BOARD 2.0NEW TOOLS FOR CREATING A VIBRANT, ENGAGED, AND ENERGIZED BOARD OF DIRECTORS IN THE 21ST CENTURY!

Presented by

Andrew Marietta, Regional Manager, CNY OfficeValerie Venezia, VP of Membership & MarketingThe Council of Community Services of NYS, Inc.

www.ccsnys.org

GOALS:

• What’s old is new again….• Recognize traditional motivating factors for board

engagement• Identify challenges and obstacles to board involvement• Explore traditional methods for overcoming challenges (old

dogs/new tricks)

• What’s new is new too…• Increased use of online tools to:• Identify new motivating factors for board engagement• Recruit board members, orient new members, engage in

dialogue, manage board progress, distribute materials, and on-going assessment board performance.

• What’s old and new can help you...• Identify priority areas that need to be improved and introduce

new methods that will engage and energize your board members.

TRADITIONALLY, WHAT MOTIVATES BOARD SERVICE?

TRADITIONALLY, WHAT KEEPS BOARD MEMBERS “ON THE

BOARD?”

BOARD MEMBERS…

Give:• Time • Community

Perspective• Credibility• Influence• Expertise• Resources

• Directly or Access to “Give, Get or Get Off”?

• Commitment to Excellence

• Care, Obedience & Loyalty

Get:• Personal Satisfaction • Commitment to

Mission, Cause, and Community

• Professional Growth or Networking Opportunities

• Benefit to Employer or Self

• Recognition

HAS THIS HAPPENED TO YOU? A lack of qualified candidates interested in board

service? The Nominations Committee meets for the first time

two month before the annual meeting? New members aren’t meaningfully participating? No one is willing to become President or Treasurer? Members not confirming their attendance in

advance? Problems getting a quorum? Committees not meeting on a regular basis or at all? A few dominate meetings, while some are quiet? Members are voting for something they really don’t

understand (a budget, perhaps)? Inactive members remaining on the board? A lack of consensus on purpose and goals for the

board of directors in general?

ARE YOU READY?

How is your board currently organized to do board development?

Have you considered integrating online technologies into your board operations?

FIRST, LET’S DEFINE.WHAT IS BOARD DEVELOPMENT?

The process of creating, maintaining & improving the

functioning, effectiveness & productivity of board leadership &

governance.

TYPICAL CHARGES FOR A BOARD DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE

Develop strategic goals (short and long term) Analyze strengths and weaknesses organizationally

and requirements needed to meet set goals Regularly review board & officer job descriptions,

qualifications & performance expectations/standards Manage communications with existing board members

& officers re: renewal of terms, retirement, etc. Plan for leadership succession:

Recruit & nominate Design & implement orientation Encourage & coordinate ongoing development & training

opportunities Monitor & make recommendations with respect to

ethical conduct Review bylaws and make recommendations (regarding

the recruitment, nominations or skills analysis process)

ALWAYS LOOKING

• What are the biggest challenges you experience finding board members?

• What have been your most successful strategies identifying new board members & why?

HOW CAN ONLINE TECHNOLOGY HELP YOUR BOARD?

• Connect to a group of citizens who are already engaged in and knowledgeable about your mission

• Provide a channel of open communication regarding needs your board has for particular expertise area

• Provide user friendly application/nomination process• Provide easily accessible board orientation • Provide a consistent, accessible platform to share

information about meetings, minutes, ask questions, etc.

• Provide a vehicle for on-going dialogue, community exchange, and project management

• Venue to survey board members for feedback on appropriate policy issues

IT’S A CYCLE….

Connect to those who care about your cause… They are out there!

Recruit them.. If they already know you, it’s much easier

Inform and educate… How much of my time will this take?

Orient to your board process… Robert’s Rules of Order?

Engage in board process… The more ‘user friendly’ the more you will have friendly users!

Assessment Can be on-going and informal

Identify changes, adapt, recruit new members with different skills

CONNECT WITH THOSE WHO CARE ABOUT YOUR CAUSE…

• Social Networking: Create a Group for your organization on Facebook or MySpace. Post board opening, inform interested friends

• Professional Networks (LinkedIn, YNPN): Let your contacts know that your organization is searching

• Google Grant & Google Alerts: Stay • connected

• Idealist: Create a page for your organization and post board openings under volunteer section

• Website: Update your site with board openings, have an ongoing survey for interested board members

• E-mail: Send a Constant Contact message to past donors and volunteers to alert them of the board opening

CONNECT, RECRUIT, INFORM, ORIENT – DO IT ALL ON YOUTUBE!

YouTube: Make a video and post it (with or without creating a customized channel for your organization), Let potential members know why they would want to be a part of your organization, what involvement would entail, how they can learn more (Example).

• Share your passion for the mission

• Tell personal stories about organization’s impact

• Highlight your programs and events

• Show your impact

NOW WHAT?BOARD ORIENTATION, MEETING MANAGEMENT AND FEEDBACK ONLINE. IMMEDIATELY.

