Board Training Essentials

Board Training Essentials Presented for Stevenson, Inc. June 2, 2010 Alice L. Ferris, ACFRE James S. Anderson GoalBusters Consulting, LLC www.goalbusters.net

Poll Question
What is your primary role today?
Board member
Top nonprofit executive-Executive Director, President, CEO, etc.
Nonprofit manager-Director of Development, Marketing Manager, etc.
Support staff
Other

Your goals
What questions would you like answered today?

Our goals for today
Board roles and responsibilities
Assessment
Tools for training

Our Philosophy about Boards
Board members are the organization's top leadership
Recruit and retain these leaders just like you would recruit your top executive: take it seriously!

Gallup's Employee Satisfaction Survey
12 questions summarized
I know what is expected of me
I have the tools and training to do what I need to do
Someone recognizes and seems to care about my work
The mission is important to me and I can make a difference within it
I have had opportunities to learn and grow

What is expected of me: Board roles and responsibilities

What do boards do?
Selects and evaluates executive
Determines mission and vision
Sets organizational policy
Ensures effective organizational planning
Monitors programs & services
Promotes organization in community
Ensures and manages adequate resources
Managing what we have
Going and getting more

What should boards NOT do?
Micromanage staff
Be involved in the minutia of day-to-day operations
Change the mission and vision too frequently
Bad-mouth the organization or its decisions
Ignore financial responsibilities

What can boards do if they want to?
Volunteer in program services
Speak on behalf of the organization in public relations situations
Ask people for money

Board Recruitment: Proper training begins at the beginning!

Who should you recruit?
People first, then skills
Need to care about the mission/your organization
Need to be a good personality fit
Need to have time available
Preferred skills
Business savvy
Nonprofit volunteer experience

How should you recruit?
Take it seriously
Invitation: don't make it seem like a sure thing (even if it is)
Interview: get a board member or several involved
Selection: review assessment matrix and select based on match
Nomination: explain expectations up front
Acceptance: provide orientation

Board Assessment: Determining your training needs

What are we measuring?
Knowledge base
Availability or willingness to provide access to that knowledge base
Diversity
Length of tenure
Performance
General attitude/satisfaction with one's role

Knowledge Base
Financial
Legal
Nonprofit management
Program understanding
Marketing
Audience connection
Client
Fundraising
Business community
Leadership
Technical knowledge about your mission
Others?

Availability
Don't always go to the people who do what you need for a living and expect them to donate time
Assess comfort level with using their knowledge base for your organization
Determine how much time they realistically have available to provide their knowledge

Diversity
Beyond standard race categories
Age
Geographic distribution
Political persuasion
Faith
Employment background
More...

Length of Tenure
Importance of term limits
Staggering board terms

Performance: Self Evaluation
Ranking questions (scale of agreement):
The board has a full and common understanding of the roles and responsibilities of a board
Board members understand the mission and programs
The board has clear goals and action steps resulting from annual planning
The board receives regular reports on and understands finances and budgets, program performance, and other important matters

Ranking questions (scale of agreement):
The board is actively involved in fundraising
The board effectively represents the organization to the community
Each member of the board appears to be involved and interested in the organization's work

Yes or no questions
I attend meetings regularly and participate in discussions
I feel informed about the mission and vision and support it
I contribute my time to the best of my ability
I contribute money to the best of my ability
I am serving on a committee or task force
I encourage others to support when I can
I find my participation to be rewarding
I am satisfied with my current contributions

Gap Analysis
What gaps are because people are missing?
Knowledge base for professional skills
Availability
Diversity
What gaps are because people don't have the training or tools?
Knowledge base for fundraising and nonprofit board governance
Performance and attitude

Board Training: Opportunities to learn and grow

Adult Learning Principles Dr. BJ Bischoff, AFP Faculty Training Academy
Focus on “real world” problems
Emphasize how the learning can be applied
Relate the learning to the learners' goals
Relate the materials to the learners' past experiences
Allow debate and challenge of ideas
Listen to and respect the opinions of learners
Encourage learners to be resources to you and to each other
Treat learners like adults

