Much of the subject matter of my previous posts has been
about Board recruitment, development and responsibilities. Here is where I tell you flat out and in no
uncertain terms, where a board can overstep its power and in the most well
meaning way – impede the organization from meeting its mission.
First, I need to talk about leadership. The Board is the governing
body of an organization. They establish
the mission and guidelines. They
recruit, hire and train the executive director. And then, (here’s the hard part folks) they TRUST the executive director to
handle and lead the daily operations of the organization. A board cannot be an effective board if they
get involved in every personnel issue,
marketing and communication pieces, or even each program that is developed. Ever hear the expression, “too many cooks in
the kitchen”?
Think of the board as the heart of the organization. The board sets the tone and rhythm for the
executive director to execute its directives. They help with many tasks – including fund
development, program development, finance, etc.
The board should focus on the big picture and the board members should
focus where their personal talents and skills can most benefit the
organization. At any given time, a board
member can be called on to assist in the writing of a marketing piece, help
with a grant proposal or even offer advice on daily management. Now, here’s the but – BUT, an effective board
with an effective executive director knows that it is not a good use of time or
resources if the ED is not empowered to make decisions and act on those
decisions when necessary.
At
times there can be a temptation for the president or executive director
to rely too heavily on the board as a whole to review printed materials,
critique solicitation letters and approve stewardship correspondence.
There is a
natural inclination to do so, especially when the organization is new
and the
board is in its formative stages. Yet it
is incredibly inefficient in trying to simply get things done. I know of
one
president who had her entire board review, edit and otherwise re-write
each of
three solicitation letters. To say this "gummed up the works" is an
understatement. In addition, the Rule of Thirds came into play: one
third read
and commented on the letter, one third reviewed it and had no comments
whatsoever and the remaining third never remembered seeing it. Needless to say, it wasn't the most effective use of anyone's time.
