What Are You Going to Stop Doing?

We need to ask this question more often.

It doesn’t have to be at the end of each year. It could be at your next board meeting.

Remember, we can't be all things to all people.

Do your chamber a favor, go back five years and right write down all the new programs or initiatives you’ve started on the left side of a sheet of paper.

Now write down all the things you’ve stop doing on the right side of that same sheet of paper.

I’ll bet that the left side has a lot more items than the left. Why? Like our peers across the country they’ve had five new chairmen each with their own special project that they support.

In fact, we’re doing more with less. We’re on that conveyer belt of life. Doing the same thing over and over because that’s the way we’ve always done it.

I challenge you to add more items to the right side of the sheet. It may allow your chamber to appropriate the proper resources to the programs you decide to keep and they may become more successful.

Not only should you review what the chamber should stop doing but what are you personally going to stop doing to free up your time and burnout?

I fall in the same trap you do. I feel I must read every email, article or book for work. Well, you don’t need to read them all, just the important ones.

Your homework assignment, identify which important thing you need to focus on and put the rest in the circular file.

It’s liberating!

Keys to Holding Effective Board/Committee Meetings

Board meetings, committee meetings or task force meetings, it doesn’t matter, they should all be conducted in the same manner.

All meetings should start on time. They should be done at a venue that is conducive to conducting a business meeting (i.e., AV, room set-up, etc.) and don’t forget the refreshments.

The key to a well-run meeting starts with a well thought out agenda. Your agenda should be a product created by the board chair and the chief staff executive.

The agenda should have a timeline attached to each item, it should include a consent calendar and clearly identify if there are any action items that need to be addressed.

Remember, you don’t have to discuss every item at every board meeting. Here’s a sample agenda to get you started and should be completed in one hour:

• Introduction/Roll Call (5 minutes)
• Approval of the minutes (5 minutes)
• Chairman’s Report (5 minutes)
• Mega issue discussion (40 minutes)
• Consent Calendar (approval of the consent calendar takes no time)

1. Finance Committee Report
2. Government Relations Committee Report
3. Education Committee Report
4. Leadership Committee Report
5. Membership Committee Report
6. Foundation Report

• Other (5 minutes)
• Adjournment (date of the next meeting)

Please note that the committee reports under the consent calendar could be a full agenda item at any meeting.

It all depends on the time of year and what those standing committees are working on and whether there is a need for board approval (i.e., taking a position on a legislative matter, endorsing a candidate, etc.).

It should also be noted that any item on the consent calendar can be pulled off and discussed at the full board meeting.

Having said that, the more items you can put under the consent agenda, the smoother your board meetings will go. And, stick to the times you’ve attached to each item.

Good luck with your next board meeting!

For a comprehensive overview of a board chair and board member best practices packet by the nonprofit alliance at the Kellogg Community College go HERE.

New Board Member Orientation

Are you conducting a board orientation each year for your new members?

If not, you should.

Each year we welcome up to one third new members to our boards.

It doesn’t take long (three to six years, depending on your board terms) before you have a completely new board (not counting your executive committee).

I believe it’s imperative to keep all board members on the same page and a new board member orientation is a great way to do that.

Your orientation should be prior to their first board meeting and should contain all the relevant collaterals that paint a picture of the chamber and the organizations work. Some of those materials might be:

• Chamber Bylaws;
• Board member job description;
• Board minutes from the past year;
• The chamber’s last annual report and audited financial statement;
• Strategic Plan;
• Dates of all upcoming board meetings and major events for the year;
• A current list of all board members and their terms; and
• A scorecard to measure board member involvement.

These are just a few suggestions. It’s important that you add what works best for your chamber. Setting the expectation up front concerning your board members involvement in the organization is just good business.

An informed board member will be an active board member.

Start that new board member orientation today!

For a list of best practices of board member orientations go HERE.  For an anatomy of a board orientation from Bob Harris, CAE go HERE.

And for one more great resource on board orientations by The Bridgespan Group go HERE.

Storyboarding: A Useful Tool in Strategic Planning

Do you want a tool that will allow every board member to participate equally in your next strategic planning process?

How many times do we allow a couple of people who take control of a board meeting and set a course that may or may not be the prudent thing to do.

Use storyboarding to get everybody’s participation.

The storyboarding process, in the form it is known today, was developed at the Walt Disney Studio during the early 1930s.

Simply put, storyboards are a graphic illustration of images or thoughts laid out in a sequence or prioritizing order.

One advantage of using storyboards with your chamber is that you can change and priortize your thoughts in real-time and get the reaction of all board members in a timely manner.

The storyboarding process is a great way to facilitate feedback and suggestions from all members of your board based on their vision for the chamber’s program of work and how it should align with your mission.

This process will generate a number of ideas that you may not currently have on your radar screen.

It is imperative that you prioritize your storyboard on what your chamber has the resources to implement from the strategic planning process today and in the years ahead.

Good luck!

For more information on using storyboarding at your next board retreat by Stephen Tweed go HERE.

SWOT Analysis: Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats

A SWOT analysis is a very good way to periodically gauge whether your chamber is on the right path.

