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Board Engagement Can Help Prevent Nonprofit Leadership Falls
Brian Kreeger 1:18 • Aug 12, 2021
According to the National Council of Nonprofits, “An engaged board is a forward-thinking board that strives to have a collaborative partnership with the CEO/executive director, which means partnering for fundraising, as well as policy-making. Engaged boards ‘work’ between board meetings, and attend meetings well prepared. They are willing to deliberate candidly, confidently treading on sensitive topics that may result in ‘messy’ discussions because they trust one another and are comfortable with the culture of the nonprofit, confident that everyone values mutual respect.”1
So, there you have it. An excellent description of a properly engaged board. I would only add to the description the need for a properly engaged board to be involved in the life of their executive at an appropriate level.
The description is well rounded and hits nearly all of the key points. Of the numerous boards I have served on, I would say maybe three have come close to the mark described above. That leaves many needing improvement.
(This article is the eighteenth in a series that focuses on starting a conversation centered on preventing the fall of nonprofit leaders. I write it from a Christian perspective, but all leaders will benefit. Be sure to sign up to receive these articles via email every Tuesday at briankreeger.com. In addition to receiving these articles two days before they hit social media, you will receive the Contents, Introduction and the Appendix (My story) of my upcoming book, The Courageous Ask: A Proactive Approach to Prevent the Fall of Christian Nonprofit Leaders.)
Board engagement is critical.
It is not only critical to the operation and growth of the organization, it is important to the executive on a personal level. Board engagement transforms the declaration of board support into action, which makes the words of the board much more impactful and sincere. This helps an executive move forward with boldness and confidence.
There are few things more important that a board can do in being proactive to prevent the fall of a nonprofit executive than being engaged. The relationship between the executive and their accountability structure is heavily influenced by the amount of board engagement the executive experiences. Nearly every nonprofit executive I interviewed said as much.
And really, to the executive, any type of sincere board engagement is typically magnified in their mind, and it lifts their spirit as they feel genuinely supported. Yes, there are those executives that are very demanding, whom a board cannot do enough for. But they are rare
One executive I interviewed said that 80–90 percent of emails they send out to the board do not garner a reply. They went on to say, “Simple responses like ‘Thanks for sharing that info,’ or ‘We’ll be praying for that,’ or even ‘How can I pitch in?’ would have made a huge difference.” To this executive, it would be just that simple. They said that many times they would send a follow-up email a few days later because they thought there may have been a computer glitch.
Another executive of a large nonprofit I interviewed said of their board, “A majority come to one meeting per month, if they come. Even then, they don’t ask how I am but just ask ‘How are the numbers?’”
And still another said, “It would be earth shattering to have a board member pop into the office once in a while.”
I have interviewed leaders who, in the interest of the organization’s mission, forego raises or even paychecks so they can increase staff or even simply make sure the staff gets paid when things are tight.
One of the CEOs of a million-dollar nonprofit I interviewed told me that during tough times a year or two ago they were holding nine paychecks that they would not cash so employees would get paid. Did the board even know this?
I know in my case that the board tried to give me a raise twice, and I said no. I told them to give me more vacation, which, of course, I never took.
In my experience, most executives crave board engagement. All organizations need board engagement. You’ll notice that none of the actions mentioned above take much time.
As described above, one of the biggest benefits to board engagement is the manifestation of a board declaration into a genuine, active declaration. But there is one more big benefit.
Increased board engagement, and especially increased engagement with the executive, gives the board a clearer view of the organization and the leader. This could not only help the board to carry out their fiduciary responsibilities, but could help them monitor the leader on professional and personal levels. This will help identify issues and even personal activities that may be triggers in an impending fall.
One nonprofit executive I interviewed said, “A board needs to be known by their engagement. If a board is known in the community and by going to events, the typical participant in those events knows who to go to if they see a problem. This increases the eyes of the board and can prevent a leadership fall by catching something earlier.”
Another multi million-dollar nonprofit CEO with decades of board experience said, “If a board is really focused on mission and governance and strategically working with a senior leader on those areas, they would probably get into a lot of things the leader is struggling with. The board chair would help run the board side. They know what the leader wants to get done and would know where there would be board obstacles and they work the system. Team approach. This creates relationship.”
Too many times something catastrophic happens in an organization that leaves a board wondering how they did not see it or see it coming. They are dumbfounded. They realize they were not paying attention. This can be alleviated by increased board engagement.
