Part of planning for next year is to create a budget. Budgeting is a forward-looking process. [...]
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Successor planning is important. However, it is hard to do. Many organizations try to use a formula but with limited success. [...] The leadership of a nonprofit is more than just the senior professional and the board chair. In most cases, it is a large team. Is everyone on the team up to your expectations? [...] Ideally, nonprofit boards are self-managing. The board chair is responsible for the management of the board. Is it fair to expect the board chair to be good at managing the board? [...] The primary function of a board is to make decisions. They should be making decisions that answer questions like: What is the plan? What policies do we need to support the plan? How do we monitor the plan and policies? [...] There is a common assumption that boards should fundraise. However, we think there are only four things boards are responsible for: planning, setting policy, monitoring activity, and self-management. Where or how does fundraising fit in? [...] We want every board (for-profit or nonprofit) to be a well-oiled machine. Like all machines, it needs to have its moving parts adjusted, oiled, and synchronized. Today, let us focus on recognizing the need and meeting the need rather than how to make the changes (adjusting, oiling, and synchronizing). [...] Micromanagement during a difficult time is an almost irresistible urge. We all believe it is wrong, except when we are the micromanager. When we are the micromanager, we tell ourselves, “This is the one time when it is justified.” Regardless of how much one feels it is justified, it is still uncomfortable for the person who is being micromanaged. [...] It is commonly accepted that boards have four responsibilities. In no particular order, they are goal setting, self-management, monitoring activity, and creating policy. Goal setting is one of the more difficult for boards. They struggle with what kind of goals to set, how far into the future to look, and how realistic to make the goals. [...] The board is one of the more important elements of success for any organization. The more effective the board is the more it contributes to the success of the organization. It establishes the culture of the organization. In short, its performance is an important component of sustainability. Should it receive a periodic performance review? [...] |
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