Imagine the most energizing meeting you have ever participated in.  Perhaps it included colleagues at work, or teammates playing a sport you love.  What made that meeting so effective and memorable?  Having asked this question of hundreds of nonprofit CEOs and Board members over the years, I’d like to share the consistent themes that have emerged from these conversations that can transform your nonprofit Board meetings from draining to dynamic.  Taken together, they provide a framework for reimagining your next Board meeting agenda.  

• Connect as a team.

Research consistently shows that Boards that take time to get to know one another socially and connect as individuals rather than just as Board members consistently perform at a higher level.  It makes sense -- Boards are a team and teams rely on expectations, support, trust, and accountability.  Intentionally building time into every Board meeting agenda to connect as people and teammates provides a foundation for effective governance and decisionmaking.  You don’t have to facilitate the ultimate icebreaker.  Rather, focus on how we as a team can get to know one another just a bit better.     

• Celebrate progress.

Nonprofits address exceedingly complex and persistent community challenges.  A temptation often creeps into our Board meetings to focus solely on how far we still have to go in our mission rather than how far we have come.  I challenge you instead to intentionally celebrate progress at every Board meeting.  You will find that when you reflect on the progress you have made and the joyful moments experienced since you last met as a Board, a renewed energy permeates the room and carries through the rest of the meeting.  Think -- what are we most proud of this month?

• Identify and discuss the most pressing challenges.

Board members regularly tell us they are most engaged during meetings that feature discussion and debate rather than simply recitation of reports.  Use of a consent agenda -- a mechanism for grouping routine reports into a packet shared prior to the Board meeting -- can free up vital Board meeting time for more engaging and strategic discussions.  Additionally, one of the most important skills of a nonprofit CEO is identifying the areas that require Board engagement and discussion.  In planning the agenda, the CEO and Board Chair should discuss and agree on the 1, 2, or 3 issues that are most pressing for Board discussion and action at the upcoming meeting.  Narrowing the topics and even sharing the vital questions prepares the Board to be strategic, focus on vital topics, and make effective decisions that provide needed direction.  

• Review commitments.  

Productive meetings typically lead to next steps and commitments to action.  Before adjourning the meeting, it is important to review these commitments and timeframes for their completion.  A savvy Board Chair will ensure that assignments are distributed equitably across the Board team, and place Board members in position to leverage their skills and succeed.  Including this step as a part of the meeting agenda promotes accountability on the Board team and closes the meeting with the momentum that comes from having a clear directional roadmap.

Thoughtful, well-structured meetings are essential to maximizing the potential of your Board and propelling your mission forward.  If you would like to share your thoughts on dynamic, engaging Board meetings, or you would like assistance, tools, or resources to enhance your Board meetings, Nielsen Training & Consulting is your partner.  Let’s connect!

I am excited to share that I will be speaking at the upcoming Virtual Summit for Nonprofit ChangeMakers hosted by TopNonprofits on September 15 and 17!

I will be leading a workshop based on one of our Signature Programs — Demystifying Donor Advised Funds (DAFs). The workshop will be a highly interactive discussion of DAFs, which are philanthropy’s fastest growing vehicle, and will include tools and tips for engagement that will elevate your organization’s fundraising effectiveness.

The Virtual Summit for Nonprofit Changemakers offers a tremendous professional development opportunity at a reasonable cost for nonprofit leaders, and includes sessions from 20+ Nonprofit Experts over 2 days, addressing critical issues facing nonprofits today in Fundraising, Development, Marketing and Operations in LIVE, ONLINE Virtual Sessions. Learn How-To, Best Practices, & What’s Coming Next from the top experts in the industry. Build relationships in small, informal chat rooms during breaks and connect with the businesses supporting the nonprofit sector. Plus, you get a virtual gift-bag full of apps, subscriptions, ebooks, and more to help you utilize what you have learned during the summit.

I invite you to join me at the Virtual Summit!

4 Pathways to Sustained Collaboration

Collaboration has always been a hallmark of the nonprofit sector.  Studies repeatedly show that nonprofits collaborate with one another far more than many suspect.  These efforts may take a variety of forms, which is the first important truth to realize about collaboration -- namely, it represents a spectrum of possibilities from associations to partnerships all the way to mergers at the far end of the spectrum.  The term I most like when discussing this topic is “sustained collaboration,” as it encompasses the many possibilities along the spectrum.  

As the Covid-19 pandemic and other realities continue to impact nonprofits across the country, many are now more intentionally investigating sustained collaborations, either for strategic or survival purposes.  While certainly not an exhaustive list, in working with nonprofits I have found 4 common pathways to sustained collaboration.   

• Increased ability to deliver services.

Many nonprofits have developed an innovative approach to addressing complex community challenges that has proven effective.  However, the limitations of their geographic reach, staff capacity, or financial position prevent them from expanding their service delivery.  Sustained collaboration with a partner can be a means to expand reach and impact.

This may benefit you if:  There is demand for your programs outside your current service area that you cannot meet.

• Common strategic vision.

Frequently, two organizations build a relationship over time.  They may start by sharing information about their shared mission focus.  Over time, they may grow their collaboration to include a partnership on program delivery.  At some point, they may sit down and realize there is synergy and alignment in their respective strategic visions for the future.  This relationship based model can often lead to highly successful sustained collaborations (occasionally even mergers) because it is built on a strong foundation of trust and shared focus on a common vision for the future.

This may benefit you if: You have identified a current collaborative partner with whom you share a common strategic vision and desire to work more closely.  

• Increased efficiency.

There is a common refrain many nonprofit leaders have heard repeatedly throughout their career --  “There are simply too many nonprofits in our community and they are duplicating services.”  While we can debate the merits of this statement, the duplication that is of most concern and presents the greatest opportunity for sustained collaboration is administrative duplication.  Let’s face it -- it takes significant administrative resources to sustain a nonprofit, from human resources to finance to payroll.  Many nonprofits have successfully increased the efficiency of their organizations through sustained collaborations to share administrative infrastructure and operations.  When structured thoughtfully, this enables nonprofits to focus a greater amount of their limited resources where they can have the most impact, on programs enhancing communities.

This may benefit you if: You seek to gain economies of scale by sharing administrative functions or your organization is vulnerable to key staff losses in administrative areas.

• Survival.  

It has never been more challenging to lead a nonprofit than it is right now.  Many organizations have teetered perilously close to the brink of closure for an extended period of time due to a multitude of factors.  While Covid-19 didn’t create the financial challenges pervasive in the nonprofit sector, it certainly has laid them bare and exacerbated them.   Recent studies illustrate the urgency of the situation:

• Between March and April 2020, the percentage of nonprofits reporting a drop in monthly revenue rose from 70% to 90%.

• More than 55% of nonprofits reported anticipating cutbacks in services

• More than 44% anticipate more staff layoffs to come

Nonprofit leaders are working to and often past the point of exhaustion attempting to keep their organizations afloat.  This has led many to consider the possibility of merger as a survival strategy to preserve the mission. 

This may be for you if: Organization business model is no longer viable or streams of revenue have been damaged so extensively that ongoing viability is a concern.  

Sustained collaborations are neither easy nor fast, but when entered into thoughtfully can provide benefits that allow for the expansion of services, advancement of a common vision, and preservation of organizational impact.  Frequently, engaging with an external thought partner can be a helpful first step in exploring a holistic process that will encompass not only the legal and financial due diligence necessary, but also considerations of governance, leadership, and organizational culture.  If your organization is contemplating a sustained collaboration, I invite you to connect with me for further discussion of this important topic.