a bit more time talking with one of our coaches, sign up on sheet

• If not, you’re done and we appreciate your participation

Stay Connected & Tap Into Resources

Email: socialimpact@haas.berkeley.edu

Facebook: http://bit.ly/cnpl-fb

Board Fellows website:

http://bit.ly/boardfellows The Business of Making a Difference Starts Here

http://nonprofit.haas.berkeley.edu