How to Conduct a More Effective Board Orientation

This is not the first time of written about governance issues, but conducting an effective board orientation is worth repeating.

Setting expectations for your new board members is critical for their success, as well as yours, in their participation throughout the coming years of their board service.

Here are some tips on how to conduct a more effective board orientation:

1. Start by setting clear expectations. What are the board's roles and responsibilities? What are the board member's expectations? What are the organization's goals and objectives? By setting clear expectations, you can help new board members get up to speed quickly and start contributing effectively.
2. Provide comprehensive information. New board members need to know about the organization's history, mission, vision, values, and programs. They also need to know about the board's policies and procedures. By providing comprehensive information, you can help new board members feel confident and prepared to serve.
3. Make it interactive. A board orientation should not be a one-way lecture. Get new board members involved by asking questions, facilitating discussions, and providing opportunities for them to share their ideas. By making it interactive, you can help new board members feel engaged and invested in the organization.
4. Be welcoming and supportive. New board members are often nervous and unsure of themselves. Make them feel welcome and supported by introducing them to other board members, providing them with resources, and answering their questions. By being welcoming and supportive, you can help new board members feel comfortable and confident in their new role.
5. Follow up. After the board orientation, send new board members a follow-up email with the key takeaways from the meeting. This will help them remember what they learned and ensure that they are on the right track. You can also schedule a one-on-one meeting with new board members to answer any questions they may have.

By following these tips, you can conduct a more effective board orientation that will help new board members get up to speed quickly and start contributing effectively.

Here are some additional tips that you may find helpful:

• Involve current board members in the planning process. Current board members can provide valuable insights on what new board members need to know and how they can be best supported.
• Tailor the orientation to the specific needs of the organization. Not all organizations are the same, so it is important to tailor the orientation to the specific needs of the organization. For example, a nonprofit organization that is working on a specific social issue may need to provide more information about that issue than a general-purpose organization.
• Use a variety of communication methods. In addition to providing written materials, you may also want to use other communication methods, such as videos, presentations, or group discussions. This can help to make the orientation more engaging and interactive.
• Be flexible. Things don't always go according to plan, so be prepared to be flexible and adapt the orientation as needed. For example, if new board members have a lot of questions, you may need to extend the orientation or schedule additional meetings.

By following these tips, you can conduct a more effective board orientation that will help new board members get up to speed quickly and start contributing effectively.

Enhance the Board Member Cycle

I attended a recent webinar by two IOM faculty members, Cathi Hight, Hight Performance Group and Michael Gellman, Sustainability Education 4 Nonprofits, on the title of this blog.

They focused on three cycles; enhancing the first year of board service, finding pathways for continuing board service and past presidents & chairmen can be a powerful resource (or missed opportunity).
 
The following are my notes on a great discussion around a board members term of service or life cycle.
 
Enhancing The First Year of Board Service

• Staff needs to take the lead and set the expectations for board service.  Do you have a job description for new board members?

• Help board members find and align their passion and capacity to serve the needs of the organization.

• The first year sets the stage for the board members remaining time of their service.

• Ways to get your new board members engaged: share important documents with them, introduce them to key senior staff and connect them with a former board member.  Give them the tools to be effective.

• And finally, review their first year’s participation and set goals for them going forward.

 
Finding Pathways for Continuing Board Service

• Four ways to refocus their engagement – lead as an experienced board member, choose to serve as an officer, serve an additional term or ending their service on a high note.

• Lead – raise the bar on efforts, take an expanded leadership role, and thoughtful engagement.

• Serve as an officer – or serve as a committee chair.  This is a great way for you to see growth in a board member and where they might end up down the road.  It’s important to determine if that board member has the capacity to serve and whether it’s a good fit or not. They had a slide that had the four attributes that Mike feels is needed to be an officer; Capacity, Fortitude, Skills and Passion.

• Serve an additional term – as a general rule, our board members serve two-year terms, renewable for up to three times.  If it’s not a good fit, maybe it’s time to say thank you for your service to that board member that just hasn’t engaged with the program of work of the chamber.

