Slides from the Oct 9, 2013, webinar "Building Your Best Board (Part 2)," presented by the Ohio Environmental Council, River Network, and the Institute for Conservation Leadership

1. Building Your Best BoardBuilding Your Best BoardBuilding Your Best Board
A 2‐part webinar series: October 2 & 9, 2013
Building Your Best Board
A 2‐part webinar series: October 2 & 9, 2013
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2. Building Your Best Board
Building Your Best BoardPart I: Board Roles & Best Practices for
Board Development
Building Your Best Board
A 2‐part webinar series: October 2 & 9, 2013
Kristy Meyer
Ohio Environmental Council
Francisco Ollervides & Diana Toledo
River Network
Peter Lane & Nancy Oswald
Institute for Conservation Leadership

3. Goals of Webinar series
By the end of this Series you will be able to:
1. Reflect on the roles and responsibilities of a nonprofit Board and
assess areas where your own Board can be strengthened
2. Identify steps you can take to strengthen your organization’s
Board recruitment and orientation practices
3. Identify the benefits of a board governance plan and know 5
things every plan should include
4. Consider steps to engage your board in building a plan
5. Create accountability mechanisms to ensure progress
3
y p g

4. Chat
Last week recap‐
What did you learnWhat did you learn
about your organization
d B d?and Board?
4

5. Typical Board Roles (Governance)
1. Ensures ongoing viability of the organization
2 Connects to the community2. Connects to the community
3. Makes decisions & sets policies that define how
the org carries out its Missionthe org. carries out its Mission
4. Manages the organization
5. Manages the organization’s finances
6. Ensures effective planningp g
7. Monitors and evaluates Programs
5
8. Assesses its own work and replaces itself

6. Typical Board Roles
Where does your BoardWhere does your Board
spend most of its time?p
6

7. Annual Plan for the Board
• Why an annual plan• Why an annual plan
for the board?
• What it is and isn’t
7

8. Annual Plan for the Board
Benefits
• Identifies the most important work ahead for
the board (big picture)
• Clarifies what the board expects of members
and committees
T k h k f d• Takes the guess work out of agendas
• Raises likelihood the board will fulfill its duties &
meet its goalsmeet its goals
• Keeps (or shifts) focus on governance
• Helps the board hold itself accountable
8
Helps the board hold itself accountable

9. Annual Governance Plan for your Board
What to Include
• “Big 5” categories for “planned attention”
1. Strategy and trends (big picture)
2 Board development goals2. Board development goals
3. Monitoring the organization’s performance (goals, $,
programs, etc.)
4. Managing the performance of the board
and its committees
5 Major “must‐dos” from policies bylaws other requirements5. Major must dos from policies, bylaws, other requirements
• What, when, success measures, responsible party
i l
9
• Committee plans

10. Sample Board Action Plan
When Performance or Success Who is Responsible
What We Will
Accomplish
Deadline, quarterly, key
board meeting dates,
etc.
Measures
p
Committee or ad‐hoc
group, point person,
etc.
1 Elect new board Q1 Identify needs 3 b th t Nominating Committee1. Elect new board
members
Q1 – Identify needs
Q2 – Propose slate
3 new members that
provide needed skills
Nominating Committee
2. Decide whether to Q2 – Identify issues Decision made, meets Ad‐hoc Committee
expand to Butler
County
Q3 – Identify options &
criteria
Q4 – Decide
agreed upon criteria
3. Review org’n's
performance on
annual goals
Q2, Q4 Reviewed on schedule
and decisions made
Full board, with
preparation from Exec.
Cmte and Staff
f l hl d4. Increase financial
oversight
Monthly: meetings and
budget reports
Reduced variation
Increased confidence
Clean audit
Finance Committee
(reactivate)
i h l l h i i h i5. Improve oversight
and support of Exec.
Director
Q1 – Set annual goals
Q3 – Feedback, input
Q4 ‐ Conduct review, set
new goals
Exec. Dir. and Board
satisfaction with
support and feedback
(debrief)
Chair with review
committee

