Board Members: Are We Throwing them in the Deep End without Teaching them to Swim?

A recent blog post, Sink or Swim by Laura Otten at The Nonprofit Center at La Salle University, talks about expecting great things from our boards but never teaching them how to do it. Just like throwing them into the deep end of the pool without teaching them to swim. In her post, she specifically talks about expecting our boards to fundraise, but doesn't it apply to everything the board does?

Do our boards really know what their roles and responsibilities are?

What they should and shouldn't be doing and how best to do it?

For many of us who have worked in the field for years, we intuitively know how responsibilities are divided and what we need from our boards, but we expect our board members "to just know". We assume they learned about it on another board or maybe we just don't have time or the expertise to continually train our boards, starting with board orientation for new board members to continued board training on best practices in board governance.

Proper training and clarification of roles and responsibilities can help a board stay focused and engaged on the critical work they do for the organization. Every new board member should receive training on not only the specific expectations of your agency, but also the overarching roles and responsibilities of being a nonprofit board member. In addition, every full board should receive training together at the beginning of each year to bring the board together under a shared vision and make sure everyone is on the same page.

The Center for Nonprofit Management offers several solutions to keep your board members informed and ready to swim:

• Board Member Boot Camp, Thursday, August 18, 2 - 7 p.m.
  A quarterly session designed for new and old board members about the fundamental roles and responsibilities of being a board member. Register now.
  
• Other Classes on Board Governance.  See the Class Calendar for other classes of interest to board members.
  
• Board Training for your full board - available in half-day sessions or full board retreats.

Katie Edwards
Vice President of Marketing