• Ending on a high note – be thoughtful and purposeful when working with your board members who are ending their volunteering.  This will ensure a positive experience which in turn will help you with continuity moving forward and still have the support of that retiring board member.

 
Past Presidents & Chairmen Can Be a Powerful Resource (or missed opportunity)

• They have the knowledge of your organization from their experience and it’s important to keep them involved in some capacity without them overpowering the work of the current board.

• I’ve written about this in the past, do you have a quarterly meeting with your past chairmen? They no longer have a dog in the fight and can give good counsel on programs that you might want to sunset – (think sacred cows).

• Ambassador role – fundraising, awards committee, ribbon cuttings, etc.  What a great way to have a past chairman serve in these roles and it shows the community the importance you’ve put on this program of work.  That’s a win/win for both them and you!

For more information on Cathi Hight go HERE or for Mike Gellman go HERE.

Create a Positive Board Experience

This is the third in a four-part series, based on the book, Stop The Non-Profit Board Blame Game, by Hardy Smith.

The book is segmented into four parts and this post addresses the title of this post and is part III of the book.
 
This section of the book rightly so addresses the importance of relationships between the CEO and the board and board members with their board member peers.
 
And what’s the best way to build these relationships?  Open, honest and transparent communications with board members.  For me, I personally don’t feel there is such a thing as over communicating.
 
Hardy goes on to discuss the role of recognition and appreciation of your board members, as well as, making sure your volunteers have a positive experience.
 
He finishes this section of the book by highlighting the importance of knowing your board members, board engagement and ways to achieve board diversity.  And he’s not just talking about gender and race.

For a previous post on Board Relations and Leadership go HERE.
 
For more information on Hardy Smith, you can go to his website HERE.

Get the Right People

This is the second in a four-part series, based on the book, Stop The Non-Profit Board Blame Game, by Hardy Smith.

The book is segmented into four parts and this post addresses the title of the blog and is part II of the book.
 
There’s been a lot written on this subject matter, including previously on this blog HERE, over the years.

Hardy discusses practical ways of getting the right people on your board by recruiting with purpose and process.  I would suggest this is the most important part of having a successful and functioning board.
 
I’ll also suggest, as the CEO, you should have a role in the nominating process.  And remember, these decisions, good or bad, typically come with a six-year consequence.  For a previous blog post on nominating committees go HERE.

He goes on to give great practical advice for your board recruiting process.  He addresses why board prospects say yes or say no.  He finishes this part of the book with a chapter titled, Have the Money Talk.
 
My take on the recruiting process for potential board members, and I’ve said it before for years, you want their passion, their intellect, and their money!
 
For more information on Hardy Smith, you can go to his website HERE.

Break the Cycle of Dysfunctional Board Relationships

This is the first in a four-part series, based on the book, Stop the Nonprofit Board Blame Game by Hardy Smith.

The book is segmented into four parts and this post addresses the title above.

Hardy talks about setting expectations for board members.  Do they know what their role is as a board member?  Do you have a job description for your potential new board members?
 
In my opinion, and noted in previous posts, it’s a must!  Go HERE and HERE for two posts, on the subject of job descriptions, for your board.

He also discusses that the frustration can be from both sides, the staff and the volunteers.
 
Based on his research with volunteers, he’s identified seven categories of the biggest criticisms of board members; communication, expecting too much, conflict with staff, conflict within the board, wasted time, lack of organization and the wrong people.
 
While that’s a lot to unpack, his book gives practical advice on how to address each.

He finishes this section with a discussion on finding out why members say yes or no to serving on a nonprofit board.

For more information on Hardy Smith, you can go to his website HERE.

Keeping Your Board Focused on Their Responsibilities (and not yours)

The following are my notes from a recent Institute for Organization Management webinar led by faculty member Claire Louder, IOM, CAE, MP, Louder Nonprofit Strategies, LLC.

