Ask Sue - Board Configuration Strengthens Your Organization
Sue Hays Barr, CBCI hope these comments give you some thoughts on how you can organize your approach to serve the interests of your members, which is your ultimate goal.
- Only accept individuals who are decision makers in their daily business roles
Owners. CEO’s. Insist on the people at the top. Time and time again, this has proven to be crucial to getting the decisions made that reflect the best business position for the organization and the members. From something as seemingly simple as voting on a dues increase to negotiating contracts (including ours) and setting budgets, we need people on our boards who are accustomed to making decisions and who will not say, “I have to ask.”
The time to verify this is during the nominating period before someone is elected or confirmed on the board. If your organization is a company-membership group, your question to ask is: “Do you have the authority to make decisions on behalf of your company?” If they have to go ask someone in their company, you may want to get a written statement of authorization from the company that the individual is authorized to make decisions before adding the person to your board. You do this because you want to verify that the company will stand behind the vote of its representative.
If your organization is an individual membership group, you should still inquire about the individual’s decision-making comfort level to avoid stalls in board and membership activities. In this situation, your question might be: “What are examples of decisions you’ve made for your job or company in the past few months?” There are some people who just will not make a decision, and you don’t need these people on your board. Put them on a committee instead.
- Get their commitment to support your group’s activities before you put them on the board
Tell them up front how many hours per month are required of the board members and what level of volunteerism is expected. For instance, I know that Directors may contribute up to 1 hour per month responding to emails, members of certain committees will devote up to an hour and a half per month on committee conference calls, and all directors are expected to attend two board meetings per year at their own expense. Instead of asking a yes/no question of your prospective board member, ask a question like this: “What are your thoughts on this time commitment for XYZ Association in consideration of your work demands?” It is not unusual to find someone who has no intention of attending and participating because their primary motivation is stuffing their resume with board service so they can look good to future employers.
- Diversification makes your board stronger
Whether it is diversification based on the gender of directors or on your membership categories, weighting your board to the benefit of one and the detriment of everyone else will lead to an imbalance that may cause your organization to miss opportunities for revenue growth or, worse yet, make your organization irrelevant to the majority. Keep track of your membership statistics and work with your nominating or elections committee to engage them in this discussion. Do this before you elect or appoint new directors.
There are so many areas of your organization that your board touches. Paying attention to these areas is being diligent and responsible. If you need more information on this area of non-profit management, please contact me by completing our survey.
