Responsibilities of the Board Development Committee

Expertise: Some board members should have personnel management, fiscal, or legal expertise. Ages: It is helpful to have senior citizens rep- resented as well as young people. Races and religions: All major races and reli- gions in the community should be represented on a diverse board. Geography: Individuals should be selected from all parts of the geographic area served by the agency. Income levels: Having wealthy individuals on the board will help with fund-raising efforts, but individuals with low and moderate in- comes should also be included. Backgrounds: It would be helpful if some board members have corporate backgrounds, some are government leaders, and some serve on the boards of other nonprofit groups. Users of the service: Boards should include representatives of the client population be- ing served. On some boards, current clients are included, while in others, former clients are considered for board membership. The Board Development Committee should search throughout the year for individuals with these characteris- tics. Board and staff members should be encouraged to rec- ommend individuals for board membership. Individuals who have volunteered to serve the organization by assisting in its programs should be considered for board service. The Board Development Committee should contact community groups to obtain lists of possible board mem- bers. Senior citizen groups, youth groups, chambers of com- merce, and ethnic organizations could be among those requested to recommend possible board nominees. 2. Board member responsibilities 2. Board member responsibilities 2. Board member responsibilities 2. Board member responsibilities 2. Board member responsibilities Each board member should receive a list of responsi- bilities. These should include: Attending board meetings on a regular basis and participating on at least one board committee. Personal contribution to fundraising campaigns. Participation in board special event fundraising activities. Prospective board members should be interviewed in person by a member of the Board Development Committee. If possible, they should be interviewed by an individual who knows them. The prospective board member should be asked questions to ascertain if they support the mis- sion of the organization. They should be given the writ- ten list of board responsibilities and asked if they would commit to meeting these responsibilities if elected. Only individuals who have agreed to meet these responsibilities should be considered for board membership. C. Keeping good board members C. Keeping good board members C. Keeping good board members C. Keeping good board members C. Keeping good board members One technique for keeping good board members is to require all new board members to participate in an orien- tation program before attending their first board meeting. If several new board members are elected, they should attend the orientation program together. Even if one new board member is elected, however, that board member should participate in an orientation program. 1. Review materials 1. Review materials 1. Review materials 1. Review materials 1. Review materials The first step in the orientation process is to review materials that all board members should receive. These would include the following: Board member job description. Job descriptions of key staff members. Bylaws. Annual reports. Personnel, fiscal, and other board policies. Names, addresses, phone numbers, and biographical sketches of board members and key staff members. List of committees and committee duties. Minutes of last several board meetings. Audits, budgets, and recent financial statements. List of common abbreviations and terminology. Executive director’s work plan. Annual and long-range plans, and other planning documents. Funding applications. 2. 2. 2. 2. 2. Meet with the board chair and the executive Meet with the board chair and the executive Meet with the board chair and the executive Meet with the board chair and the executive Meet with the board chair and the executive director director director director director The second step is a meeting with the board chair and the executive director. This would include: A review of the highlights of the materials presented. An update of current issues faced by the board. A review of the responsibilities of each board member. A discussion of board confidentiality policies. An outline of the procedures used by the board for discussions and voting. A description of the clients served by the agency and the services provided. A tour of the office during working hours. New board members should suggest the committees on which they would like to serve. They should be informed of expectations for financial contributions to the agency. They should also be given the dates of all special events they will be required to support. 3. Other steps to increase board performance 3. Other steps to increase board performance 3. Other steps to increase board performance 3. Other steps to increase board performance 3. Other steps to increase board performance Other steps to encourage productivity of board members include: Give board members specific projects. Keep board meetings interesting. Thank board members for their work. Host social events periodically, in addition to formal board meetings. 4. Remove unproductive board members 4. Remove unproductive board members 4. Remove unproductive board members 4. Remove unproductive board members 4. Remove unproductive board members Remove unproductive board members quickly, and replace them with productive ones. This process includes: Bylaws specifying that if any board member misses a certain number of board meetings with- out a reason, automatic dismissal will result. Only reelecting board members who have met their responsibilities. Calling inactive board members and asking if there are any problems. In some cases, the board chair should ask for their resignation if the board members do not agree to meet their responsibilities. D. Governing board responsibilities D. Governing board responsibilities D. Governing board responsibilities D. Governing board responsibilities D. Governing board responsibilities Each governing board of directors has the following duties: 1. P 1. P 1. P 1. P 1. Personnel ersonnel ersonnel ersonnel ersonnel The board’s personnel function is extremely impor- tant and has numerous facets: Hiring the executive director. Procedures for carrying out this function should be spelled out in writing. They would include a job description and salary level for the position. Specific qualifications should be listed. An outline of the steps to be taken to interview and select the executive director should be included. Supervising the executive director . Each board should have an effective plan for su- pervising the executive director. On some boards, the chair plays this role. The board chair should meet regularly with the execu- tive director to review major activities and consult on problems that may arise. On other boards, the executive or Personnel Commit- tee might play this role, and will meet fre- quently with the executive director. Evaluating the executive director’s perfor- mance. The steps used to evaluate the perfor- mance of the executive director should be spelled out in writing. The first step should be the development of measurable objectives agreed to by the executive director and the board. Then, the board, through its Personnel Committee, could meet with the executive di- rector perhaps once every six months. The objectives would be reviewed to determine whether they have been met, and to develop any corrective actions. New objectives would then be set for the next time period. Developing job descriptions for all staff mem- bers. Each staff member should have a job description that spells out the specific duties of that position, the job qualifications, and the salary. While the executive director hires all staff members, the board approves the job description for these positions. Approving an evaluation plan for all staff members. While the executive director con- ducts the performance evaluations of staff members, the evaluations should be con- ducted according to a written plan approved by the board. As with the executive director, each staff person should have a job descrip- tion and a set of objectives. An evaluation of whether the employee is meeting these ob- jectives should be held on a regular basis, no less than once each year. Setting personnel policies. The Personnel Committee should review the written and detailed personnel policies on a regular ba- sis, no less then once every six months. The Personnel Committee would then recommend changes in the personnel policies to the board. Every staff member should have a copy of the current personnel policies. The policies should be reviewed at staff meetings so that the staff members are aware of the policies and can make recommendations for revisions. 2. F 2. F 2. F 2. F 2. Finance inance inance inance inance The board’s financial responsibilities should be out- lined in a detailed financial plan that should include the following components: Development of a budget. Most boards ap- prove a detailed annual budget. In most cases, the budget is prepared by the staff and re- viewed in detail by the Finance Committee before being approved by the board. Receipt and expenditure reports. The board should receive financial reports on a regular basis. The format of each report and the time- table for submission should be outlined in writ- ing. The report should be simple enough that it can be understood by every board member. Fiscal policies. It is important that all fiscal policies be in writing. These would include such items as policies for salary increases, obtain- ing travel reimbursement, and procedures for spending funds such as for equipment, etc.. When are bids needed and how many? What are the procedures if the staff recommends that the lowest bid not be accepted? What are the specific procedures for the expenditures of petty cash? Check signing procedures. Each board should have written procedures for the signing of checks, including the documentation needed before checks can be signed. It is recom- mended that all checks be signed by two dif- ferent individuals. Financial review. The procedures for review by outside financial professionals should be outlined in writing.