Streamline your orientation process by making it virtual

Keep board members organized by giving them access to necessary documents, dates & info

Give board members the tools and info they need to fulfill their roles and responsibilities

ORIENTATION TOOLS

• Welcoming, inclusive participatory environment• Training

• In-person orientation to board service• Webinar• Screencasts (Camtasia)• One-to-one meeting with leadership and staff

• Pre-board service • Board Mentor or “buddy” system• Annual Retreat • Access to Board Community online• Access to Board Resources• Access to virtual Board Manual

MAKE YOUR ORIENTATION MANUAL VIRTUAL (AND ACCESSIBLE)!

• Organization history/background• Strategic Plan• Governance documents (bylaws, other)• Official mission and approved marketing message(s)• Complete fiscal information (and summary “in plain

english”) Audited financial statements, IRS Form 990• Budget, typical financial report & investment policies• Program descriptions• Minutes (last 6 months) of board & other committees • Board roster & committee structure• Annual report(s)• Personnel policy & roster• Insurance coverage overview

ENGAGING CURRENT MEMBERS: COMMUNICATION IS KEY

Ongoing, open communication active involvement (not just at board meetings!)

Create an engaged online community Project Management – Online Group and more Blog (post committees’ work) - Discussion Wikis – Share resource

What does your board need? Ask for it! Let board members see responses

Synthesize information and then act on it.

COMMITTEES IN ACTION: EMPOWERED AND MAKING DECISIONS

Schedule meetings when people are available Doodle

Online calendar for committee meetings Google

Online resources for committees Votenet Mycommittee Blog

And the winner is… Surveymonkey

ARE PEOPLE STAYING?MAKE IT REWARDING AND EASY. PEOPLE WILL STAY.

• Respect & use each members’ skills, contacts & time as effectively as possible

• Build structures & processes that are effective & efficient

• Provide growth & leadership development opportunities

• Strengthen working relationships

• Foster ties to mission

RETENTION STRATEGIES

• Leadership stability: succession planning, grooming & mentoring officers and committee chairs

• Support effective communication

• Strategic planning

• Working committee structure

• Express Appreciation, say Thank You!

RETENTION TOOLS

• Board Meeting & Committee Calendar• Use shared Google Calendars to inform of meeting dates and

events• Use E-vite to remind of meetings and confirm attendance

• Board Retreats• Touch base virtually using webinars• SecondLife

• Routine Board Assessment & Training • More accessible trainings online • Self-guided trainings• Online assessment

• Strategic Meeting Agenda• Keep Well-informed – “No Surprises”

• Make minutes & other important documents more accessible by posting online

• Keep board updated by posting to a private blog/ updating through email (Constant Contact, etc)

ARE WE MAKING A DIFFERENCE?ONGOING ASSESSMENT AND CONSTANT CHANGE.

Use online survey tools to: Obtain feedback Assess board composition, structure,

performance and process With SurveyMonkey you can:

Create a survey Gather responses via email Analyze and download the results

KEY AREAS FOR ASSESSING BOARD PERFORMANCE

• Individuals• Attendance (# or %)• Participation/ engagement rating• Influence (activities or results)• Donations (give or get)• Attended training/ development opportunities

• Board• Progress with strategic goals, objectives and

work plans

ASSESSING BOARD STRUCTURE AND PROCESS

Key structural areas to assess• Operational committees• Committee charges• Committee minutes

Key process areas to assess• Minutes• Motions• Strategic Plan

ASSESSING BOARD COMPOSITION

Perform an Assets & Needs Inventory Online

• Knowledge of/commitment to mission & org.

• Talents, Specialized Knowledge & Skills

• Board & Leadership Experience

• Influence, Contacts, etc.

• Diversity & Representation• Ethnic, racial, religious, etc.• Geographic, consumer/community, sector or industry, etc.• Age

WHAT’S NEXT?

Use assessment findings to put needs back out there and recruit based on this information

Stay focused and implement what is realistic

KEY BEST PRACTICES SUMMARY

• Make your first step towards Board 2.0 simple • Create a Board Development Committee to manage these efforts• Set up a Google calendar for your board and committees• Set up a blog and invite your board members• Send an e-vite to your board for your next board meeting• Create a Facebook account for your nonprofit• Set up a Google Group and make your board orientation virtual• Bookmark board and nonprofit resources in Delicious • Develop a board assessment/evaluation with SurveyMonkey• Celebrate board leadership, participation & achievements• Share them online in Facebook, YouTube, and more!

RESOURCES FOR “BOARD 2.0” www.mycommittee.com www.5pmweb.com www.google.com/groups www.google.com/apps http://projects.zoho.com/jsp/home.jsp http://www.basecamphq.com/ www.surveymonkey.com www.youtube.com www.facebook.com www.myspace.com www.linkedin.com www.blogger.com http://www.votenet.com/ http://www.doodle.ch/main.html http://www.techsmith.com/camtasia.asp http://secondlife.com/ http://www.wikispaces.com/ www.evite.com http://delicious.com/valeriev http://delicious.com/amarietta