Done right, it’s a valuable tool that should be used during your strategic planning process.

• Strengths – what you do well, the best part of your programs.

• Weaknesses – what you don’t do well, areas where you can improve on your programs.

• Opportunities – where you can make incremental or wholesale improvements to your programs to increase member value and possible growth.

• Threats – what outside forces are having on the success or failure of your programs.

Hire a third party (current or former chamber executive you trust) to conduct a planning retreat for your board and then do the following:

• Conduct a SWOT analysis on each of your programs (i.e., annual meeting, monthly luncheon, afterhours networking and Leadership Program to name a few;
• Identify what you should keep doing and what you should stop doing;
• Prioritize what you have identified that you should keep doing;
• Assign the resources to be successful; and
• Create a review process (scorecard) to measure how you’re doing as you move forward.

Remember, a SWOT analysis is just one tool in a comprehensive review of your programs, albeit, a very important tool!

For tips on conducting a successful SWOT analysis go HERE.

Financial Audits: Are They Worth It?

Yes. Yes, they can be expensive.

But you should conduct one anyway. It can protect you and the board. Think of it as insurance.

Get a full audit by an established accounting firm, not a financial review.

What gets executives fired in today’s environment?

It’s been said again and again, getting crossways with the board, a board member, or a financial reason. A regularly scheduled financial audit is a great way to take the latter issue off the table.

Wouldn't it be nice to have a third party make a statement that you’re running a financially sound organization?

There’s no reason for you not to do a financial audit. Get your organization’s financials in order.

Get that financial audit today!

For a great resource on financial audits for nonprofits go HERE.

Board Retreat: Set Your Priorities

Are you using your annual Board Retreat to move your organization to the future or just recapping what you’ve done in the past?

Take your Board Retreat seriously!

Do your homework, set the agenda and conduct that retreat to position your chamber for the future.

You and the Board have a chance to reset your priorities and deliver value to your members with the retreat process. Your members expect it from its leaders.

The following is a process you might want to consider before you conduct your next Board Retreat.

• Homework - work with a small set of your volunteers to gather important information on your organization (i.e., revenue, evaluations, etc. on what programs your member’s value). The more data points you have on your chamber, the better. It’s important to have good data so your board can make good decisions!

• Set the Agenda - work with your chairman and incoming chairman to set the agenda. Outline what questions you want answered by your volunteer leaders and work it into the agenda. The key is to have a real dialogue on the important issues your board has identified for further discussion.

• The Retreat - I personally like using a version of storyboarding in finalizing the priorities of the board, which includes input from every board member.

But first, set the stage (3rd party person to facilitate the retreat process is fine – it could be a chamber exec from a neighboring town) that way he or she will not be viewed as steering the conversation in any one direction.

Let’s get started!

Identify all the programs, products or services your chamber is currently involved in or wants to be involved in that needs review. Do this by breaking into groups of six. Each member of the group should write on a 5x7 index card a statement on the specific program of work being analyzed to determine its priority within the overall work of the chamber.

The following is a sample of program areas that you may want to review:

• Government Affairs
• Educational Programs (be specific – annual meeting, monthly luncheon, after hours networking, etc.)
• Your Chamber Leadership Program
• Etc.

The following is an example of the review process:

Let’s pick Government Affairs for our first review. Once you’ve broken into groups of six, ask each group to come up with three to five things the chamber should focus its resources on within Government Affairs. Each group should identify a spokesperson to discuss the group’s statements on what the chamber should be engaged in, as it relates to Government Affairs and then those statements are posted on the wall with a 5x7 index card.

The following list of statements is an example of what your groups might come up with:

• The chamber should be engaged in advocating at the local, state and federal level on behalf of our business members (could be one, two or all three).
• The chamber should create a PAC.
• The chamber should endorse local, state and federal candidates.
• The chamber should conduct quarterly candidate forums.
• The chamber should create a separate grassroots website/database.
• The chamber should work closely with the state chamber on issues affecting our business members.
• The chamber should create a weekly/monthly GR newsletter that is sent to the entire membership.
• Conduct a legislative fly-in at the state capitol or Washington, D.C.

Once all the 5x7 index cards are on the wall, now it’s time to ask each board member to take their colored dots (if you want the top three priorities – you give each board member three dots) and tell them to put a dot next to the initiative they feel are the most important. Once they’ve posted their dots on their top priorities, they sit down. Once the entire board votes (with dots) you’ve got your results.

Please note there should be no talking or lobbying for any initiative over the other while the voting process is going on. It will become very clear which three initiatives the board wants the chamber to focus its resources.

The beauty of this process is that everybody has an equal vote. No one board member can suck the air out of the room or dominate the discussion.

The results can be fascinating and it will represent the will of the entire board not just a select few members, or your current chairman.

Now repeat the process for each of the program areas of work your volunteers have identified with your board leadership (examples given above).

When you’ve completed your Board Retreat, it’s important to communicate your results to the entire chamber membership through multiple communication channels (direct mail, newsletter, magazine, website, social media, etc.).

Good luck!