11. Sample Board Action Plan
When Performance or Success Who is Responsible
What We Will Accomplish Deadline, quarterly, key
board meeting dates, etc.
Performance or Success
Measures
Committee or ad‐hoc
group, point person, etc.
1 Elect new board Q1 Identify needs 3 b th t Nominating Committee1. Elect new board
members
Q1 – Identify needs
Q2 – Propose slate
3 new members that
provide needed skills
Nominating Committee
2. Decide whether to
d t B tl C t
Q2 – Identify issues
Q3 Id tif ti &
Decision made, meets Ad‐hoc Committee
expand to Butler County Q3 – Identify options &
criteria
Q4 – Decide
agreed upon criteria
3. Review org’n's
performance on annual
goals
Q2, Q4 Reviewed on schedule
and decisions made
Full board, with preparation
from Exec. Cmte and Staff
4 I fi i l M hl i d Fi C i4. Increase financial
oversight
Monthly: meetings and
budget reports
Reduced variation
Increased confidence
Clean audit
Finance Committee
(reactivate)
5. Improve oversight and
support of Exec. Director
Q1 – Set annual goals
Q3 – Feedback, input
Q4 ‐ Conduct review, set
new goals
Exec. Dir. and Board
satisfaction with
support & feedback
(d b i f)
Chair with review
committee

12. Committee Plans
Wh d
1. Clear scope and charge for the
year (or next 6 mos )
What do
committees
year (or next 6 mos.)
2. Role of the board on major tasks
• Do it
need to be
• Do it
 keep us posted or
 little reporting needed
successful? • Input
• Approval
• Help us decide (as a full board)
3. Approval of their plans
4. Leadership
12
4. Leadership

13. Sample Committee Annual Plan
Fundraising Committeeg
What We Will Accomplish
When
Deadline,
quarter, key
board meeting
Full Board Role(s)
Approve, give input,
report to, none
needed
Performance or
Success Measures
board meeting
dates, etc.
needed
1. Identify resource and staff Feb Approve Approved, doable
support needs, refine
plans as needed
2 Board training on asks Apr Participate Increased confidence in2. Board training on asks,
donor meetings, opening
doors
Apr Participate Increased confidence in
fundraising roles
3. Summer FR event July Input, Participate $10,000 net
Volunteers outside board
engaged
4. Raise board match for the
fall FR campaign
Sept Give or raise $ $5,000 total
100% board participation

14. How to Create your Plan
Identify what you need to Reviewy y
accomplish as a board
1. Brainstorm ideas
Executive
Director Salary
Review for
• Use 5 areas, minutes,
or bylaws as prompts
• Tip: 6” x 8” sticky notes
Hold Art
on River
Review for
Allison
• Tip: 6 x 8 sticky notes
2. Organize similar ideas
together and clarify
on River
Fundraiser
Board
Elections
g y
intentions
3. Decide what to include
Recruit
Board Member
with Fi a ewith Finance
Skills

15. Questions?
15

16. How to Create your Plan
Assign work to committees
or ad‐hoc groupsor ad hoc groups
– Identify tasks that need
clarificationclarification
– Charge committees with
returning with their annual g
plans, if needed
S h d l d t t iSchedule dates to review
and approve the annual
plan and committee plans

17. Creating Accountability
1. Ask, “How will we keep , p
our plans moving and be
accountable to each
other?”
2. Schedule milestones and
tasks in board agendas
3. Refer to the plan at
imeetings
4. Board president oversight
and omm ni ation
17
and communication

18. Creating Accountability
What is the appropriate role of staff?What is the appropriate role of staff?
18

19. Review and Questions
1. Reflect on the roles and responsibilities of a nonprofit Board and
assess areas where your own Board can be strengthened
2. Identify steps you can take to strengthen your organization’s
Board recruitment and orientation practices
3. Identify the benefits of a board governance plan and know 5
things every plan should include
4. Consider steps to engage your board in building a plan
5. Create accountability mechanisms to ensure progress
19

20. Next StepsNext Steps
What seems
most importantp
for you to do
next?next?
20

21. Upcoming Programs & Resources
Custom Designed Services
Si t I t i PSignature Intensive Programs
1. Leading from Within 2014
2. Executive Leadership Development Program 2014
Distance Learning
1. Leading Coalitions and Networks (February-March 2014)
2 E l ti Y I t (M h A il 2014)2. Evaluating Your Impact (March-April 2014)
Online Resources
1. Benchmarking Your Organization’s Development (workbooks
for staffed and all-volunteer groups)
2. Expectations of Exec. Director, Board, & President, other tools
21
www.icl.org

22. Thank you!
Please give us feedback by
l i h h illcompleting the survey that will
pop up after the webinar endspop up after the webinar ends.

23. Please contact us!
Institute for Conservation River Network
Leadership (ICL)
Nancy Oswald
Ph (301) 270 2904
Paco Ollervides
Phone: (914) 400 8210Phone: (301) 270-2904
Email: nancy@icl.org
Peter Lane
Phone: (914) 400-8210
Email: FOllervides@rivernetwork.org
Diana Toledo
Phone: (301) 270-2903
Email: peter@icl.org
Phone: (828) 258-2109
Email:Dtoledo@rivernetwork.org
Kristy Meyer, Ohio Environmental Council, KMeyer@theOEC.org