Working from Within: Your Board of Directors Heather M. Burton November 8, 2011

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Your Partner in Dialogue (and why me…)

Heather Burton

• Product Marketing Director w/Sage

• Board, BookSpring Past president, held officer roles for 4+ yrs Responsible for performance evaluation process, staff dev.

• 10+ years working for/with nonprofits United Way, Hospice, Social Service Agency

• Charity Channel Chapter Author “All A-Board”

• Special interest in leadership and developing people

• Favorite food: Pizza (unfortunately)

• Twitter handle: @heathermburton

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Who I work for…

Over 32,000 Unique Not-For-Profit Customers in North America

6.2 Million Customers Worldwide

3rd largest ERP solution provider to businesses worldwide

The Sage Group, plc. (London: SGE.L)

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Dream Team

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Current Reality

Bridging the Gaps

Nonprofit Lifecycle

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Dream Team

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Basic roles, responsibilities

Define, protect and advance the mission

Organizational ambassadors

Safeguard assets (human, financial ,property)

Recruit, hire, support & review the ED

Ensure adequate resources to carry out the mission

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Oh, the places we could go…

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What does your dream

board look like?

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We are a mix of leaders,

“do-ers”, and connectors

We put our money

where our mouth is

We’re movers and

shakers!

We’re passionate!

We are responsible

and responsive

We make the time and have the energy

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Dream Team

2 Nonprofit Lifecycle

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Stages of a Nonprofit

Start-Up (Incubation)

Adolescent (Growing)

Mature (Stability)

Decline (Stagnation)

Adapted from: The 5 Life Stages of Nonprofits, Judith Sharken

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Organization vs. Board

Mode Organization Board Start-Up Establish programs, secure

funding, prove viability Hands-on, operational, focused on mission/program delivery

Adolescence Additional paid staff, grow community awareness

Less day-to-day, various committee formation to fill staffing gaps

Mature Strategic growth, improved operations, diverse fundraising

Shift to governance/strategy focus. Fundraising and board recruitment become priority

Decline Shift in community needs, loss of funding, lack of strategy or vision

Disengaged board or disagreement on organizational future, high-turn over

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Start-Up (Incubation)

Adolescent (Growing)

Mature (Stability)

Decline (Stagnation)

Trick is in the Transition

Clarify board member roles, responsibilities Create formal governance structure

Formalize board recruitment process Develop orientation & mentor program Focus on policies

Institute an annual board evaluation Enhance board fundraising capacity Enhance board committee structure

Re-energize or develop new board Explore partnerships with others

Engage third party to mediate conflicts

Adapted from: The 5 Life Stages of Nonprofits, Judith Sharken

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Dream Team

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Current Reality

Bridging the Gaps

Nonprofit Lifecycle

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What are your current board

pains?

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Common Complaints Lack of participation,

engagement

Lack of understanding

Forgetfulness

Lack of time

Great ideas, no follow through

Over commitment

Weak leadership

Founder Syndrome

Drama/Gossip

Stray from the core

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Here’s where it gets fun…

In which stage is your organization?

Do your board pains map to a transition stage?

Is your “dream team” in alignment with your stage?

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From my view…. (Perspective)

Uncertain job market or loss of job

Family demands

Little time, but want to contribute in a meaningful way

Not my only interest/passion

Don’t want another full-time “job”

Do take responsibilities seriously

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From your view…. (Perspective)

You’ve agreed to serve on the board

Many hands make for light work

The organization needs your expertise

Give it, get it, or get off

Difficult to serve many masters with many personalities

Do appreciate that you are volunteers

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Dream Team

2

Current Reality

Bridging the Gaps

Nonprofit Lifecycle

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The best executive is the one who has sense enough to pick good men [women]

to do what he [she] wants done, and self-restraint to keep from

meddling with them while they do it.

- Theodore Roosevelt

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True leadership is rare, even in

for-profit organizations.

Leadership is not about title,

it’s about action.

Leaders care about people

first, and believe that everything else falls into

place

Great leaders in one life cycle

may not be suitable for the

next. Leaders are willing to make the tough calls, but explain why.

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Board Leadership The right leaders at the right stage make all the difference

Inspire, set the tone, and set an example

Comfortable with tension

Willing to challenge and be challenged

Manage to the stage of your organization

Able to balance short-term vs. long-term decisions

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Find your superstars Sometimes leaders come from unlikely places Support board members to take roles that grow them – Sometimes the “day job” isn’t what they’d like to do

Don’t make assumptions Enforce succession planning

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Right roles for the right people…

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On-boarding Example

Board Approval

Attend x board events

Visit x programs

Meeting with board dev chair

Committee alignment

Financial pledge

Assigned a “buddy”

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60 Minutes is too short! 43 Authors, Brilliant! Nominated for the 21st Annual Terry

McAdam Book Award of the Alliance for Nonprofit Management

Bob Carter, chair-elect for the Association

of Fundraising Professionals (AFP), writes, "This is surely the book I wish I had decades ago."

To purchase YOU and Your Nonprofit go to

this link: http://bit.ly/iHpQoP – My referral fees will be donated back to BookSpring (www.bookspring.org)

More about Board Engagement!

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If I’ve Done Nothing Else… Expectations vs. stage of organization

Find your superstars

Push with patience, but be willing to be pushed

Incremental, sustainable change

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Thank You!

Heather Burton, Sage Nonprofit Solutions

heather.burton@sage.com