The Effective Board Chairperson

Tom Holland, Ph.D., ProfessorUGA Institute for Nonprofit Organizations

andJulie Meehan, MSW, Director

Community Connection of Northeast Georgia

Basic Responsibilities

• Facilitate board meetings: plan agenda, distribute materials in advance, ensure agenda is followed, keep attention on main issues

• Work with committees: appoint members, make sure charges are clear, support committee chairs

• Oversee and conduct evaluations of CEO and board• Ensure communication among board members• Educate board to enhance its effectiveness• Help recruit and orient new members• Solicit annual gifts from every member• Recognize work of members• Keep board attention on preparing for the future of the

organization, focus on long-term initiatives

Some Traits of a Good Chair• Wisdom, thoughtfulness• Willingness to take responsibility• Prior experience in leadership roles• Commitment to organization’s mission and vision• Strong organizational and management skills• Open communication• Welcomes and uses feedback to grow• Unbiased, fair, objective• Supportive of others’ ideas and efforts• Good public speaker• Good listener• Unabashed about asking others for money• Calm and capable in crisis• Sense of humor

Job Description

• Works with CEO, board and its committees to conduct the governance work of the board

• Appoints board volunteers to key positions and ensures clear charges to each

• Leads annual fundraising efforts and sets example with involvement and giving

• Works with board to establish and maintain systems for– Planning for organization’s future, setting priorities– Monitoring organizational performance and setting priorities for

future improvements– Overseeing and evaluating work of the CEO– Overseeing financial affairs– Maintaining effective public relations activities– Ensuring compliance with laws and ethical standards

Learning about the job

• Serve in various roles on the board• Talk to prior chair and those of other boards• Discuss duties and goals with CEO• Ask board members what they are looking for in a

chairperson & how to improve one’s performance• Attend conferences and workshops on the role• Draw upon expert resources, such as

www.boardsource.org and www.bcsgrantproject.weebly.com

Relationship with the CEO

• This partnership is essential for success• Requires continuing attention, accessibility, regular

interactions• Discuss work styles of Chair and CEO• Identify goals for coming year for organization, for board,

and for Chair-CEO relationship• Ensure that board speaks with one voice to CEO about

expectations and assessments• Identify ways to address difficult issues • Make sure there are no surprises• Plan for and cultivate future leaders

Running Board Meetings

• Plan meeting agenda• Keep emphasis on major issues of organizational

directions and policy, not operations• Use “consent agenda” for routine matters• Make sure committees distribute reports in advance and

come with an important policy question for discussion• Do not allow reports to be read in meetings• Ensure that everyone has opportunities for input• Delegate important issues to committees for work• Summarize key points and assignments• Hold brief meeting assessments at end of every meeting

Principles of Meeting Management• Meetings are costly in staff time, so must be productive• Decide specifically what should be accomplished with

meeting• Identify who should attend, based on purpose of meeting• Decide on meeting agenda and work plan (structure, format)• Make sure agenda to engage participants early and actively.

What do you want them to accomplish and why?• By each agenda item, indicate the type of action sought

(decision, vote, brainstorming, assignment) and time estimates for each item

• Make sure agenda items focus on questions of goals and policy, not operations

Managing Meetings II• Invite participants, providing clear statement of meeting

purpose and expectations for participants• Make sure that agenda and background materials are

distributed to participants well in advance of meeting• Open meeting with summary of purposes, making sure

everyone understands expectations and the specific policy questions to be addressed.

• Clarify ground rules (such as participate actively, stay focused on topic, maintain momentum, get to closure)

• Make sure someone takes notes and distributes them• Clarify own role in meeting; model the behavior you want

others to follow

Managing Meetings III• Manage the time carefully, keep the process moving• Make sure that extraverts don’t crowd out the introverts by

calling on silent ones and reminding those who have spoken• Ask participants to help you keep track of time• If time gets out of hand, ask participants for input on

resolution• Do periodic checks on satisfaction, suggestions• Check your conclusions with group on conclusions and

delegated tasks• Leave 10-15 minutes at end for open evaluation• Try to end on time and on positive note

Communications

• Chair makes sure members are in regular contact, moving ahead on charges

• Incorporate some social time to nurture interpersonal relationships

• Assign mentors to newcomers• Use electronic media to sustain regular

communications• Ask for feedback on how to make board work more

productive and satisfying• Practice active listening

Recruitment

• Periodically get feedback from Governance Committee on findings from evaluations

• Make profile of skills needed to accomplish goals and skills currently available on board

• Use gaps to guide targeted recruitment• Nominations should bring needed skills (not just friends)• Everyone is responsible for identifying potential nominees• Incorporate possible nominees into committee tasks to assess

their value to board• Make sure person understands expectations of membership• Members work with Chair and CEO to make formal invitations• Nominees must be approved by full board• Hold orientation sessions with newcomers• Appoint mentors

Conducting Board Evaluations

• Evaluating board’s own work is as important as evaluating CEO

• Take time to discuss HOW we are doing our work, as well as WHAT we are doing.

• Lead major assessment at least once per year and brief assessments at end of meetings

• Have the Board Development committee – Identify gaps in skills that need board training– Recruit new members whose skills fill gaps in group

• Incorporate findings into future board work and in recruitment

Sample Questions for Assessments of Meetings

• Did we keep our attention focused on our top priorities?

• Were the background materials clear and useful?• Were the important questions raised?• Did everyone have sufficient time for input?• Did we miss any important things?• What changes should we make for the next

meeting so our time is used more productively?

Annual Assessments of Board

• Use board member job description to list key expectations of board and members.

• State each item as a question.• Provide rating system for responses (done very

well, adequately, needs improvement)• Allow space for comments and suggestions.• Distribute to all members annually.• Use findings to plan work session on improving

the board’s performance in coming year.

More on Board Development Committee

• Charge: ensure that the board continues to enhance its performance and add greater value to the organization

• Tasks:– Conduct periodic assessments to identify the individual and group

competencies needed to carry out the board’s work – Strengthen those competencies by recruitment, nominations, and

board education– Provide orientation to newcomers, feedback and coaching to every

member and to group– Recommend future leaders for board and help them prepare for roles– Plan board retreats and other learning opportunities– Ensure compliance with by-laws and propose amendments when

needed

Firing members

• Unproductive or disruptive members demoralize others, set negative examples

• Make sure that expectations are clear about such matters as attendance, preparation, positive involvement

• Use term limits for bringing in new perspectives• Sustain engagement by matching individual interests with

assignments• Chair should have candid conversation with person to

explore reasons for inaction or disruption• Identify specific changes expected and allow time for

growth• If none, thank person for past work and make ending clear

Passing the Torch

• Turnover in Chair is important for board and organization• Establish process for preparing new leaders for board• Get to know members’ interests, talents, interpersonal

skills• Plan for education of potential leaders, in collaboration

with them• Rotate committee assignments• Support attendance at leadership education

opportunities• Chair shares own learning with new leaders• Chair avoids criticizing or second-guessing new leaders,

supports their work

When Consultants May Be Helpful

• When getting ready to hire a new CEO• Preparing a strategic plan• During major transitions, new directions for

organization• Dealing with a complicated problem or conflict in board• Special projects, such as market analysis, planning

fundraising campaigns, audits• When board is sinking into inaction• Conducting assessments and using findings for change

Resources

• Most national associations have leadership training sessions as part of annual conferences

• Most states and larger cities have training sessions for leaders of nonprofits ( Ga. Center for Nonprofits, Community Connection)

• www.boardsource.org• www.bcsgrantproject.weebly.com• Talk with other board chairs, observe at

meetings, look for effective practices