Training format: Half Day or All Day Retreat
Advantages
Concentrated time
More comprehensive information
Opportunity for hands on practice
Possibly more focus from participants
Disadvantages
Hard to get people to commit
People who need to be there most will be the ones that don't come!
Distracting if people come and go
Brain burnout by end of day

Training format: Add on to Board Meeting
Advantages
They're already there
Focused on one topic
Short, concentrated information
Disadvantages
Depending on where you place it, people may leave or come late
May not be enough time to fully develop concept
Probably not as much time for exercises and activities

Training format: One on One
Advantages
Customization
Focused
Disadvantages
That's a lot of trainings
Consistency of message
People who need it most won't participate

Training Environment
Participant comfort
Use of handouts: all at once v. hand them out as you need them
Vary teaching methods
Lecture
Discussion
Activities

So what do we want to learn?
What the staff wants to teach
What the board wants to learn

So what do we want to learn?
What the staff wants to teach
Major gift fundraising
What the board wants to learn
Programmatic planning and implementation
Impact on community
How to read financials
Special event fundraising

Teaching about Program Operations
Points to cover
How your organization is structured
What you do
Teaching tool: can be add-on or all day
Staff introductions
Site tour
Immersion program: “A Day in the Life”
“ Mission minute”

Sample Immersion Program
Breakfast with the Executive Director
Sign any disclaimers if needed
Site tour
Extended stops in areas that are most “hands on” or most directly seen by the public
Make it “exclusive”: provide access to areas not normally open to the public if possible
Conclude with refreshments and debrief

Teaching about Financials
Points to cover
Difference between balance sheet and income statement
Where your revenues come from
Where your expenses go to
Teaching tool: add-on or during orientation
Use mock financials for balance sheet/income statement discussion
Use pie charts

Sample Financials

Teaching about Fundraising
Points to cover
General philanthropic information, like Giving USA stats
What portion of operating budget is dependent on successful fundraising
What tools you are using now
What tools you would like to use
What roles can they play
Connector
Expert
Closer

Teaching about Fundraising
Teaching tools: can be add-on or half to all day
Structured discussion
Role play
Scripted role play
Team role play
Game show
http://jeopardylabs.com/

Sample Half Day Training
Breakfast with all development personnel
Introductions and icebreaker
What's the most unique thing you ever donated to a nonprofit (or heard about being donated)
General information: can do this as a game show if people are more savvy
National trends
Our trends
Tools we're using now

Sample Half Day Training
Tools you want to use or tools you want to better implement
Role identification (connector, expert, closer)
Role play exercises
Debriefing and refreshments

Orientation
Important first step to establish expectation of ongoing training
Demonstrates commitment and seriousness
Points to cover
“ Socialization”
Program operations
Board manual
Expectations
Financials
Major issues
Board mentor

Orientation agenda
Recommend half to full day
Breakfast with current board (45 minutes)
Staff introductions and site tour
If half day, 30 minutes
If full day, 1 hour or up to half day if conducting the immersion program

Orientation agenda
Review board manual (30-60 minutes)
Meeting schedule
Board roster
Policies
Past minutes (for later review)
Conflict of interest policy statement for signature
Expectations of the board, including financial commitment form

Orientation agenda
Review financials from last board meeting (30 minutes)
Financial basics (pie charts)
Where our money comes from
Where it goes
Preferably ask the current board treasurer to present

Orientation agenda
Major issues (15 minutes to an hour)
Are there any pending or in progress discussions that you wouldn't want to walk into the middle of and feel uninformed?
Board president should facilitate this discussion

Orientation agenda
Assign a board mentor
Preferably someone they know
Have them join at lunch or assign at breakfast if half day
Expect follow up from board mentor within 10 days and at least one day prior to next board meeting

Questions

GoalBusters Consulting LLC Alice L. Ferris, MBA, ACFRE [email_address] James S. Anderson [email_address] www.goalbusters.net Twitter: goalbusters Facebook: facebook.com/goalbusters

Board Training Essentials

by GoalBusters LLC on Jun 10, 2010

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