National Diaper Bank Network
Vicki Clark, Building the Capacity of Organizations
Memphis, TN
1. What is the mission?
2.
Who is the customer?
3.
What does the customer value?
4.
What are our results?
5.
What is the plan?
From
Greek word “kebernon,” to steer
To govern is to steer, to control, and to
influence from a position of authority
Governance deals with the legitimate
distribution of authority throughout a system –
whether a country or an organization
Logic Model
Context …
Good
Great
Success
Significance
Stewardship
Exceptional
Leadership
Exceptional
Responsible
Functional
compliant
Dysfunctional
dramatic
disengagement,
conflict
of no real
consequence
anticipates,
plans, sees
opportunities
1. Determine the organization’s mission and purpose. A statement
of mission and purpose should articulate the organization’s goals,
means, and primary constituents served. It is the board’s
responsibility to create the mission statement and review it
periodically for accuracy and validity. Each individual board
member should fully understand and support it.
2. Select the chief executive. Boards much reach consensus on the
chief executive’s job and undertake a careful search to find the
most qualified individual for the position.
3. Provide proper financial oversight. The board, in order to remain
accountable to its donors and the public, and to safeguard its taxexempt status, must assist in developing the annual budget and
ensuring that proper financial controls are in place.
4. Ensure adequate funding. One of the board’s foremost responsibilities is
to provide adequate funding for the organization to fulfill its mission. The
board should work in partnership with the chief executive and
development staff, if any, to raise funds from the community.
5. Ensure legal and ethical integrity and maintain accountability. The board
is ultimately responsible for ensuring adherence to legal standards and
ethical norms. Solid personnel policies, grievance procedures, and a clear
delegation to the chief executive of hiring and managing employees will
help ensure proper decorum in this area. The board must establish
pertinent policies and adhere to provisions of the organization’s bylaws
and articles of incorporation.
6. Ensure effective organizational planning. As stewards of the
organization, boards must actively participate with the staff in an overall
planning process and assist in implementing the plan’s goals.
7. Recruit and orient new board members and assess board performance. All boards
have a responsibility to articulate and make known their needs in terms of member
experience, skills, and many other considerations that define a balanced board
composition. Boards must also orient new members to their responsibilities and the
organization’s history, needs, and challenges. By evaluating its performance in
fulfilling its responsibilities, the board can recognize its achievements and reach
consensus on which areas need to be improved.
8. Enhance the organization’s public standing. An organization’s primary link to the
community, including constituents, the public, and the media, is the board. Clearly
articulating the organization’s mission, accomplishments, and goals to the public, as
well as garnering support from important members of the community, are important
elements of a comprehensive public relations strategy.
9. Determine, monitor, and strengthen the organization’s programs and services.
The board’s role in this area is to determine which programs are the most consistent
with the organization’s mission and to monitor their effectiveness.
10. Support the chief executive and assess his or her performance. The board should
ensure that the chief executive has the moral and professional support he or she
needs to further the goals of the organization. The chief executive, in partnership
with the entire board, should decide upon a periodic evaluation of performance.
1.
2.
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5.
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8.
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10.
The leadership challenge
Technology/Online Giving
Owning our costs
What is a “Nonprofit” new structures
The upward spiral of need
Advancing missions through advocacy
Increased scrutiny
Transparency about outcomes
Data driven environment
The resource squeeze
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Being expected to govern
not manage
Smaller Boards
Open Board recruitment
Transparency in all
matters
Clarity about
roles/responsibilities
Varied means of
communication
More effective committee
work/ad hoc teams
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Meeting less often as a
“Board of the whole”.
Having sufficient
insurance/risk
management plan
Formal Board orientation
Formal Board assessment
Focusing on the life,
expectations,
accomplishments of the
Board, as well as the
agency
Increasing diversity of
members

Clear call for leadership

Implications of changing demographics

Sustainability is critical
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Composition: From personal connections
to strategic diversity
Orientation: From informal to formal
Education: Mission-related issues, as well
as board responsibilities
Evaluation: Accountability at all levels
Leadership: More intentional preparation
for leadership succession

Movement away from a “one-size-fits-all”
view of nonprofit governance

This does not mean that “anything goes”

Focus on simplicity and strategic
structures
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Size: Whatever is needed to facilitate both
active participation and effective decision
making
Average board size = 16 voting members
Generally want the board to be big enough
to incorporate a diversity of perspectives
and small enough to facilitate both active
participation and effective decision making
Sweet Spot = 15 to 22
 More effective
 More policies in place
 Attendance matters
 Better governance practices

Term limits and regular infusion of “new blood”

No automatic re-election
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Using non-board members on committees and
advisory councils
CEO as non-voting member of the board
• Boards have
average of
5.4
committees
• 27% have an
Advisory
Council

Promotes and provides education about the
organization, field, and governance

Assesses the organization’s governance needs

Identifies, nominates, and orients new members

Conducts board self-assessment

Organizes the annual board retreat
Nominating
 Short-term
 Narrow focus
◦ Elections
◦ Officers
 Self-contained
Governance
 Ongoing
 Holistic focus
◦ Composition
◦ Policies and
Practices
 Involves others
The Governance Triangle
Fiduciary
Strategic
Governance
as
Leadership
Generative
Note: A “culture of inquiry” cuts across all three
Board’s core work:
Ensure legal compliance
Ensure fiscal accountability
Conserve organization’s resources, public
stewardship for assets of the foundation
Evaluate process, hold leadership accountable
Oversee operations
Monitor results
Identify
Rotate
Evaluate
Cultivate
Celebrate!
Recruit
Orient
Educate
Involve
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Skills, knowledge, perspectives, and
connections, etc., needed to implement
strategic plan
Board needs assessment
◦ What expertise do you have?
◦ What is missing?

