1 of 11

Aunty

Mich

Mana’o

2 of 11

People serve on boards because they care about the mission and want to contribute their time and gifts to their communities.

3 of 11

the board paradox

the board is asked to lead but set up to manage – it’s a dance

balance of legal responsibility with limited hands-on time

the board is your boss, but you are their leader - manage up

one size does NOT fit all - do what is right in the scope of the law

4 of 11

common board challenges

disengaged – the rubber stamp, group think board

drowning in details – the micro-managing board

divided – the pet project or squabbling board

Stanford Social Innovation Review.

https://ssir.org/articles/entry/spotting_and_fixing_dysfunctional_nonprofit_boards

5 of 11

challenges are often symptoms

lack of clarity – the board does not understand its job; policies and/or procedures do not delineate staff and board roles

task-oriented – people are good at “doing” and less good at “leading,” we recruit people for tasks not leadership

fear – people seek control in uncertainty, crisis heightens fear

Why boards micromanage and how to get them to stop

http://help4nonprofits.com/NP_Bd_MicroManage_Art.htm

6 of 11

Build

relationships

Align to

purpose

Reflect

and learn

Plan, act,

lead

YOUR BOARD

7 of 11

illuminating the path forward

Why am I here? Why are WE here?

Who else should be here with us?

Where do we spend our time?

Where should we spend it in the future?

How are we doing at our job?

How do we shift or grow to be better?

What have we learned?

What can we learn?

8 of 11

tools

Recruiting and onboarding processes

Agendas and time management

Reflection on performance

Connection to community

9 of 11

details matter

set an annual calendar
follow a meeting pattern
end on time – always
share air time
walk your talk (if you say relationships before task, follow it)
go big (if you report on minutia, the board will focus on minutia)
create space for dissent

TIME	AGENDA ITEM
12:30 pm	Welcome and call to order Call to order, establish quorum
12:35 pm	Introductions: our connections to health Our board expressed a collective desire to be more connected to each other – as people and as advocates for our mission. Why did you say yes to joining our board?
12:50 pm	Board Business We’ve all asked to shift from reports/updates and spend more time on strategy/big picture. We will use a more condensed update and reporting format to accomplish this, but it requires us all to commit to reviewing materials ahead of time! Review and approve meeting minutes from 12/9 meeting - B (2 min) CEO Report - C (10 minutes) Policy Committee - D (5 minutes) Finance Committee - E (20 minutes) Investment Committee - E (10 minutes)
1:45 pm	Vision / Mission --> Strategy/Action We all asked to use our board time to focus on big picture strategic work. We have a high level of trust in our staff to carry out our work. Committees (5 minutes) Values in Action (5 minutes)
1:55 pm	Executive Session We try to save 10 – 15 minutes at the end of each meeting for Executive Session. This is a space for board-to-board connections and a practice to ensure we raise any challenges or issues. Annual Executive Director Review
2:00 pm	Close and adjourn Next meeting March 17 2022

big picture goals

rituals • rhythm • cadence
voice • participation
contribution • engagement

10 of 11

Board Member	Motivation / passion	Past contributions	Hopes and future contributions