A board member who struggles in their motivation to be adequately engaged in an organization they have chosen to be part of should examine if they should indeed be part of the board of that organization. Maybe they have lost their initial passion, but it may be a matter of timing concerning other temporary, more important circumstances in the life of the board member.
Of course, too much board engagement can also be damaging, as it may be perceived as micromanagement. This may actually lower the executive’s confidence in their own abilities.
Appropriate board engagement is different in each organization and is based on things like the age of the organization, the history of the organization, past practices, and the experience and personality of the executive.
But just remember, the board hired their particular executive for a reason. The executive must be allowed to manage the organization.
One bank CEO turned philanthropist and active board member I know tells of the two questions he asks as he leads nonprofit boards he serves on:
- Is the executive the right person for the job?
- If the answer to question number one is yes, what can we do to support them in their position?
He says that these two questions help them focus their board engagement.
Most boards will recognize they need to step up their game when it comes to being more engaged in the organization they are so passionate about. It may be time to act on that recognition.
But what about being engaged in the personal life of the executive? Next week's blog article will tackle this sometimes difficult question.
1“Board Engagement,” National Council of Nonprofits, January 12, 2015, http://www.councilofnonprofits.org/tools-resources/board-engagement.
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briankreeger.com. In addition to receiving these articles two days before they hit social media, you will receive the Contents, Introduction and the Appendix (My Story) to my upcoming book, The Courageous Ask: A Proactive Approach to Prevent the Fall of Christian Nonprofit Leaders.
Brian@briankreeger.com
#Leadership Fall #Leadership Survival #Nonprofit Relationships #Proactive Approach #Leadership Struggles #Leadership Battles #Christian Executive Leader #Christian Leader #Board of Directors #Courageous Ask #Board Relationship #Board Engagement
Executives -pastors or nonprofit executives in our context- are put on a pedestal. It’s not that the typical person necessarily believes they belong there or desires to put them there. But it is human nature that this happens. The general public often places much higher expectations on leaders than they do on themselves. Sometimes it is appropriate, and the leader has put themselves in that position. In some cases, it is simply scriptural. For instance, James 3 points out that those who teach will be judged more strictly, thereby heightening the expectations of those who lead and teach. But what about when we accept, and enact, those elevated expectations and forget the humanity of our leaders? Often a community heaps on a leader the expectation that they are to perform with the perfection of Jesus and not simply be a Jesus follower and disciple just like them, but with a unique calling and heightened responsibility. Too many times when a leader shows human imperfection, the respect we have for them is damaged. Leaders fall under strict judgment, and we forget they are no less fallible than us. The imperfection they have colors any positive experience we would have had with them otherwise. While most of us acknowledge this strict, hypocritical judgment and recognize it as not being how we want to treat our leaders, it is a difficult battle to fight in our own attitudes and minds. No matter who the leader is, they are not Jesus. But please allow me to reverently make some comparisons. (This blog focuses on starting a conversation centered on preventing the fall of nonprofit leaders. I write it from a Christian perspective, but all leaders will benefit. Be sure to sign up to receive these articles via email every Tuesday at briankreeger.com as well as taking a look at previous blog articles. In addition to receiving these articles two days before they hit social media, you will receive the article "5 Early Indicators of a Christian Nonprofit Leadership Fall" along with the Contents, Introduction and the Appendix (My story) of my book, The Courageous Ask: A Proactive Approach to Prevent the Fall of Christian Nonprofit Leaders. )
You are the community, no matter what formal role you play in a particular organization, or if you play any role at all. My blog articles typically focus on the roles the leader and the board have in preventing the fall of Christian nonprofit leaders. But I contend that the community that exists around organizational leaders and boards has a role as well. In fact, a community’s role can many times be much bigger. My next few blog articles will focus on the role of the community in preventing the fall of Christian nonprofit leaders. (This blog focuses on starting a conversation centered on preventing the fall of nonprofit leaders. I write it from a Christian perspective, but all leaders will benefit. Be sure to sign up to receive these articles via email every Tuesday at briankreeger.com as well as taking a look at previous blog articles. In addition to receiving these articles two days before they hit social media, you will receive the article "5 Early Indicators of a Christian Nonprofit Leadership Fall" along with the Contents, Introduction and the Appendix (My story) of my book, The Courageous Ask: A Proactive Approach to Prevent the Fall of Christian Nonprofit Leaders. )
