I recently sat down with my friend and colleague Patrick Jinks of The Jinks Perspective for an episode of his podcast The Leadership Window. Listen as I discuss with Patrick the 5 habits of healthy Boards. We also discuss practical, actionable strategies for elevating the performance and engagement of your Board.
Gary Romano of Civitas Strategies and Gregory Nielsen of Nielsen Training & Consulting discuss the impact of the potential stimulus bill on nonprofits and small businesses. We discuss what we know now, what we are hearing, and how the potential legislation could impact nonprofits and small businesses. Topics covered include:
Next round of the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP)
Direct stimulus payments for individuals and families
Charitable giving incentives
Refundable tax credits available to nonprofits and small businesses
DATE: Monday, December 21, 2020
TIME: 12pm - 1pm eastern time
REGISTRATION FEE: $50
PRESENTER: Gregory Nielsen
DESCRIPTION:
Will your PPP loan be forgiven? For many nonprofits and other small businesses, this is a vital question.
Your Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan remains debt on your books until you receive forgiveness. Prepare to maximize forgiveness by understanding the process, the requirements, the forms and the timeline. Leave prepared to navigate the forgiveness process and maximize loan forgiveness under the PPP.
All attendees will receive a pdf copy of the PPP Forgiveness Handbook providing step by instructions for selecting and completing each form!
Register below!
Time is precious, and so is your organization's mission.
Join me this Thursday, 12/10 at 1pm for a FREE webinar on "Tools for More Effective Board Meetings and Decision Making." My colleague Bill Neigher and I will discuss how to approach the challenges of board-level decision making in a virtual environment and will offer strategies for strengthening the effectiveness and impact of your work. Register below!
1 in 5 teens experience some form of hearing loss. 2.7 million veterans have service-connected hearing disabilities or are in treatment for hearing-related issues. Hearing Loss Association of America strives to give people the tools they need to live more successfully with hearing loss and to show them they do not have to face hearing loss alone. Honored to facilitate a Board Champions workshop for this talented Board!
Looking forward to presenting at next week's North Carolina Center for Nonprofits virtual conference. I will be leading a session on Board governance entitled "From 'Survivor' to 'Amazing Race:' Developing Board Champions." Join me there!
Honored to facilitate the Board Retreat for the Board and staff team of Alagille Syndrome Alliance. The Alagille Syndrome Alliance is an international nonprofit started in 1993. This talented and passionate team mobilizes resources, facilitates connections, promotes unity, and advocates for a cure to inspire, empower, and enrich the lives of people affected by Alagille Syndrome.
Effective strategy development requires thoughtful planning, an understanding of your nonprofit’s landscape, and a process for Board and leadership to make critical and effective decisions. I was honored to facilitate the strategic planning retreat this week for CASA of Lexington. CASA of Lexington’s trained and supervised volunteers advocate through the family court system to ensure all victims of child abuse and neglect are provided a safe and permanent home. So grateful for the vital work of CASA to benefit children and families!
Did you know that heart transplants don’t last a lifetime? The average is 17 years. 1 in 4 kids face a chance of needing another within 5 years. Enduring Hearts is a nonprofit dedicated to funding innovative research aimed at improving the lives of children living with transplanted hearts. Honored to facilitate today's Board retreat with this vital organization!
Excited to share that I will be presenting a workshop entitled "Engaged Board, Effective Fundraising" at the upcoming Build A Thriving Nonprofit Summit.
This summit was created to help you raise more money to increase your impact, engage your board to help fund your mission, and build community awareness to increase your donor base.
The summit is FREE, kicks off on Tuesday, October 27 and it’s going to be 4 action-packed days that you won’t want to miss.
Click the link below to learn more and hope you will join me there!
