A board of directors for nonprofits is an essential group of individuals that can give life to your organization’s mission. But, new www.databoardroom.com/the-relationship-between-the-board-ceo-and-staff/ members have to be informed of their responsibilities and roles prior to when they join in order that they can participate fully.
First, remind new board members that they do not run the day-today operations of an organization. These tasks fall under the control of the executive director, paid employees and volunteers. The function of the board is to provide oversight and guidance.
To do this, they should be knowledgeable about the organization’s operations and finances. They should know their fiduciary and legal responsibilities and how to evaluate the director, and the organization’s governance policies.
The new board members must be able to effectively manage and oversee fundraising initiatives. Some nonprofits require that all board members make a financial contribution, while some simply encourage donations without pressing for them. The most successful fundraisers are ones who are able to help the board determine the best strategy to generate revenue and then support them in implementing it.
To make it easier for them to do that, the organization should provide a clear and concise description of its position for board members, as well as regular communication channels (both in-person and remotely through tools such as MemberClicks software for managing associations) to keep board members up to date about what’s happening. The organization should also make it easy for board members to access information by providing them with a dedicated section of the website, where they can find documents, agendas, and minutes of meetings.
