Energize Your Board Meeting and Get More Done!

 As a consultant and board member of a number of nonprofit organizations, I have sat through my share of board meetings.  Some board meetings have been painful to sit through for a number of reasons. On one occasion, my presentation was the second item on the agenda.  The first 30 minutes of the meeting was "waiting until everyone arrives" and I watched the executive director running around making copies.  The next 20 minutes was spent reviewing the wrong and then the correct meeting minutes.  After 90 minutes, I was able to make my presentation!  They still had 9 more agenda items to go!! 

Here are some tips on how to make sure your board meeting is one where things get done:

Honor start and end times.  There should be no reason why a board meeting cannot start and/or end on time. Your board members are volunteers and you should honor their time. 

Prepare your materials.  Unlike my example, give meeting participants agendas -- and any additional information -- at least 48 hours before the board meeting.  With email, fax, smart phones, etc., there is no reason why the board members shouldn't have the board meeting agenda before the meeting. 

Organize the agenda.  The agenda should be organized according to time and timing.  If you know certain items will take more discussion time then allow for it on the agenda.  Don't start with this item as you will most likely not move onto other items on the agenda. I suggest that you spend the last part of the agenda reviewing the list of action items and those responsible for completing them.  These items will be on your next meeting agenda. 

The Board Chair and Executive Director should make sure that those making presentations are ready to present. 

Adopt a consent agenda.  Leave more time for real discussion with the adoption of a consent agenda.  These are items that are for information only for board members and do not require discussion.  A consent agenda means that board members must read and review their board packet before the meeting.  A consent agenda can be reviewed and approved in 5-10 minutes and leaves much more time for real issues. 

Limit discussion.  When discussions threaten to go out of control, the chair (or the person facilitating the meeting)  must gently and politely take control.  I have seen skillful facilitators thank the group for feedback and say, " given the time constraints, we can't go into that much detail."  Good preparation of presentations will keep people from asking irrelevant questions. 

I'd like to add that a meeting facilitator will also not allow that one person or only a small group of the members dominate the discussion.

Leave time for Generative Discussions.  With the adoption of the consent agenda, your time is freed for generative discussions.  These discussion topics are wonderful for planning.  "What if we buy our own building," was a generative discussion question in a board meeting I facilitated recently.  The board had 20 minutes to go through the pros and cons of buying a building in today's low prices.   

These discussions allow your board members to explore new options for the direction of the organization. 

I hope these tips invigorate your board meetings. I'd love to hear from you about other strategies you have tried to energize your meetings.

Now for the giveaway. Do all of this and your name will be entered into a drawing for 

one hour of free fund development consultation from me.  This can be done in person or via telephone. To be eligible, you must:

1) Leave a comment on today's blog post. 

2) Be a follower on my blog. 

3) Suggest a future topic in the comment section. 

Good luck! 

         

Homeboy Industries

I love the ingenuity of this organization.

Homeboy Industries with chips and salsa/

Any of you embarking on an out-of-the box fundraising strategy?

The Executive Director's Report

Every board meeting agenda includes the Executive Director's Report.  In my opinion this is one of the most important pieces of information the board receives as part of a board meeting.  I was talking to a young Executive Director recently and he mentioned that he wasn't sure what kind of information his report should contain. 

"I don't want to overwhelm the board with too much information," he said.  How much is too much and how much is too little information for the board?

 

I have put together a few tips on what the Executive Director's Report should contain.

    1.  Strategic Plan update-- the organization's strategic plan is your framework for the report.  What have you (as the Executive Director) done to further the strategic plan?  What goals or objectives have been worked on? What progress has been made?

2.       Successes- Be sure to include success into your Executive Director's report.  This is your opportunity to talk about the achievements you've made.  Feel free to include follow up on items from the previous meeting.

3.      Program Highlights --I was a board member of an organization that included program highlights in the Executive Director's report.  It included a short synopsis of the program, its goals, funders and how the program helped to meet the mission of the nonprofit organization.