She started out with the question.  “Are your board members wanting to get more involved in your chamber?”
 
If your board members lack direction, that can result in disfunction, including but not limited to, micromanagement, rogue committees or special projects just to name a few.
 
Six Keys to Success to keep you on track.
 

1. Strong Bylaws – gives you structure and lays out the roles and responsibilities of your board on what they should and should not do.
2. Board Orientation – setting expectations upfront will pay dividends down the road.  And I’m a fan of repeating these expectations on a regular basis.  The things to focus on would be roles and responsibilities, and what I call the big three fiduciary responsibility – Duty of Care, Duty of Loyalty and Duty of Obedience.  Go HERE for a previous blog post on that subject.
3. Strategic Plan with Big Goals – keep your board out of the weeds and keep them focused on the big issues facing your business members and communities.  Your plan should drive your board meetings and keep them focused.  You could focus on one or two of your goals per meeting.  She did not suggest reviewing all each meeting.
4. New Chairman Orientation – I would expand this to having a yearly orientation with your current chairman and your incoming chairman at the same time.  This will give you continuity through the transition.  Board sets policy, staff implements that policy.
5. Open Board Chairman Communications – regular communications is a key component to a successful relationship with your chairman.  I call this the “no surprises” rule.  Your chairman should never hear about something related to the chamber by someone other than you first!  Commitment to a communication plan and stick with it.  It could be once a week, every other week or once a month.  Find out if this is a phone call, email, or in-person meeting.  I’ve suggested in the past about creating memorandum of understanding – you can go HERE for that blog post.
6. Succession Planning – every chamber should have a succession plan in place.  A communication strategy on notifying the proper stakeholders is key (i.e., staff, members, and the community at large).  How are you identifying your next volunteer leader?  I suggest use your committees as a training ground for future leadership on the board.

 
Speaking of succession planning, I suggest you have one for the CEO too.  CEO’s leave for a number of reasons but the big three are retirement, left for a new job or were relieved of their duty.  Your chamber does not want to be caught off guard no matter which of the above three caused the change and be seen as floundering until a new person is hired.  Go HERE for more detail on creating a succession plan for the CEO.
 
Claire ended with the comment “keep your board focused on the big issues,” they will thank you!

For more resources on board management go HERE and HERE.

The Making of an Esteemed Board Chair

This was a fascinating session from the recent virtual ASAE Annual Meeting.

The discussion was led by Tom Dolan and Mark Engle, both longtime association executive CEO’s.
 
They started off by identifying the characteristics of three problem chairs:

1. Power Grab Board Chair – be careful, they will go rogue on you.
2. Entitled Board Chair – they spend the chamber’s money, at the best restaurant, expensive venue for the board retreat, and they think they can push things through when the board has already voted it down in the past.
3. Speaker for Life Board Chair – they stay around and continue to insert themselves in board activities.

 
After that discussion, they delved into the ways you can have an esteemed board chair.
 

• Minimize the level of disfunction.
• Keep the board at the theory level.
• Build a partnership between you and Board Chair.

 
They talked about the role of the CEO and how they need to bring the board chair along on major issues the organization may be facing.  If there is bad news, you need to let the board chair hear it from you and not from someone else.  I call this the “no surprises” please rule of management, at any level.
 
They went on to give tips on how to build a relationship with your new board chair:

• Find out how your board chair wants to communicate with you?
• Go over the issues and policies facing the chamber on a regular basis.
• Remind them of the role between the chairman and staff.  Let them know that 90 percent of staff time is to keep the doors open.
• Have dinner the night before the board meeting to go over any last-minute items.
• And don’t forget to meet with the new chair-elect as soon as possible.  Begin by establishing open communications with your chair-elect.  They’ll be your chairman in a year!

At the end of the day, build a relationship with your board chair and make sure there are no surprises by communicating with them on a regular basis.  And remember, communicate with them the way they want to have those communications.
 
A final nugget of information they said, "any board member can become chair."  Be mindful of that and keep track of who would make a good future board chair and who would not!