Board Chairs and CEOs may come from different backgrounds almost assuredly reflecting different life experiences, but together they hold the promise of what an organization can become and the impact it can have on the lives of those served. Honored to facilitate a series of workshops with the Executive Directors and Board Chairs of CASA programs from across Kentucky entitled “Pivotal Partners: Board Chair-Executive Director Partnership to Propel Your Mission.” With Executive Directors and their Board Chairs attending as a team, this engaging and interactive program featured critical discussions focused on developing the habits, practices, and relationships necessary to propel the organization’s mission forward. Special thanks to Kentucky CASA Network for sponsoring the workshop and bringing these outstanding leaders together!
Boards play a vital role in fostering a culture of evaluation. Healthy Boards embrace opportunities to reflect on their performance and establish clear governance priorities. Enjoyed facilitating our proven Board Champions Assessment (BCA) Tm yesterday with the outstanding team from Allegany Franciscan Ministries.
Honored to lead a Board development session last night with the talented and committed Board of JFCS Louisville. Through an impressive array of programs and services, JFCS expands possibilities for each person and every family to meet life’s challenges with confidence.
Honored to lead a session last evening on “Demystifying Donor Advised Funds” as part of the Virtual Summit for Nonprofit Changemakers. Donor Advised Funds are currently philanthropy’s fastest growing vehicle, accounting for over 12% of individual charitable giving. Thoroughly enjoyed the interactive discussion during the session and the outstanding questions. Special thanks to Amy Devita and the team from TopNonprofits for presenting a fantastic learning and relationship building event!
Creating time for Board members to reflect and connect as colleagues and teammates builds the relationships necessary to govern and make effective decisions.
Honored to facilitate yesterday’s Board retreat with the leaders of Allegany Franciscan Ministries.
Allegany Franciscan Ministries is rooted in the tradition and vision of the Franciscan Sisters of Allegany and works with community partners in three regions of Florida formerly served by the Sisters’ hospitals: Miami-Dade County, Palm Beach, Martin and St. Lucie Counties, and the Tampa Bay area of Hillsborough and Pinellas Counties. Since awarding its first grant in 1998, Allegany Franciscan Ministries has invested $101 million to over 1,700 organizations serving those most in need in these communities.
Healthy Boards are intentional about recruiting members who bring a diversity of skills, talents, leadership styles, backgrounds, and perspectives to the team. Honored to facilitate a (socially distanced) Board workshop on recruiting last evening with the leaders of SeniorCare Experts.
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 recently had the pleasure of joining my friend and colleague Janeal Ford of Fordable Fundraising on her live Facebook show Adventures in Fundraising. Janeal and I discussed the growing trend among nonprofits towards sustained collaborations up to and including mergers. I hope you will check out the video!
"It is mutual trust, even more than mutual interest, that holds human associations together."
H.L. Mencken
A common truth exists across the nonprofit sector, bridging organizations of all sizes, shapes, and subsectors. It shines like a beacon from a lighthouse, indicating smooth waters or troubled seas ahead. That common truth is that the most critical relationship in a nonprofit organization is the one that exists between the Board Chair and the CEO.
Board Chairs and CEOs may come from different backgrounds almost assuredly reflecting different life experiences, but together in their hands they hold the promise of what an organization can become and the impact it can have on the lives of those served. Countless resources exist that delineate the roles and responsibilities of a Board Chair and CEO, but far fewer offer practical guidance for nurturing a productive relationship. Here are a few reflections on tending to this most critical relationship:
Begin by Building Trust.
Trust between Board Chair and CEO is the cornerstone upon which all else rests. When the Chair provides guidance or constructive feedback, the CEO must trust that it is coming from a place of good intentions. When the CEO provides information or insights, the Chair must trust it reflects thoughtfulness, reflection, and wisdom. Breakdowns in trust not only damage this relationship, but the ripple effects almost invariably extend to the full Board and staff. Board Chairs and CEOs who invest in building trust with one another create a culture that permeates the organization.
Practices that build trust include weekly “check-in” meetings, a commitment to “no surprises,” and frequent discussion of “what I need/don’t need” in particular situations.
Tend to the transition.
