Build Your Team, Build Your Board!

Transcription

1 Build Your Team, Build Your Board! Webinar for California State Parks Foundation December 12, 2013 Presented by Rona Fernandez Klein and Roth Consulting

2 Goals of Webinar 1. Generate conversation about a perpetually challenging topic 2. Discuss some new ways (or new to you!) to think about boards 3. Offer tips for practical applications of these concepts

3 Starting on the Same Page: My Assumptions 1. Board members are key stakeholders and are generally underutilized. 2. Successful boards require the same intentional focus and attention as staff. 3. Best practice is a fiction --- every group is different.

4 Assumptions 4. Partnership between board and executive director is essential. 5. Fundraising success requires an engaged & valued board.

5 Topics for Today 1. Build a strong team 1. Engage the board at a higher level 2. Improve board meetings 1. The board and fundraising

6 Common Challenges & Complaints from Staff Poor attendance at board meetings Lack of follow through on tasks Low participation in fundraising Few willing to take leadership Hard to recruit new members

7 Common Challenges & Complaints from Board Members Board work is not big picture enough Board is discouraged from asking questions Not always clear what their job is Not enough support to do their job well Not everyone is pulling their weight Few willing to take leadership (e.g. officer roles, chairing committees, etc.)

8 So What Do You Do?

9 1. Build a Strong Team

10 Qualities of Effective Teams Clear Expectations Clear Decision-Making Process Attention to group dynamics Accountability Appreciation

11 Poll: Which of these characteristics of a strong team already exist on your board? Clear Expectations Clear Decision-Making Process Attention to group dynamics Accountability Appreciation

12 Do you have the right mix of people on your board? Make time at least once a year to brainstorm what kinds of new board members you d like to bring on Take time to get to know and vet new board candidates. Don t rush it!

13 2. Engage the board at a higher level

14 A Useful Framework* Three modes of governance: Fiduciary: oversight, accountability Strategic: analytical, planning Generative: sense-making, figuring out the right questions to ask, generating new solutions * from Governance as Leadership by Chait, Ryan and Taylor

15 What is Generative? It s about what to pay attention to and what it means. Concerns values, beliefs and assumptions Invites paradigm shifts, new frameworks Generates ideas to explore and put into practice in other modes (fiduciary, strategic)

16 How it Translates into Practice Issues that the organization is grappling with are discussed before developing a plan Talk about things you don t fully understand, make sense of them without needing decisions or actions now Different points of view are encouraged. Less time just listening to reports.

17 Benefits of generative discussions Higher level of engagement from board members Useful input into organization s thinking More productive interactions between board & staff More interesting board meetings Can lead to more willingness to participate in other necessary board work

18 Questions for Generative Discussions The key to a good generative discussion is that there is no decision to be made at this stage, just an exploration of ideas, questions, trends, etc. What challenges are we facing because of changes in our external environment & how should we respond? What opportunities now exist that haven t in the past, due to changes in the external environment? How has the context for our mission or issue changed and what does that mean for the types of projects we work on? How have funding sources shifted and what are the implications for our approach to fundraising & resource generation?

19 What s a good generative question for your organization right now?

20 Make time for generative discussions Illustration by Amanda Woodward

21 3. Improve Board Meetings The Agenda: Board chair (/ exec cmte) + ED should plan Consider using consent agenda Indicate which items require a decision Include a generative discussion in most board meetings

22 Other ways to improve meetings Strong, positive facilitation is key Create space for team-building (e.g. appreciations, check-ins, talking in pairs instad of always in a large group, etc.) Provide learning opportunities to board members After each meeting, ask: What would have made the meeting better?

23 4. The Board & Fundraising Key Board Roles: Give Money Raise Money Develop Fundraising Philosophy Set Fundraising Policies

24 Poll: Do you have a give/get policy? Do you have a minimum amount that board members are expected to give and/or raise?

25 Getting the board to fundraise 1. Ensure clarity about board role in fundraising when recruiting new members 2. Engage the board in developing your annual fundraising plan 3. Create specific campaigns, tasks & timelines required to meet board fundraising goals

26 Getting the board to fundraise, cont d. 4. An annual written commitment from each board member about their fundraising tasks 5. Create a system for following up with board members on how they re doing with fundraising tasks & what they need to be successful (ideally at board meetings) 6. Evaluation and appreciation upon completion of fundraising campaigns & activities.

27 Sample Board Fundraising Commitment Form I, Cecilia Ortiz, board member, agree to: 1. Contribute $250 by Dec. 31 st 2. Sell at least one table of tickets (10) to our annual dinner 3. Solicit 8 local businesses for ads in our ad book 4. Participate in major gift campaign by asking 5 donors for a gift of $500 or more

28 Final Thoughts Improving board functioning takes time. Pick one thing to focus on that will make a key difference. Be willing to address conflict and confusion quickly, clearly and directly.

29 Resources on Boards Blue Avocado blueavocado.org GIFT/Grassroots Fundraising Journal grassrootsfundraising.org Board Source boardsource.org Nonprofit Quarterly nonprofitquarterly.org Klein & Roth Consulting kleinandroth.com

30 And these books: Governance as Leadership, by Chait, Ryan & Taylor The Practitioner s Guide to Governance as Leadership, by Cathy Trower Great Boards for Small Groups: A 1-Hour Guide to Governing a Growing Nonprofit, by Andy Robinson The Board of Directors, a compilation of articles by Kim Klein & Stephanie Roth, published by GIFT The Accidental Fundraiser: A Step-by-Step Guide to Raising Money for Your Cause, by Stephanie Roth & Mimi Ho

31 Contact Information Rona Fernandez Klein and Roth Consulting California State Parks Foundation Gabrielle Ohayon, Technical Assistance Center Manager / gabrielle@calparks.org