Governance and Board Development

• Governance as Leadership
• Effective Governance Structures
• Board Diversification, Recruitment and Evaluation
• The Role of the Chair

Early in his work with nonprofit organizations and foundations, Sam learned that working with even the most dynamic nonprofit executive would not yield optimum results unless the Board-ED partnership was effective. Therefore, helping boards govern effectively as leaders is a major focus of his work.

Case Studies

• Enhancing the Board’s Role in Fund Development

  • For years our client had experienced steady growth in its grant-funded programs, and the backing of a major donor helped fund modest increases in the annual budget. The Executive Director and new Board Chair wanted to strengthen the membership of the board and ensure that each member was meaningfully engaged in policy development without intruding on the operational responsibilities of the ED and her staff. Through a review of board minutes, interviews with individual board members, and the use of confidential surveys, we learned that board members were not clear about their responsibilities and that financial contributions by board members were embarrassingly low. We held a series of board development workshops with a major emphasis on engaging all board members in executing the organization’s fund development plan. In the process, the Board recognized that it needed to move away from dependence on a single major donor and build its base of individual and corporate support. With the Board leading the way, the organization was able to increase its fundraising by 25% over the next three years.

• Integrating the Next Generation on the Foundation Board

  • We were engaged by four trustees of a family foundation to assist in integrating their adult children (ages mid-20s to mid-40s) into the life of the foundation. Having served as the only trustees for almost 20 years, during which they operated informally and made decisions by consensus, the trustees feared a loss of control over critical decisions if the next generation joined the foundation’s board. We held a series of intergenerational family meetings to educate everyone about governance practices. With our help, the 3rd generation presented their parents with a modest proposal for sharing governance responsibilities over time. By presenting options and receiving feedback, the family was able to agree on a final proposal for a three-year transition after which the 3rd generation would have equal representation on the foundation’s board and formal governance practices would be put in place.