By far, one of the most overlooked aspects of building a strong Board Chair - CEO relationship is the transition period. Transitions are hard! As a former nonprofit CEO, I vividly recall that there is a period of uneasiness any time the Board Chair transitions from one individual to the next. Work and communication styles may differ and without thoughtful preparation and intentional discussions, faulty assumptions can ground a relationship before it ever has an opportunity to blossom.
During the transition period, take time for honest conversations about communication style, expectations, support needed, and methods of accountability.
Embrace your role.
When working with a nonprofit for the first time, one of the first questions I will pose to a CEO and Board Chair involves a request to tell me the story of how and why they came to their current role. The Board Chair needs to know that the CEO embraces leading the organization. Likewise, the CEO needs to know that the Chair wants to be his or her partner. It is like being in a rowboat together where two people must row in sync in order to propel the boat forward. If one person loses interest or quits rowing, the boat goes into a tailspin.
Embrace your role by leading with energy and enthusiasm, setting realistic expectations, and being accountable for yourself and those you lead.
Leading a nonprofit can be a fulfilling and exhilarating challenge, but it can also be a lonely road. Cultivating a healthy relationship between Board Chair and CEO grounded in mutual trust, expectations, and accountability enables leaders to reflect their best self and organizations to thrive.
Whether you are rowing together in unison or struggling to get in sync, I encourage you to connect with us to explore the ways in which together we can help nurture the relationship you need and deserve.
Supporting and evaluating the Chief Executive represents a core duty of a nonprofit Board. A thoughtful, planned evaluation process provides an opportunity to celebrate progress and achievements while also sharing constructive feedback on areas for future development. It should be conducted at least once per year. There are many ways in which a Board can fulfill this responsibility, and no one process will be appropriate for every Board. Rather, it is more productive to focus on a set of core principles when framing a Board’s approach to executive evaluation.
Evaluations tied to written job descriptions and annual goals.
In order to facilitate an equitable process, the review should be tied to identified accountabilities and goals. It should also be consistent with the areas of focus described in the strategic plan. This provides a consistent framework or lens through which the Executive and Board can reflect on performance.
Full participation of the Board.
Depending on the size of the Board, it can be unwieldy to require the entire Board to facilitate the review. Some Boards select an officer to lead the process or house the responsibility within a committee such as the Executive Committee. Others will engage an external facilitator to lead the process. Regardless of who facilitates, a core principle is every Board member should have a meaningful opportunity to provide input. This means that the Board must understand and support their obligation to conduct an annual review and must take the time to reflect on the Executive’s performance and share constructive feedback through the mechanism chosen.
Collaborative process design.
Let’s face it -- because of power dynamics, relationships, and a host of other factors, Executive reviews can be uncomfortable for all parties. This probably accounts for the number of nonprofit Executives I speak with who haven’t had any review in years! One way to make the process more comfortable is to involve the Executive in its design. Key questions Board leaders and the Executive can address together include:
Will the Board facilitate the process or engage an external facilitator?
Will the Board be seeking the feedback of any senior staff members as part of the review and if so how?
Will a particular assessment tool or instrument be used?
How will the Executive be afforded the opportunity to provide reflections and information
Commitment to professional development.
Most Executive evaluations reflect instances of accomplishment as well as areas to further develop. If you refer back to the opening sentence of this article, I note that evaluating and supporting the Chief Executive is a core responsibility of the Board. The two go hand in hand. The review provides a needed goal-setting opportunity for the coming year. Additionally, healthy Boards use the annual review as an opportunity to support the Executive’s leadership growth through investment in meaningful professional development. When planned and conducted thoughtfully, an evaluation can be a tremendous way to strengthen the relationship between Board and Executive and keep needed lines of communication open.
The core principles discussed above represent a guide to help your organization conduct an effective evaluation. If you are interested in additional tools and guidance, including information on a facilitated Executive evaluation process, NTC CAN HELP -- contact us!