3. Fundraising

The board’s fundraising responsibilities should be out- lined in a written fundraising plan that includes the fol- lowing components: All funding applications must be submitted to the board in a timely fashion before being submitted to funding sources. Each fundraising special event should be ap- proved by the board. The proposal should in- clude a budget for each event, an outline of the tasks to be performed, and a detailed timetable. The responsibilities of the board members for fundraising should be spelled out in writing. This might include a requirement to contribute to an annual financial campaign, a statement that at- tendance at all special events is required, and a statement that each board member must be an active participant in planning at least one fundraising program each year.

4. Planning

Board members approve plans for the organization. They then monitor the effectiveness of the agency’s pro- grams to see if the goals outlined in the plans have been met. An overall planning procedure should be approved by the board. This might include: An outline of the planning process . One com- mon strategy is for a board to approve a three-year strategic plan. The process for de- velopment of that plan should be included. Often the board will establish a Planning Com- mittee to oversee this process. In many agen- cies, the executive director is responsible for the drafting of the plan under the direction of the Planning Committee. Procedures and a timetable for plan review . In many cases, the Planning Committee will also have the responsibility for plan review. Many boards review their plans every six months. The plan should include measurable objectives so that the review of the plan can determine whether the objectives have been met. 5. P 5. P 5. P 5. P 5. Public r ublic r ublic r ublic r ublic relations elations elations elations elations Another important board function is that of public relations. In order to carry out this function effectively, the board should have a written public relations plan. Such a plan might include: Development of a general agency brochure. Plan for newsletters and other methods of in- forming the public of activities and programs. Preparation of an annual report which gives detailed information about the agency’s accomplishments. Steps to be taken to update the agency’s Website on a regular basis. Programs to inform the public of the agency’s services and accomplishments. Many nonprofits have periodic open houses