Board Dynamics

The Lure of Operational Involvement

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Board members often want to help their non-profit in any way they can.  Contributing to its  effectiveness around the board table is essential but one’s role here can seem remote from the direct work of the organization. Indeed, governance work for board members can seem intangible in terms of how exactly it adds value.  Perhaps one should volunteer in the non-profit’s programs or services. Surely it would also be a support to staff.
 
Despite such good intentions, when board members focus their attention on, or even step into operational matters, roles can easily be confused and frequently are.

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Managing Board Resignations

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The resignation of a volunteer board member or director is not an uncommon occurrence. Typically it is because the person finds themselves unable to fulfill their duties. Personal or family matters or new work commitments can unexpectedly get in the way of their continued board involvement. And, it can occur too as a result of a conflict on the board.  A person is unhappy with recent happenings or decisions and is unwilling to continue serving.

It is the latter kind of situation that recently sparked some advice from me to a group.  But the cause of a resignation, or preventing them, is not the focus of this post. Regardless of the reason for a board departure they need to be handled properly. This is not complicated governance territory but, much to my own surprise, I discovered that there are important considerations one should be aware of.[1]Helpful in writing this post was Mary Childs’ 2020 piece Canada: Directors of Not-for-Profits and Charities_ Resignation, Removal and Replacement published by Mondaq

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Committees Checked Out

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For many people, boards and committees go hand-in-hand in the structure of a non-profit organization. Committees though, are one of the elements where assumptions often rule on what ones to have, not always to good effect.

What I will try to do is to sketch out what board committees non-profits ought to put in place, ones to be careful setting up, and what steps, like written terms of reference, can help to make them effective. Perhaps I can take the guesswork out of the picture.

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Governance Selection

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When it comes to candy my favourite choice is a box of Ganong’s Delecto Dark Chocolates. I am quite loyal to this brand. They are Canada’s oldest candy company.  Employing nearly 400 people, the family-run firm is the mainstay of the economy of St. Stephen, a small town on the Maine- New Brunswick border. It is just down the road from where I grew up.

A box of mixed chocolates can offer a variety of choices for those with a sweet tooth. Often you are not exactly sure what each candy offers even though you read the description before choosing. My Governance Selection, great articles by other governance nerds like me, tries to offers a similar experience.

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Kindling Board Trust

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How well do you know your fellow directors apart from what you see and hear from them in your work together as a board? Possibly not well. This post is about increasing our familiarity with one another with the goal of building trust around the board table.

One often thinks about trust in the non-profit governance context as being about the relationship between the board and the CEO. Trust amongst board members is important too. Indeed, trust is increasingly important as boards strive to be demographically and culturally more diverse.

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Yin & Yang and Boards

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The idea of my trying to connect the ancient Chinese philosophy of Yin and Yang to non-profit governance predates the addition of Gracie, the border collie, to our household. As pervasive as pet photos are, it is pure happenstance that her looks provide a good visual metaphor. Perhaps the notion of Yin and Yang offers some insight into her character.

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