Should Your Nonprofit CEO Also Be a Board Member?

The ability to build an effective and cohesive Board/staff partnership is frequently the most significant predictor of success or struggle for an organization. This includes everything from how you define the expectations of the Board, the support you will provide them, and the manner in which you will recruit, orient, and evaluate them.

One question I am frequently asked is, “Should our nonprofit CEO also be a member of the Board?” On the one hand, this question recognizes the critical role of the CEO/Board partnership and the need for the CEO’s voice to be heard and valued in Board discussions. On the other hand, my encouragement is to think very carefully about the different roles of Board vs. staff in evaluating this question. Boards govern strategically and at a high level, while CEOs and Directors operationalize plans and lead the day-to-day functions of the organization. Mixing those two can present boundary challenges down the road. Additionally, the Board is charged with evaluating the CEO, which can be tricky if he or she is a member of the Board. My typical recommendation is to keep CEOs off the governing Board, or if you choose to offer them a seat, consider an ex officio role. For more on this important topic, BoardSource recently published a blog that I thought was quite good and you can find it HERE.