Developing rules of engagement for virtual meetings together with your Board is an important step towards creating a culture of performance. Enjoyed leading a highly interactive workshop on "Habits of Healthy Boards and Managing Effective Virtual Board Meetings" with the talented leaders of American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA). What is your favorite tip for effective virtual meetings?
Developing a dynamic and engaged Board is vital to the success of your mission. It doesn’t happen overnight, but is the product of intentionality, engagement, and effort.
Honored to facilitate Board development webinars this week for the leaders of two outstanding organizations — Kentucky CASA Network and Hershel Woody Williams Medal of Honor Foundation.
The Kentucky CASA Network (KCN) is supports a statewide network of local, community-based CASA programs, through which trained volunteers advocate for the best interests of children who have been removed from their families because of abuse or neglect. The KCN aims to support local programs by providing resources, technical assistance, and advocating in their interest.
The Hershel Woody Williams Medal of Honor Foundation encourages, with the assistance of the American public and community leaders, establishing permanent Gold Star Families Memorial Monuments in communities throughout the United States, conducting Gold Star Families Outreach across the country, providing Living Legacy scholarships to eligible Gold Star Children, and advocating for educational benefits for all Gold Star Family members.
Board Champions is a year-round, fully customizable Board development program, designed to partner with you in building a Board team capable of translating bold vision into reality. If you are looking to elevate the performance and effectiveness of your Board, let’s connect!
What if your Board and staff members embraced their role as advocates and ambassadors for the mission? Imagine the enhanced awareness of your mission and impact!
Excited to announce the launch of a NEW Signature Program — Mission Ambassadors. This engaging and highly interactive workshop hones effective speaking techniques while empowering Board and staff members to develop their personal meaningful message and gain skills to serve as excited and effective ambassadors for your mission. Mission Ambassadors can be delivered in a variety of lengths and formats, and is highly customizable for your needs. Click below to discuss bringing Mission Ambassadors to your organization!
What if your Board members embraced their role as advocates and ambassadors for the mission? Enjoying a great day with the talented Board and Staff leaders of Evergreen Life Services leading a workshop on “Developing Board Ambassadors.”
Imagine for a moment that two employees begin similar jobs on the same day. One employee receives a book, and instructions to read it in order to learn about the job responsibilities and company. The other employee meets with the CEO and key individuals within the organization who provide information, address questions, and provide a pathway for future conversations. Which employee would you expect to be more effective in their new endeavor? Most would agree that the employee who enjoyed a more personalized experience will be better equipped to thrive. Introducing new members to your nonprofit board team is no different.
Board orientation is an important but overlooked component of the overall effort to develop “Board Champions.” We often spend a lot of time discussing our expectations of board members and where we will look to recruit these leaders, but far less time on how we will ensure that they are put in a position to excel once they join the team. Offering a new board member a comprehensive introduction is essential and invaluable to an organization. A thoughtful approach to nonprofit board orientation provides a thorough understanding of the mission of the nonprofit and individual roles and responsibilities.
Do all board members need an orientation, even the seasoned ones?
Knowing how to be an effective nonprofit board member is a learning experience. No one is born with this gift. It requires an investment of time and effort from the organization, existing board leaders, and the new board member. The benefit to new board members is obvious. However, even the most seasoned board members, who have served on nonprofit boards in the past, need to become familiar with the lay of the land to ensure they understand the objectives of the organization and the role they will play. There is also value in board members sharing a common experience through the orientation process, as it becomes part of the board culture and way of welcoming and introducing members to the team so they might be successful.
What should we include in our nonprofit board orientation?
Effective orientations include:
History of the organization
Organizational structure
Current programs/projects
Strategic direction
Financial overview
Goals and expectations
Housekeeping (e.g., how often does the board meet? When? Where? Committees?)
Any other tips for an effective nonprofit board orientation program?
There is no replacement for in-person communication. Effective orientation for a new board member includes time spent with the CEO, board and staff leaders.
A thoughtful orientation session should also include and highlight the organization’s compelling plans and vision for the future. This is a golden opportunity to inspire the passion and imagination of the new board member, one that will serve to inspire rather than impose commitment. Your board members are ambassadors for the organization – give them the tools to inspire others!
