Starboard’s Blog

One of the most vexing problems for almost any nonprofit board is how to deal with those board members who are on the board but never show-up for meetings. While I’ve witnessed lots of humorous exchanges about these board members, the fact is that there is really nothing funny here. Board members who don’t show-up suggest to others that they are working from a different set of expectations, that board service for your organization is not a serious commitment, and that your bylaws probably aren’t being followed. Perhaps most troubling is that these individuals are occupying a seat (though not physically!) that could be better filled by someone who could make a real contribution. 

What brings this tirade to mind is an exchange I had with a client today about their bylaws and dealing with absences. In this case, I thought their bylaws really worked quite well. Take a look: 

Section 7.        Absence.  Any officer or Director who is absent from two consecutive meetings or three nonconsecutive regular meetings of the Board of Directors during any twelve consecutive month period shall be deemed to have resigned from his or her position as officer or director.

While the number of meetings could easily be adjusted to better fit your board, I think the concept is a good one. Too often bylaws are structured to activate a process where the board must vote to kick the board member off the board after the absence threshold has been met.  This rarely happens. Here, it happens automatically. If the board wants to keep the person on, they can discuss it and vote to “reject” the resignation. That is certainly a more positive discussion. 

The topic of dealing with absentee board members could fill several blog postings (if not a book), but I would suggest that you consider adding wording like the above to your bylaws and that you make sure every board member is well aware of the commitment involved before they join the board. I also encourage you to put some thought into how you communicate with board members who miss meetings before they get to this point. A little bit of communication early-on can head off a lot of frustration and difficult conversations later. 

I would love to hear your own thoughts on any successes you’ve had in dealing with absentee board members.

As I work with my nonprofit clients, it is always interesting for me to see how different organizations handle the issue of involving staff members in their board meetings. While some executive directors never invite staff to the meetings, others have certain staff members attend every meeting.  You might guess that I’m going to suggest that there is a middle ground worth considering. 

Board members want to meet the staff, and most of your staff will value the opportunity to interact with board members.  I think something is lost, however, when it becomes standard operating procedure for some or all staff members to attend every board meeting.  First, keep in mind just how busy your staff is, what their time is worth to you, and, perhaps, how little really important work gets done at your board meetings.  Be strategic.  When the board is talking about strategic direction, involve your staff leaders.  When the board is talking about a topic that is likely to require a fair amount of background information or expertise you don’t have, get the appropriate staff member to attend.  If you are reporting on a successful project or introducing a new program, involve the lead staff person and give him or her lots of credit. 

An executive director who doesn’t involve staff in board meetings can appear insecure or might be inadvertently suggesting that staff just isn’t very capable.  Think of staff attendance at board meetings as a chance to show-off your skills in hiring, delegating, and bringing good staff along, and always be aware of the professional learning opportunity you are providing to your staff. You could be preparing a future executive director, helping him or her hone essential presentation skills, and providing the confidence boost that so many good people need and deserve.

The folks at The Chronicle of Philanthropy have started a new “roundup of blogs about the nonprofit world.  I’ve been a long time reader of The Chronicle, and find it to be a valuable resource.  Their “Give and Take” is a great new feature. Take a look: http://philanthropy.com/giveandtake/

Over the years I’ve seen well-intentioned people cause strategic planning sessions to grind to a halt over personal definitions of “mission” and “vision.” Somehow the words and concepts have become jumbled, and the result is that way too much time is wasted on terminology rather than on moving the process forward.

I generally find agreement in any group that mission statements should say in as few words as possible what your organization does and for whom: “Our mission is to house and feed the homeless and move them down the path to self-sufficiency.”  Some would say that the mission statement tells people why you exist.  There also seems to be general agreement that when it comes to mission statements that shorter is better.  Today’s wisdom suggests that the mission should be able to comfortably fit on the back of your business card.

The vision statement seems more fraught with varying interpretations.  I tell my clients to think of the vision statement as a “word painting” of your desired future.  As such, you may need several sentences, or even 2 or 3 paragraphs to paint your picture.  While some will argue that a vision statement should be only a sentence in length, the goal here is for anyone reading it to be able to envision your future.  Unlike the brief mission statement, I’m comfortable with a longer vision statement because I see it as a great tool for speeches, fund raising letters, the orientation of new board members or for any moment where you want to talk about where you want to head and why you need people to join you in your journey.

Call them what you want, but have a short statement that tells why you exist and what you exist to do.  Have another statement that helps people appreciate where you are heading and just how exciting the future could be if they would only join you.  Together those statements can help provide some essential direction to any organization.