Identify sources of board members with
the desired characteristics
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No board member wants to fill a quota
◦ Identifying needs will help focus skills,
knowledge, and representation
No one is able to represent an entire
subsection of the population
Treat each board member equally and
expect the same from everyone

Ethnic Representation
◦ 86% are White (excluding Hispanic)
◦ 7% Black/African America
◦ 3% Hispanic/Latino
◦ 2% Asian
◦ 1% Two or more races
◦ 1% American Indian/Native Alaskan
◦ 0.30% Native Hawaiian/Pacific
Islander
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Age Representation
◦ 2%
◦ 36%
◦ 49%
◦ 13%
under 30
between 30-49
between ages of 50-64
65 or older
Making the Case for Inclusiveness
Definitions
Why Cultural Competency
and Diversity Matter
Cultural Competency
…the willingness and ability to value
differences and be responsive to diversity at
all levels of an organization, i.e., policy,
governance, administrative, workforce,
provider, consumer/client.
Diversity
Gender
Age
Religion
Sexual orientation
Race/ethnicity
Language
Socio-economic status
Legal status
Disability
Geographic base
Political viewpoint
…the involvement of diverse individuals and
the incorporation of diverse perspectives,
needs, contributions, and viewpoints. These
organizations are diverse at all levels.
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Board members often recruit members
from their own circles of influence
Preference for a “C-Suite” or corporate
officer type profile on the board
Skepticism about the need to have younger
generations on boards
Uncertainty of where to find younger board
members
Concerns of isolation

1925-1945: Silent Generation

1946-1964: Baby Boomers
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1965-1980: Generation X
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1981-2001: Generation Y (aka
Millenials/Gen@/Nexters)
Generational Key Points
• No generation is a single homogenous
entity
• Sensitive to age perceptions
• Sophisticated consumers – want
choices
• Time is a valued and scarce commodity
• Motivated to volunteer for different
reasons
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Often retired with time to volunteer
History of the organization and
community
Contacts and connections
Professional and personal experiences
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Already volunteering at highest rate in the
country
Have resources they can contribute as
they begin to retire
Possess many skills and professional
training
Want to leave a legacy
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Access to new networks and donors
Fresh perspective on old problems
Results-oriented thinking
Passion for the mission
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Language is important
Challenge with meaningful, interesting work
with a beginning and an end
Make recognition fun and meaningful
Create a Generational Task Force
Others
1.
2.
3.
4.
Do we have a good age diversity and
representation on our board? How can we do
better?
How can we keep the pipeline of younger
potential board members full? Who do we need
to be in touch with – high schools, colleges,
military organizations, church youth groups?
What can be done to accommodate our older
board members as well as our young ones? How
can we give both a sense of community?
What about mentoring on the board (in all
directions)?
(Adapted from Generations: The Challenge of a Lifetime
for your Nonprofit by Peter C. Brinckerhoff, Fieldstone Alliance, 2007)
Three Strategies for Building an
Inclusive Board
1. Communicate
 Facilitate Discussions
 Appoint a Task Force
 Develop Your Case Statement
2. Assess
 Organizational & Board Culture
 Board Needs
3. Commit
 Assign Roles & Responsibilities
 Measure Results
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Openly recruit for Board members with needed
characteristics
Find ways to connect with those candidates
Get them interested in your organization, and keep
them informed of your progress
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Describe why a prospective board member is
wanted and needed
Explain expectations and responsibilities of
board members, and don’t minimize
requirements
Invite questions, elicit their interest, and find
out if they would be prepared to serve
To the organization:
 Issue/Mission
 History
 Programs
 Pressing issues
 Finances
 Facilities
 Structure
(organization chart)
To the board:
 Committee
structure
 Board member
responsibilities
 List of board
members and key
staff
 Bylaws
 Recent minutes
Tips
 Be honest, but
don’t overwhelm
 Include full board
 Make room for
team building
 Follow up with
individuals
Tools
 Orientation
meeting
 Board
portal/materials
 Site visit/facilities
tour
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Discover board member interests and
availability.
Involve them in committees or task forces.
Assign them a board “buddy.”
Solicit feedback.
Hold everyone accountable.
Express appreciation.
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Provide information concerning your
mission area and services.
Promote exploration of issues facing the
organization.
Hold retreats and encourage board
development activities by sending board
members to seminars and workshops.
Don’t hide difficulties.
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Evaluate the board as a whole, as well as
individual board members.
Examine how the board and chief executive
work as a team.
Engage the board in assessing its own
performance.
Identify ways in which to improve.
Encourage individual self-assessment.
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Rotate board members.
Establish term limits (and enforce them!).
Do not automatically re-elect for an
additional term; consider the board’s needs
and the board member’s performance.
Explore the advisability of resigning with
members who are not active.
Develop new leadership.
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Recognize victories and progress – there
are no small victories.
Celebrate accomplishments.
Appreciate individual contributions – to
the board, the organization, and the
community.
Make room for humor and a good laugh.
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Do we have the right leaders in place to
lead us into tomorrow?
Do we have a governance structure in
place that allows the board to function
effectively?
Are we talking about the right things/the
issues of greatest importance?
Do we have a culture in our boardroom
that welcomes diversity and new
perspectives?
“If your actions create a legacy
that inspires others to dream
more, learn more, do more and
become more, then you are an
excellent leader.”
Dolly Parton