Board/Staff Roles and Responsibilities

Transcription

1 Board/Staff Roles and Responsibilities HFH OR/WA/HI Conference Oct 23, 2015 Frank Gorman Field Operations Manager State Support Organizations HFHI

2 Overview Four Principles Related to Policy Development Governance versus Management Guidelines for Successful Relationships Practical Exercise Your Issues

3 Four Principles to Differentiate Tasks of Board and Staff Policy determination Decision-making is the legal responsibility of boards alone not staff. These become guidelines for staff work. Policy formulation Is the responsibility of both boards and staff. This is a cooperative effort in that the board should seek input from staff in order to shape the best actionable policy.

4 Four Principles to Differentiate Tasks of Board and Staff Policy implementation Acting on decisions made is the responsibility of staff alone although staff may ask board members to help and assume major responsibilities. Policy administration Is the task of staff alone (i.e., board members do not supervise other staff or tell administrative assistants how to do their jobs).

5 Governance versus Management X-Chart The Big Picture

6 GOVERNANCE VERSUS MANAGEMENT (aka Board vs. Staff) LEGISLATIVE Money Chair Mission Management EXECUTIVE Partially Extracted from Doing Good Even Better, How to be an Effective Board Member Of a Nonprofit Organization by Edgar Stoesz, Good Books Inc, 2007

7 Mission Establishing the Organization s Mission Engaging in Strategic Planning Overseeing Programs Helping the Organization Communicate Effectively

8 Money Overseeing the Organization s Finances Developing Funds Ensuring Sound Risk Management Policies

9 Management Selecting and Supporting the Chief Executive Officer Selecting and Educating the Board Managing the Work of the Board

10 GOVERNANCE VERSUS MANAGEMENT (aka Board vs. Staff) LEGISLATIVE Money Chair Mission Management ED/CEO Oversees Daily Operations Hires staff & Delegates Responsibility Staff Performance Reviews Leads Operational Planning Main Face to Community Daily Financial Execution Staff Daily Program Implementation EXECUTIVE Partially Extracted from Doing Good Even Better, How to be an Effective Board Member Of a Nonprofit Organization by Edgar Stoesz, Good Books Inc, 2007

11 Guidelines for Successful Relationships Good governance requires that the parties agree on how to share responsibility for organizational leadership Board Chair and ED/CEO need to be on the same page As an organization moves through stages in its development, there will be changes in expectations about what the board and chief executive will handle Affiliate with small staff may require more board support (committee work) for day-to-day operations

12 Staff Guidelines for Successful Board Relationships Recognize board members are vital to staff and organizational success Believe board volunteers join to assist, not to take over Be dependable, accurate and prompt in the relationship Do not use a board relationship to air organizational complaints Do not expect board members to take initiative in a vacuum Do your homework and get them prepared

13 Practical Application

14 Practical Application Some Additional Points to Ponder What role does the ED/CEO play in board education? Input to Nominating Committee? Is it healthy to have some tension between board and ED/CEO? Is it appropriate for the ED/CEO to be a voting member of the board? What does our board do to avoid the problems of either micromanagement or detachment? What does our board do to make it safe for the chief executive to share bad news?

15 Your Issues

16 Summary Successful relationships depends on understanding the principles of differentiation Determination, formulation, implementation and administration Governance and Management are distinct functions but the relationship between board and staff can evolve as the organization matures Practical application exercise hopefully puts it all into perspective