One of the things that I’ve often contemplated is why, in many if not most instances, boards have taken on a role that is perceived to be external to the “real” work of the organization. They are managed and approached as entities that have a role, but a role that is somehow at arm’s length to day-to-day operations and, therefore, board management is approached as something that occurs in isolation of other organizational realities.
To be clear, I’m not suggesting that boards should take a hands-on approach when it comes to day-to-day operations. In fact, I am a huge fan of having governance policies that clearly outline the board’s role in key areas of the organization (e.g., HR, public engagement, and fundraising) and ensuring that those boundaries are implemented and respected. However, few organizations, it would seem, take the time to understand and work into their strategic plan what it means to be governed by a volunteer Board of Directors. Every Canadian non-profit operates with this reality, but how many take the time to unpack how to best and most effectively integrate the work and relationships with the members of a volunteer board into business and sustainability planning for the organization?
When these pieces are not explored, a host of issues emerge. By far the one I’ve witnessed most often is board-management tension, where the board is perceived (because of their volunteer status and, often, competing time commitments) as not fully committed to their role and management is perceived as not respecting the value, expertise, and effort of the board. Reporting to and seeking approval of the board can be seen as a time-consuming red tape process that eats up already scarce time in resource-stretched organizations. Conversely, board members must find ways to reiterate their ultimate legal liability for the organization and ensure that organizational risk is minimized. It is a push-and-pull scenario whose outcomes have real costs to the organization.
So, how does an organization begin to address some of these challenges? Here are a few ideas to get started:
1. Have a clear governance policy. In this document, outline the critical pieces that describe and define the board’s role in the organization and their relationship to management, including:
a. Segregation of duties between board and management in key areas such as the development of vision and mission; strategic planning; program development; policy making; human resource management; financial management; fundraising; and advocacy and public engagement.
b. Expectations of the Executive Director, including a high level overview of the values, principals, and parameters that the board expects the Executive Director to employ when making decisions and engaging in organizational development.
c. Board processes and procedures. It is important to clearly outline how the board operates so that everyone that participates in the organization understands the work the board does and how staff and other volunteers interconnect with that work.
2. Frame and approach the board as playing their real and critical role. Many organizations take for granted that all management and staff members clearly understand the role of the board. When management emphasizes the critical role that the board plays in holding ultimate legal responsibility for the organization, there is an opportunity for the board to be positioned as an integral component of the agency that impacts and is impacted by day-to-day operations, and not just as a necessary, if cumbersome, added layer to decision-making processes.
3. Apply volunteer management principals to board members. High board turnover has similar impact to high employee turnover and feeds the perception that board members lack commitment. However, like with staff, retention strategies must be in place to keep board members motivated to give of their time and talents to the organization. The plain and simple reality is that board members are not paid and, therefore, their relationship to the agency – and their ability and motivation to actively participate in it – is different than staff. Organizations are well-served to understand this and not begrudge it. Finding ways to thank and appreciate board members is a worthwhile investment, as a high functioning board has direct and positive impact on organizational outcomes.
4. Develop processes that work with the volunteer nature of boards. In rare cases will you have a situation where board members can respond instantaneously to all issues that may arise between meetings. Organizations would be well-served to have processes that are agreed upon between management and the board around how to prioritize and address these pieces.
5. Ensure the board takes on its employer role as if it was a paid manager/supervisor. This may seem contradictory to #3 (accepting that the board role is an unpaid position), but, particularly in this instance, being a volunteer does not preclude the board from ensuring a high standard of professionalism, which means taking its supervisory responsibilities to the ED seriously. Just because the board is volunteer and offsite does not mean that the Executive Director should not expect to have a proper employment contract, job description, and performance reviews. A consistent track record by the board of ensuring these pieces are in place will both reiterate the board’s role as employer and assist with job satisfaction and retention of the Executive Director, which can be a significant piece in building organizational stability, resilience, and sustainability.
6. Include board roles and responsibilities into all organizational work plans. Even if the board’s role is not hands-on in operational planning, by capturing what the board’s role is, it is an ongoing reminder that organizational management is a collaborative effort between board and staff and that operations do not occur in isolation of the board.
7. Develop effective communication strategies between board and staff. By effectively disseminating and sharing outcomes of board work, there is an opportunity to demystify board decision-making and to model transparency throughout the organization.
8. Have functions that provide for informal contact between board and staff. When board and staff have the opportunity to identify with each other as fellow human beings and collaborators in a common cause, the potential segregation that comes with role assignments can be broken down and commonalities can be recognized and built on for the benefit of the agency and the community it serves.