4.       Opportunities-- The board report should also be used to describe opportunities with partnerships, collaborations, alliances and funding.  Describe things that you see as leverage points for the organization. 

5.       Try not to overwhelm--As Executive Director you are very knowledgeable about issues that relate to your programs and mission.  One mistake I commonly see with the director's report is giving the board way too much information to chew off at one time.  Your board members are smart people but they don't live and breathe the work that you do.  So feeding the information to them in bite size pieces is very important.

6.      

      Survey them-- I want to add this last tip because in this day and age it is so easy to survey board members without picking up the phone.  Go to www.surveymonkey.com and create an easy and short survey to get input from board members on what they would like in the Executive Director's report. 

These tips will hopefully enable you to provide more informative reports to your board of directors.

Next time, the topic will be How Diversity Can Positively Impact Your Fundraising Goals.  I also have a special giveaway for followers.  So stay tuned. 

We've been featured!

Our Confessions of a Foundation Executive post was featured on another blog.  Click here to check out the Grant Writing Online Course blog.

Grant Writing Online Course

They have excellent resources for all your grant writing needs.

Great advice... too good not to pass along

Hi everyone,

I met a new friend in blog world.  This is a great string of comments about grant writing.  Enjoy!

http://grantwritingonlinecourse.com/grant-writing-help/grant-writing-tips-what-is-the-single-most-important-advice-you-would-share-with-someone-new-to-grant-writing-pt-3/#more-561

You Never Get a Second Chance

Today, we are in for a treat! I've invited a guest blogger, Gloria Lara to tell us why first impressions are so important for any company or nonprofit.  Gloria has worked in nonprofit organizations, for profits and her own family business as well.  

Let's see what she has to say....

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You’ve all heard the saying “you never get a second chance to make a first impression”  

     

It’s especially true about your organization. When people enter your office for the first time, they can see and feel the culture of your organization by how they are greeted upon entering your doors. This is why it is so important to make sure your front desk area and lobby, including your receptionist, are in tip top shape. Does this mean you have to spend a lot of money on new and modern furniture? No. Thrift stores make the best places to find furniture in good condition at an affordable price.

But that’s not all. What good does it do to have nice, clean furniture if your staff, primarily your receptionist is not professional or quick in welcoming guests to your office? Here are some tips for making the best first impression of your organization:

      1.     Positive phone image - Receptionist, or whoever answers incoming phone calls, should have their smile “heard” when they speak on the phone. Their voice and attitude should follow their facial expression.  It should be business-like, but also friendly and personable. 

          

     2. Professional - In a typical office setting, your receptionist should be professional in appearance, phone etiquette and customer service in greeting your guests. This is regardless of what the dress code may be.

   

3.       Make them feel welcomed. Always practice welcoming host etiquette, making sure to offer guests a seat and a beverage. While they wait in your lobby, make sure to have written marketing materials about your organization. This can include your annual report, organizational brochure, etc. Never miss an opportunity to share your mission with others. 

     

    4. Knowledgeable- Make sure your receptionist is well educated in the services provided by your organization.  All staff must “believe” in the organization’s mission statement. Lack of said belief will show through to those outside of your organization.

   

    5. Self-Promotion- Finally, it’s definitely a plus to have your walls, especially in the lobby/seating area, display your organization’s awards, recognitions or accomplishments. These framed trophies will speak volumes about your accomplishments and give your visitors better insight to your organization’s successes.  

    6. Don't keep them waiting!- If you're running late, let the receptionist know so that your guests can be kept apprised.  Its sufficient to stay you shouldn't keep your guest waiting more than 5 minutes before they can see you. 

     Thank you, Gloria. Simple, but true statements and they go a long way to making a very big difference to your guests.  

If you have questions for Gloria, she can be reached by email at Gloria@delacruzgroup.com. 

  Next time, we will be talking about the 

Executive Director's Report. 

  

What should it contain?  What purpose does the Executive Director's report have to help the board in their governance role? 

