Questions Board Members Should Ask

Posted on May 20, 2012 by

The board of directors for a nonprofit organization plays an important role in leading the organization to fulfill its mission.  Yes, there are steps you can take towards board leadership and things you should know before you join a nonprofit board, but what about once you are on a board? Now what?

I believe it is important for board members to be engaged and discuss issues facing the nonprofit organization.  As a leader of the nonprofit organization, you are in a position to start a dialogue about issues that are important to the organization’s viability and success in fulfilling its mission.  You should not just “assume” that someone else is providing appropriate oversight; it is important for you to ask questions and get answers, so you can fulfill your duty as a board member. And don’t think you are the only person curious about asking something…chances are, if you have a question, others on the board do as well.

Here are some questions that you, as a board member, can consider asking:

Financial:

  • Is our organization financially stable, and how did we determine if the organization is or is not financially stable?
  • What are the organization’s sources of revenue and are they sufficient to meet our needs?  Is there a need to diversify or seek new revenue sources?
  • Are the appropriate checks and balances in place to prevent fraud, and have those procedures been reviewed by an outside auditor?
  • What can I do to support the organization’s fundraising efforts?
  • Who is responsible for filing the organization IRS 990, tax return?
  • I don’t understand “XYZ” on the financial statements, can someone explain it to me?

Operational:

  • What is the nominating process for new board leadership?
  • Do we have a conflict of interest policy and are we abiding by it?
  • Is the nonprofit organization involved in any pending lawsuits or legal issues?
  • When was the last times our bylaws were revised and is it time to review them again?

Human Resources:

  • What benefits do we offer our employees, and are those appropriate?
  • How does the board evaluate the executive director?
  • How are the salaries determined for our employees?
  • Do we have appropriate policies in place for our employees including a sexual harassment policy, time off (sick, PTO, vacation) policy, drug and alcohol policy, safety policy, whistle blower policy, and disciplinary policy?

Program Implementation:

  • How does “XYZ program” help us in fulfilling our mission?
  • How do we measure success for our organization in fulfilling our mission?
  • Are there any grant requirements that our organization must fulfill in implementing “XYZ program”?

Asking questions and starting a dialogue on issues important to the nonprofit is one way you can fulfill your duties as a board member.  No question is silly or stupid.  And you are not “out of line” for wanting to learn more and better understand the nonprofit organization.  Asking questions can help strengthen the organization, and the answers to the questions will increase your ability to lead the organization.

Most importantly, as a board member: Don’t be afraid to ask questions!

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My dream resume

Posted on April 22, 2012 by

For those who know me, you are aware that sometimes I am an over-planner.  Whether it is for an event at work, or planning out the weekend with my family… I am a big time planner.

One way to illustrate my over-planning was what I did as I sat in my apartment after a long day at my first job in the nonprofit sector.  Most “normal” people might have read a book after work, gone for a walk or even watched a movie.  But, not me…. I was playing around with my resume.  I was very happy with my current job and had no intention of leaving it, but I started to plan for the future and what I would want on my resume to help me secure that future job.

So, I started building my dream resume…the resume that I would use to land my dream job. It started with my current resume of experience in the nonprofit sector.  Then, I started adding in things I hoped to achieve… such as earning a masters degree, completing fundraising courses at Indiana University, earning my CFRE certification, more leadership roles in community organizations, and my dream job – executive director of a nonprofit organization.

I also started looking at job postings for future jobs I’d be interested in, to see what types of minimum requirements they were looking for to fill those roles.  I made sure all those minimum requirements were included on my dream resume. My dream resume served as a roadmap for me of things I hoped to achieve to advance my career.

I smile now, as I reflect back on my “dream resume” that I developed nearly 10 years ago… I’ve been blessed with more opportunities than I could have dreamed for at that time.  But, it wasn’t an accident… I was focused on setting goals and taking the steps necessary to achieve those goals and make them my reality.  I was intentional in knowing what I wanted to do, and knowing what I needed to do to make it happen.

I urge you to also think about where you are going with your career.  Where do you want to be in 5 or 10 years?  What do you need to do now to start preparing yourself to be ready for those opportunities when they are available to you?  If your dream job requires a certification or advanced degree, what can you do to work towards that, so you are positioned as an ideal candidate for that job in the future?

The dream resume was a tool that worked for me, but whatever tool you use, enjoy dreaming about the future and then recognize the steps you need to take to make that dream a reality… just be sure to be flexible as new opportunities come your way that are even beyond what you planned for!

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Posted in Young Professional | Tagged , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Counting

Posted on April 12, 2012 by

Last year, we engaged in a strategic planning process at our organization.  As the strategic planning committee focused on strategies to meet community needs, we had a discussion about how we should measure our progress towards our goals. We discussed measuring the number of families served, the amount of dollars raised and the number of volunteer hours, among other things.

During the discussion, one of the committee members quoted Albert Einstein and said “Not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted.”  Agreeing with this comment, and needing a reminder of that myself, I wrote it down on the flip chart.  After the meeting, I taped it to the back of my office door… and every time I close my door, I am reminded of the concept.

Tonight, I had the opportunity to attend a dinner where Clive Rainey was the keynote speaker.  Clive has been a volunteer with Habitat for Humanity since its founding, and served over 30 years on staff with Habitat International.  He shared stories he witnessed of families who’s lives were touched by Habitat.

He, too, spoke of the fact that “Not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted.”  Clive reminded us to think of the lives that have been transformed from living in Habitat homes.  Yes, Habitat for Humanity can count the number of homes built (which is now over 500,000), but there is much more than that… there are lives changed in ways that you can’t put a number on.

How can you put a number on the fact that because a child had a stable home to live in, he was the first in his family to graduate from college? Or the story of a young boy who volunteered on a Habitat house and now is pursing his college degree in construction management? Or the health benefits for the family that is no longer living in a mold infested home? They are so much more than merely a number that can be counted.

So yes, as you strive to quantify the success of a nonprofit organization, it is important to establish metrics and use evaluation tools to gauge the impact of the organization.  This week, I completed our organization’s quarterly dashboard on the progress towards the goals of our strategic plan; it is filed with stats and numbers on our progress.  By tracking these measurable items, our organization is able to track our progress towards fulfilling our goals.

But let us not forget that the work we do is so much greater than just the numbers. Yes, our organization can count many ways that we are making a difference, but that only starts to tell the story of the impact we are making… we must also remember the stories that go beyond the numbers.

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Posted in Evaluation, Habitat for Humanity | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments