Board

In the United States, about 1.5 million nonprofits exist. But, then a natural question is how many of them fail? As we know, during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, as many as one-third of nonprofits were at risk of closing their doors. So, what are the top reasons nonprofits fail—aside from a situation like the pandemic? And more importantly, if you're a nonprofit leader and founder, how do you avoid it happening?...

Fiduciary duties: compliance, risk management and strategy are the day-to-day focus of nonprofit board members. In my 40-plus years as a governance consultant, I have observed that the board’s success in fulfilling these duties is to varying degrees affected by, if not dependent upon, the type of relationships experienced by and with each member, and equally, if not more importantly, between each member and the executive director...

As the tide of uncertainty moved in a variety of directions during the pandemic, organizations lost valuable employees, including executive directors. As we move into the fall of 2021, many organizations have determined to organizationally regroup and begin to look for new employees plus leadership...

Board meetings are relational and transactional affairs. The optimal results are achieved through processes guided by Consensus, Roberta or Robert’s rules that result in fully informed decisions that in turn further an organization’s mission while providing guidance to the executive director/CEO. But it really isn’t that simple, is it? Board decisions benefit best from comprehensive, accurate, timely and meaningful reports — be it from key staff or board standing committees or task forces...

Every time we finish a client engagement, we review the experience to see what we can learn from it. In every case, one major theme is clear: The quality and engagement of the board is a critical factor in the nonprofit’s success. Here are eight key tips for building and engaging your most successful board...

Investing in technology and innovation is challenging, but can generate a significant return on the investment.

All nonprofit professionals should aspire to work with a high-quality, high-impact board of directors.

As a nonprofit pro, if you are serious about taking your board to a higher level, start by looking at best-of-class boards.

In this article, we continue the review of a board’s function.

Robert’s and Roberta’s Rules of Order both offer that committees of a board are structural vehicles for preparing a board.