Recruiting New Board Members

Did you know that we often take a more systematic approach to hiring a new staff member than we do for finding new board members?  Think about it.  We put together job descriptions, we post job announcements in various locations, create interview questions, interview the candidate, etc., But yet when we are seeking board members we merely leave it to chance to find that ideal board member.

I have a few tips for you in getting the right person, not just any person, for your board. 

1. What skill sets do you need on your board?  Take a close look at the make up of your board.  What skill set does each member represent?  Its customary for each nonprofit organization to have an attorney, a Certified Public Accountant, a public relations person and some members who are working, in some way around the issue you are addressing.  Each nonprofit organization is different in terms of their skill set needs. 

Once you have identified the skill sets your board needs then you can go out and look for the right board member.  This way you aren't settling for a warm body. 

2. Advertise and spread the word.  Just like job postings are passed on through Facebook, LinkedIn, and email, put the word out that you are looking for a board member with particular skill sets.  Make sure you have a job description ready and some information about your organization on hand.

Don't rely just on board members to recruit their friends to the board.

The key is to get the skill sets you need and to expand the network of your organization through the reach of your board members. 

You can recruit in public presentations by letting people know that your organization is looking for qualified people who want to serve as board members.  You can also advertise in your own organization's online newsletter or other ways that you ask for assistance.

Making it known that your organization is looking for board members ensures that you have more than one candidate for each board seat you may have open.

  

3. Interview top candidates for each seat.  Some nonprofit organizations are afraid of interviewing a prospective board member for fear of insulting them.  "They are a volunteer, said an Executive Director to me recently. "How can I interview them?"  Interviewing your top candidates lets the candidate know you are a well organized nonprofit. The interview allows you, the organization to impart information about your cause and explain the roles and responsibility of each board member. 

4. Screen prospective board members for too outside commitments.  Some of the nonprofits I've worked with have complained about their board members not doing enough to help their organization.  Sometimes the most well intended people are the ones that are asked to serve on the board.  Having too many other commitments means that board member won't be able to serve your organization fully. 

5. And lastly, diversifying your board is important for a long number of reasons.  That topic is one for another blog post.  Don't expect that having one Latino or one African American on your board means that you now have your diversity issues resolved.  One person cannot represent an entire community.  More about that at another time.

Thanks for visiting my blog.  Next time, we will talk about how your front office is key to fundraising.  We have invited a guest blogger to help us with this topic.  Until next time.

Once you have identified the skill sets your board needs then you can go out and look for the right board member.  This way you aren't settling for a warm body. 

2. Advertise and spread the word.  Just like job postings are passed on through Facebook, LinkedIn, and email, put the word out that you are looking for a board member with particular skill sets.  Make sure you have a job description ready and some information about your organization on hand.

Don't rely just on board members to recruit their friends to the board.

The key is to get the skill sets you need and to expand the network of your organization through the reach of your board members. 

You can recruit in public presentations by letting people know that your organization is looking for qualified people who want to serve as board members.  You can also advertise in your own organization's online newsletter or other ways that you ask for assistance.

Making it known that your organization is looking for board members ensures that you have more than one candidate for each board seat you may have open.

3. Interview top candidates for each seat.  Some nonprofit organizations are afraid of interviewing a prospective board member for fear of insulting them.  "They are a volunteer, said an Executive Director to me recently.

"How can I interview potential board members?"  Interviewing your top candidates lets the candidate know you are a well organized nonprofit. The interview allows you, the organization to impart information about your cause and explain the roles and responsibility of each board member. 

4. Screen prospective board members for too many outside commitments.  Some of the nonprofits I've worked with have complained about their board members not doing enough to help their organization.  Sometimes the most well intended people are the ones that are asked to serve on the board.  Having too many other commitments means that board member won't be able to serve your organization fully. 

5. And lastly, diversifying your board is important for a long number of reasons.  That topic is one for another blog post.  Don't expect that having one Latino or one African American on your board means that you now have your diversity issues resolved.  One person cannot represent an entire community.  More about that at another time.

Thanks for visiting my blog.  Next time, we will talk about how your front office is key to fundraising.  We have invited a guest blogger to help us with this topic.  Until next time.