Consider creating a mentoring program that will pair the new board member with an existing, effective board member who can instill confidence, provide insight and share experience. This can be a powerful tool and can go a long way in developing meaningful relationships and cohesion among board members.
Developing a highly effective board doesn’t happen overnight, but is the product of intentionality, engagement, and effort. That’s why I created Board Champions — a customizable board development program designed to partner with you in building a board team capable of translating bold vision into reality. If you’d like to learn more about nonprofit board orientation or other aspects of building and leading a dynamic board, let’s connect!
Excited to share that I will be participating in 2 FREE web events this week!
On Tuesday, February 18 from 7 - 7:30 PM eastern time, I will be joining host Janeal Ford on “Adventures in Fundraising.” The topic will be Building a Board Orientation Program for Excellence. Learn strategies for developing an orientation program that places your Board members in the best position to succeed in advancing your mission. We will cover the roles of Board and staff in the process, questions and topics to address, and learn a vastly underutilized orientation strategy to elevate the performance and engagement of your Board members. You can participate on Facebook Live HERE.
On Thursday, February 20 from 2-3 PM eastern time, I will be leading a FREE live webinar for Bloomerang entitled “Demystifying Donor Advised Funds.” This workshop discusses donor advised funds, how they differ from private foundations, tips for engagement, critiques and potential reforms. This webinar will be recorded for future viewing. If you can't make it, go ahead and register anyway. You'll receive the recording a little later. Click below to register for this FREE webinar!
Join the conversation!
A Board retreat can serve as an inspiring bridge from the present to the future for a nonprofit, providing an opportunity for the Board and staff team to reflect, reimagine, and prioritize. Honored to facilitate the Board retreat for Harbor House this weekend. The mission of Harbor House is empowering individuals with disabilities and their families to lead fulfilled and productive lives.
Thankful this week and every week for the partnership of our nonprofit clients, whose work inspires us and transforms communities around the country. Thank you for all you do. Enjoy our new video below!
A Board retreat offers members an opportunity to elevate their gaze, evaluate their strategy, and plan courageously for the future. Honored to spend today facilitating a retreat for the talented and committed Board members of CASA of Lexington. Their vision is a community where every child lives and thrives in a safe, caring and permanent home. They are getting there one child at a time!
Nonprofits excel when Board and staff leaders regularly exchange ideas and information consistent with their roles. After facilitating a staff retreat for SeniorCare Experts a few weeks ago, I was honored to facilitate a Board retreat for the leaders of this amazing organization this weekend. So impressed by the vision of this outstanding group and excited for the future they are creating together to enable seniors to live healthy, comfortable and fulfilling lives at home.
Exciting weekend in Minneapolis facilitating a Board/Staff retreat with the team of Camp To Belong. Camp to Belong is an international organization dedicated to reuniting brothers and sisters who have become separated in foster care through a week of camp in the summer and other events throughout the year. Exciting things to come from these talented and passionate leaders!
#Nonprofit #Board #Philanthropy #Charity #BoardChampions
Last month, we celebrated the 1 year anniversary of the launch of Nielsen Training & Consulting. Over the past year, I have been honored to work with nonprofit organizations from New Jersey to San Francisco, Miami to Denver, and of course here at home in Kentucky.
As we begin year 2, I recognize that developing a highly effective Board doesn’t happen overnight, but is the product of intentionality, engagement, and effort.
That is why I am thrilled to announce the launch of Board Champions.
This is a year-round, fully customizable Board development program, designed to partner with you in building a Board team capable of translating bold vision into reality.
Flexible enough to meet the needs of your nonprofit, Board Champions begins with a customized Board Self Assessment and facilitated Board retreat and subsequently may include the following services:
CEO or Board coaching
Defining Board expectations
Assessing the skills and diversity of your Board team
Building an effective orientation program
Aligning committee engagement with strategic objectives
Click the button below to learn more or connect with Greg to set up a consultation. Let’s work together to develop your team into Board Champions!