Can Nonprofit Board Training Fix Board Problems?
Board Development Program May Be Needed to Increase Effectiveness
Sep 29, 2009
Through the life of a nonprofit, the organization’s board will change significantly. In the beginning, the board is in organizing mode and functions far differently from the “institutional” board. Boards will change in composition, foci and levels of commitment, so it makes sense that setting norms and sharing knowledge will maintain the board’s effectiveness.
Board Training: Classroom-Style Program
A regular schedule of board trainings is helpful in deepening the engagement of board members and assisting with the learning curve for new board members. In Board Member Orientation: Strategies for Nonprofit Executives (1995), Holly Kleinsasser offers some topics to address in a program of regular trainings:
- “Improving the quality of your board meetings
- Resolving conflict effectively during meetings
- Risk management
- Presentations on new laws affecting the nonprofit or board
- Presentations from program directors
- Developing and assessing long-range plans
- The nonprofit’s place in the community or region
- Assessing your performance as a board member”
Board trainings can also be held on an as-needed basis to inform board members about their roles and responsibilities.
Keep in mind that a classroom-like setting may be the most appropriate for this type of instructional training. A nonprofit should choose the board training method when the problem is a lack of knowledge or skills.
Board Development: Addressing Root Problems of Ineffectiveness
The problems of ineffective boards often run deeper than a lack of knowledge or skill. This can be due to a variety of reasons, and “frequently result from poorly designed, or totally absent, systems, procedures and behavioral norms for working together,” says Mike Hoff, former nonprofit services education and consulting director for Center for Nonprofit Management in “Board Training: Are You Making the Right Choices” on the center’s website.
“Board members ‘know’ what to do, but are inhibited from effective implementation due to any number of factors,” says Hoff, citing poor leadership and communications and lack of consensus among the deeper issues.
To address these deeper issues, a board development program should focus on team-building, clarifying breakdowns in the system and resolving conflicts. It is recommended that a board development agenda be balanced with relationship-building opportunities and a “group think” atmosphere of brainstorming and visioning exercises. For this reason, board retreats are often scheduled away from the day-to-day operations of the organization and in more informal environments.
Who is Responsible for Orienting, Training and Developing the Board?
Most nonprofit executives would agree that a strong, effective board translates into a strong, effective organization. It is the joint responsibility of the executive director and the board to create a program of board orientation, training and development.
Today, it’s common to see the traditional board nominations committee growing to become a board development committee. As a board matures and becomes more strategic, it begins to seek out board members to satisfy specific board needs, and this closely relates to the work of current board development.
Related articles:
- Planning a Nonprofit Board Retreat
- Building the Best Nonprofit Board of Directors
- Ways to Thank Nonprofit Volunteers and Board
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