The document summarizes a presentation on building an exceptional nonprofit board. It discusses principles of good governance, finding and engaging the right board members, and ensuring boards are effective. Effective boards are aligned with the organization's mission, hold the CEO and organization accountable, and engage in practices like self-assessment, term limits, and focusing on competencies like understanding context and facilitating board learning. Building an exceptional board requires the right recruitment, onboarding, engagement, and evaluation processes.

1. Texas Nonprofit Summit
“Building an Exceptional Board”
CYNTHIA B. NUNN, PRESIDENT
CENTER FOR NONPROFIT MANAGEMENT
T H U R S D AY, S E P T E M B E R 2 0 , 2 0 1 2 , 1 : 3 0 – 3 : 0 0 P. M .
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2. Building An Exceptional Board
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3.  Principles of Good Governance and
Changing Times Ethical Practice (Independent Sector ‘07)
Findings:  Core strengths
 Ineffective Board  Alignment around mission
Oversight
 No aligned with mission, say “no “
 Deferring to CEO; CEO
setting policy and  Positioned to capture new opportunities
direction
when timing is right
 Not asking for
information to make
 Accountability and transparency
decisions  Legal and public disclosure
 Lost sight of its role as  Processes and structures to
protector of
organization and inform, direct, manage and monitor
mission activities toward objectives
 Asleep at the wheel
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4. Finding the Looking for Individuals Who…
Right Board
Members
 Understand the benefits of service
Most individuals serving
need no justification for  Know their skills are needed
being a member; they
know perfectly well what  Have ability to affect change
they are doing and why
they want to continue  Want to have an impact
doing it.
 Enjoy collaborating with interesting
However, Others too shy people with same interests
to join or need someone
else to tell them why it  Feel good by doing good
makes sense.
 Want to give back
(Board Source 2010)
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5. Problem Statement:
How Do You Find the Right Board Members?
Focused and targeted plan
Dedicated Governance Committee
Application process
Serious cultivation and information sharing
Willing body +
Genuine interest
Diverse representation
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6. Problem Statement:
Where Do You Find the Right Board Members?
Professional Networks
Board Committees
Agency Volunteers
Leadership Programs
Chambers of Commerce
Other Board Members
Civic, Government and Business Leaders
Corporate Community Engagement
Officers
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7. Starting on the Right Foot
On-Boarding Process Getting Engaged
 Orientations that Work  Keep them informed;
 Board manuals with stimulate participation
useful information  Decision Information
 Monitoring Information
 No overwhelming data
 Incidental Information
 Introduction to staff and
 A place to work
board leadership
 Committees that matter
 Committees with effective
structures
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8. Problem Statement: How Do You Keep Them
Engaged and Moving in the Right Direction?
Who’s Guiding Whom? What Are They Doing?
 Leading leaders  Understanding the
 The art of influence board’s role
 Clearly defined roles for  Legal & Fiduciary oversight
board leader and CEO  Fundraising strategy
 Building consensus
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9. Building Great  Handing Challenging People
Relationships:  Ensure all opinions on issues are welcome
Nobody outside a board can  Stop negative personal comments or
ever fully understand its
complexities and its insinuations; steer back to issues
involvements with its executive
and staff. Inherent in its very  Hold private discussion with disturbing
nature are several seeming
contradictions; delicate balances members and find cause for the behavior;
must constantly be achieved if it
is to succeed. Boards might
explain effects of behavior
seem unworkable, if it were not
for the fact that they are at
 Give disgruntled member a meaningful
work everywhere. assignment and expect results
-- Cyril Houle in Governing
Boards: Their Nature and  If behavior continues, ask the member to
Nurture.
resign or make the situation a full board
"Board members are part-time
amateurs overseeing the work issue and discuss removal decision
of full-time
professionals, which, by
definition, takes a certain
amount of hubris."
--Richard Chait
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10.  Engage in Self Assessment
Measuring  Too comprehensive for every year
Impact  Useful just before strategic planning or
52% of survey major campaigns
respondents indicated
that their boards formally  Great tool just after a crisis
assess their own
performance.  Invigorating when complacency has set in
52% of boards engaged  A step back from routine governance; time
in self-assessment during to reflect on how well the board meets its
the last 12 months
responsibilities
 Discovers areas for improvement; platform
for setting and attaining priorities
2012 BoardSource
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11.  Term Limits
Time to Move On
 Makes diversity easier
Not the right reason to  Built-in balance of continuity and turnover
be a member  Better rotation of committee assignments
 Infusion of fresh ideas and perspectives
Objectives not in
 Brings awareness of changing group dynamics
alignment
 Advantages:
To make room for  Less stagnation
enthusiasm and the  Less concentration of power within a small group
desire to learn  Less intimidation of occasional new members
 Less tiredness, boredom and loss of commitment
Not just a single

collective – behavior of
individuals members  Disadvantages:
attributes to the board  Loss of expertise and memory
as a whole (Board Source,  More time spent on recruitment
Herman & Renz, 2002
 Continue to work on group cohesiveness
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12. Proving it Up!
 Evidence supports a positive relationship between board
and organizational effectiveness (BoardSource: Herman and
Renz, 2000)
 Practices that result in effectiveness:
 Effective governance is a function of the CEOs capacity to facilitate
member’s involvement – use of skills, strengths and community
connections
 Success – not perfection – rests with the CEO who facilitates board
operations, task assignments and involvement
 Effective organizations have effective boards and effective boards
use more recommended board practices
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13. Building An Exceptional Board
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14. Proving it Up!
 Practices that result in effectiveness:
 There appears to be substantial evidence that more effective boards
are differentiated from less effective ones in six distinct areas of
competence –
 Understanding and valuing institutional history and context
 Building the capacity for board learning
 Nurturing the development of the board as a cohesive group
 Recognizing the complexities and nuances of issues before them
 Respecting and guarding the integrity of the governance process
 Envisioning and sharing the future institutional directions
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