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DIY: Make a Bylaws Cheat Sheet
“What does it say in the bylaws?” “Does anyone have a copy of the by-laws?” “I know I got one when I started on the board but . . . ” Here’s a new idea: a Bylaws Cheat Sheet. Even if there is a copy of the by-laws handy, it’s tedio …
How to Staff and Support a Committee
Is staffing a committee more like herding cats or like herding turtles? Actually it’s more like Dancing with the Stars.An important skill for nonprofit managers is knowing how to support a committee of volunteers, such as an Advisory Committee, a Board …
Extreme Board Makeover
Despite the complaints of executive directors that their boards “need training,” often the most effective way to change a board is to change the people who are on it. And sometimes, a board itself realizes it needs to change faster and more dramaticall …
Nonprofits: How to Have a Board Meeting By Telephone
Your board meeting is Thursday evening. On Wednesday you start getting the calls. One board member is home recuperating from surgery. Another is traveling. Yet another can’t spare the time to drive in for the meeting. Can they call in via conference ca …
Getting to 100% Board Giving
Having 100% of board members make personal donations is a cliché we don’t like. It’s not a meaningful measure of board member commitment, and typically creates a situation where even the best board members have to be nagged. BUT, if you do have this re …
How to Keep the Board Under Your Thumb
When nonprofit executive directors say they want their boards to be more “engaged,” they often really mean they want the board to have a lively discussion followed by a vote to agree with the executive director. If you’re a CEO and want a weak, complia …
Ten Biggest Mistakes Boards and Executives Make
"To err is human," and as we all ruefully know, nonprofit board members and executive directors are typically human. Here are some of the biggest mistakes we make:1. Falling in love with the executive director and letting love diminish critic …
Conflict of Interest… or Conflict of Loyalty?
"Conflict of loyalty" is a useful concept and term that gives us another dimension to work with than simply conflict of interest:In our legitimate desire to avoid conflicts of interest in nonprofits, we typically make two oddly opposite mista …
A Board Member Crosses the Line
Dear Blue Avocado: I’m the chair of a nonprofit board and I have a problem. We recently voted to support a local measure that would change some zoning regulations in our county. This board member — I’ll call him “Joe” — was outvoted (he was the …
All Hands on Board: The Board of Directors in All-Volunteer Organizations
This booklet was originally published by the National Center for Nonprofit Boards and the Support Center for Nonprofit Management, which are now respectively known as BoardSource and CompassPoint Nonprofit Services. The hardcopy is now out of print. …
