The not-for-profit board is the link between the organization, its benefactors and the community it serves. In this Slideshare, we offer keys to keep the board effective.

1. © 2016 Grant Thornton LLP. All rights reserved. 1
keeping an
effectivenot-for-profit
board

2. © 2016 Grant Thornton LLP. All rights reserved. 2
A member of a not-for-profit board is a link between the
organization + those that support it and are served by it.
Because an
organization’s most
valuable asset is
its good name…
A board member’s top priority
should be protecting the organization's
reputation.

3. © 2016 Grant Thornton LLP. All rights reserved. 3
For effective service, a board should consider
current makeup & plan for the future…
 Recruitment, retention + motivation
 Leadership continuity
 Balance of skills
 Education + orientation
 Culture focused on strategy + risk
Don’t be afraid to self-evaluate

4. © 2016 Grant Thornton LLP. All rights reserved. 4
Recruitment, retention + motivation
Recruitment,
retention +
motivation
Leadership continuity
Balance of skills
Education +
orientation
Culture focused
on strategy + risk
Ease the burden of member
recruitment. The board should
focus on ways to provide exciting
and rewarding service
opportunities.
Want more details?
>> Download the guide

5. © 2016 Grant Thornton LLP. All rights reserved. 5
Leadership continuity
Recruitment,
retention +
motivation
Leadership continuity
Balance of skills
Education +
orientation
Culture focused
on strategy + risk
Create a succession plan that
identifies future board +
committee chairs + other
leadership roles.

6. © 2016 Grant Thornton LLP. All rights reserved. 6
Balance of skills
Recruitment,
retention +
motivation
Leadership continuity
Balance of skills
Education +
orientation
Culture focused
on strategy + risk
Review members’ makeup + skill
sets.
• What can we improve?
• Where are the holes?
• Do we know what skills are essential?
Want more details?
>> Download the guide

7. © 2016 Grant Thornton LLP. All rights reserved. 7
Education + orientation
Recruitment,
retention +
motivation
Leadership continuity
Balance of skills
Education +
orientation
Culture focused
on strategy + risk
Invest time in covering topics for
members’ continued learning.
Routinely confirm the
organization’s mission alignment
with goals.

8. © 2016 Grant Thornton LLP. All rights reserved. 8
Culture focused on strategy + risk
Recruitment,
retention +
motivation
Leadership continuity
Balance of skills
Education +
orientation
Culture focused
on strategy + risk
Focus on the organization’s
future, strategic objectives +
risks to those objectives.
Review progress of the
strategic plan.
Want more details?
>> Download the guide

9. © 2016 Grant Thornton LLP. All rights reserved. 9
See our audit committee + board guidebooks for
roles, responsibilities and operating procedures.
Download the guide
http://grantthornton.com/nfpboardguide
Don’t miss out! Subscribe for email updates.
Check out the guide for audit committees

10. © 2016 Grant Thornton LLP. All rights reserved. 10
We want to hear from you!
Tell us what you think about this content.
Take this short survey