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Is My Board Working for Me?

Presented by

Andrew Brewer

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    • 20+ years working with non-profits
    • Industries include: higher education, retail/social enterprise, social services, healthcare, public broadcasting, religious, etc
    • Primarily in a fundraising capacity
    • Focused on Management, Operations, and Communications

A Little Background

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I love diving.

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1 - Executive Director

2 - Board Member

3 - Volunteer

4 - Other

Please respond via Zoom Poll

What is your role?

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Things to Think About

Communicating needs to your board

Leveraging your board

Board accountability and turnover

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92%

Percentage of non-profits with budgets of less than $1 million.

Source: National Council of Nonprofits, About the Nonprofit Sector: 2025 Update

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We have no hope of solving our problems without harnessing the diversity, the energy, and the creativity of all our people.

Roger Wilkins

Source: Candid, The State of Diversity in the U.S. Nonprofit Sector (2024)

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The Lifecycle of a Nonprofit

Source: Georgia Center for Nonprofits. The Nonprofit Lifecycle: A Model for Making Smart Decisions.

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1 - Idea

2 - Startup

4 - Maturity

6 - Turnaround

Please respond via Zoom Poll

Where is your organization in the lifecycle?

7 - Terminal

5 - Decline

3 - Growth

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Common Reasons Nonprofits Fail

    • Unrealistic plan
    • Failure to adapt to changes and pressures
    • Imbalance between “doing” today and long term sustainability

Strategic

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    • Overestimation of fundraising success or service revenue
    • Non-renewable revenue sources
    • Lack of diversity of funding

Financial

    • Lack of technology support
    • Over-reliance on very few individuals to sustain activities
    • Inaccurate or insufficient data and metrics

Infrastructure

    • Autocratic founders
    • Lack of internal trust
    • Mission creep
    • Founder dependence
    • Lack of board effectiveness
    • Leadership turnover

Leadership

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1 - Infrastructure

2 - Financial

3 - Strategic

4 - Leadership

Please respond via Zoom Poll

What are you most concerned about?

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Network

Treasure

Talent

Time

How Your Board Can Help

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For your board to be effective you need to understand where you are and what you need.

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Nonprofit #2 is hoping to launch a virtual, subsidized therapy program. They would like to treat up to 12 clients, track outcomes, and onboard multiple therapists and staff to support the endeavor so they may leverage the results for additional funding.

Nonprofit #1 focuses on reaching out to organizations and presenting information that helps educate underserved populations about the importance of mental healthcare. There are two doctors that speak utilize Zoom, in-person bookings, and YouTube videos for public use.

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Example

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Nonprofit #2 is hosting its annual fundraising gala and would like to increase the size of the audience by 30% and raise at least 50% more money. They need a venue and are planning a silent auction.

Nonprofit #1 has not historically tracked its fundraising activities. All gifts are in spreadsheets and emails are sent via BCC. They are hoping to utilize a tool like MailChimp and find a CRM solution to begin tracking and reporting fundraising activities

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Example

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1 - Time

2 - Talent

3 - Treasure

4 - Network

Please respond via Zoom Poll

What is your biggest pain point for board support?

5 - Other

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1 - <1 Year

2 - 1 - 3 Years

4 - 5 - 10 Years

Please respond via Zoom Poll

When was the last time you updated/created your board member job description?

5 - Never

3 - 3 - 5 Years

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What is the vision for the board?

What is the time commitment required?

What is the give/get expectation?

What are the term limits and succession plans?

Board Description Must Haves

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80% of the results come from 20% of the causes.

Richard Koch

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Task Forces

&

Custom Job Descriptions

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Things to Remember

    • Board members may need guidance initially
    • It is important to know what you need and ask for it
    • Be specific about your needs for expert support
    • Find leaders that will challenge the standard
    • Let board members lead the way for each other

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Thank you!

Andrew.Brewer@gmail.com