Kick-off EventOctober 22, 2010

Haas School of BusinessUC Berkeley

Welcome

Nora Silver, Director and Adjunct Professor, Center for Nonprofit and Public Leadership

Evin Guy, Project Coordinator, Center for Nonprofit and Public Leadership

Jake Saperstein and Jean Lu, MBA 2011, Net Impact co-Vice Presidents

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A Sampling of Board Fellow Organizations

Leadership High School

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The Center

The Center for Nonprofit and Public Leadership prepares next-generation leaders to – found, lead, manage and govern in the

social sector– creatively innovate and collaborate

across sectors– and create winning solutions that produce

social impact

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Kick-off Agenda

• 3:10-3:15 Welcome

• 3:15-3:25 Purpose and Program Components

• 3:25-3:45 Activity: Fellow and Mentor Introductions

• 3:45-4:00 Introduction to Board Governance and

Resources

• 4:00-4:20 Lessons from experienced board

members

• 4:20-4:50 Panel with Q&A

• 5:50-5:00 Closing

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Purpose

Fellows

•Work at the highest level of an organization with dynamic and experienced board members

•Understand governance and develop valuable governance skills

•Gain an understanding of the intersection of the business and nonprofit sector

•Learn leadership skills

•Make an impact on your local community

Organizations

•Gain new skills and a fresh perspective

•Leverage Haas MBA/graduate student skills

•Develop skills in recruiting and working with young professional board members

•Mentor future social sector leaders

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Program Year (October – May)

Board Fellows Student and Organization Guides nonprofit.haas.berkeley.edu Board Fellows student resource portal (in process) Feedback via mid-point check-ins and end of year evaluations

Attendance at monthly board meetings

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Fellow Commitment

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Sample of Past Projects

STRATEGY• Strategic plan for leveraging social networking technology• Feasibility study of a new service• Development plan for recruiting next generation board members

FINANCE• Financial analysis of underperforming programs• Financial sustainability model to determine fundraising needs• Financial reporting development

MARKETING• Brand audit • Market research • Analysis of the organization’s

value to clients

OTHER• Program evaluation • Implementation plan for an alumni association• New online fundraising tool• Progress reporting tools to inform the board on a major organizational overhaul

This was a tremendously valuable experience for our board. Our Fellow provided much needed research and analysis of our situation to jumpstart us and helped to move us in the right direction. We really benefitted from an outside expert.

— Seewan EngFormer Board Chair

Leadership High School

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Nonprofit Board Commitment

MentorGuide and coach the

fellow

IntroduceProvide a formal introduction

to the organization, the board, and its work

IntegrateInclude the fellow in all

board meetings and connect with key

board/staff/stakeholders

EncourageEncourage the fellow to

actively contribute his/her perspective

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Activity: Fellow and Mentor Introductions

Board Fellows Mentors/Organizational

RepresentativesNameProgram yearProfessional

background/InterestsFuture career goals

NameTitle/Affiliation Professional

backgroundDescription of your

organization and boardBoard meetings and

other key events Define goals and communications plan (how will you communicate during the year?) What do you hope to gain from this experience?11

Introduction to Governance – Why do Boards Exist?

• Hold organization “in trust” for the community– Protect donors– Prevent nonprofit executive abuse

• Trustees of the organization– Legal duties of care (prudent person),

loyalty (put organization first), obedience (faithful to mission)

– Substitute for shareholders, customers, competition

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7 Board Member Responsibilities

1. Determine the organization’s mission and purpose

2. Ensure effective organizational planning and evaluation

3. Ensure adequate resources and manage resources effectively

4. Determine and monitor the organization’s programs and services

5. Represent the organization to the community, enhancing the organization’s public image

6. Develop the board and its members, and assess board performance

7. Select and support the executive

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Board Fellow Best Practices

• Focus on big priorities and long-term strategic issues

• Board acts as a whole• Question, discuss, debate, decide• Prepare and learn• Contribute and influence• Accountability• 8-10 hours/month

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How Board Fellows Add Value

• Skills and expertise• Teamwork• Ask and speak up• Fresh set of eyes• Prepare• New contacts

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Types of Boards Organizing Board

– Small, homogeneous, informal – committed to purpose– “leading boards” and “following boards”

Governing Board– larger and more diverse board– committees become important– shared authority between board and staff: board chair and

executive director are principal leaders– assumes responsibility for organization– transition to governing board takes at least 3 years and a lot of

staff time Institutional Board

– very large (35-60 or more)– more prestigious -- includes large donors or those with access

to funders– accepts the responsibility of fundraising– delegates governance to executive committee

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Resources

•http://www.boardcafe.org •http://www.boardsource.org•http://www.bridgespan.org. •http://www.compasspoint.org/boardbasics•http://www.eriskcenter.org.

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Lessons From Experienced Board Members

• What do you wish you had known when you first joined a board?

• What advice would you give new Board Fellows?

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Panel

• Bob Miller, MBA 1967– Board Mentor, Alameda County Foster Youth

Alliance

• David Reimer, Haas Executive in Residence– Board Mentor, Destiny Arts Center

• Chris Grapes, MBA 2011– 2009-2010, Rubicon– 2010-2011, Envision Schools

• Jason Dolan, MBA 2011 – 2009-2010 Oakland Small Schools Foundation

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