Meetings Archives - Page 2 of 2

Repurposed Meetings

October 13, 2020April 24, 2019 by Grant MacDonald

Non-profit board meetings seem to stick very close to the standard “business meeting” format. Are they only option for boards and executives to do their work together?

Maybe it is time to push back a little on our reliance on customary board meetings. There are other kinds of meetings that can, and should be, incorporated into the governance calendar. Repurposing some meetings offers hope to those wanting not only to be good stewards of their organization but to grapple with the larger issues facing their communities.

Kindling Board Trust

January 28, 2019January 25, 2019 by Grant MacDonald

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.

Refurbuishing Your Chair

January 12, 2021July 28, 2018 by Grant MacDonald

Would you be surprised to learn that a recent study revealed that 73% of board chairs would welcome feedback on their performance? How about that this majority crossed gender, organization type and even board chair experience categories. Such a finding certainly opens the door to dramatically improving how well boards’ function and seeing some changes quickly.

Ok, no such study exists. It is likely though that board chairs are as open as anyone to suggestions for improving their effectiveness. Such improvements could include a better understanding

Yin & Yang and Boards

July 22, 2020June 7, 2018 by Grant MacDonald

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.

Daylighting Board Minutes

August 21, 2018March 6, 2018 by Grant MacDonald

Phase I of daylighting the Sawmill River in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia has just been completed. It is just a short walk from where I live. Citizens, many of whom who advocated for the project, are excited to have a glimpse of what had been hidden for 40 years.

Daylighting a river or stream involves bringing a natural watercourse, buried underground in a culvert or pipe, up above ground. The goal is to restore it to a more natural state where the sun can shine on it. Possibly fish can return to using it too.

Guests in the Boardroom

May 1, 2025August 27, 2017 by Grant MacDonald

Arab-American writer, Khalil Gibran (1883-1931) wrote “If it were not for guests all houses would be graves”. The sentiment may seem be a bit extreme, but speaks to the idea of isolation from the world. I wonder if there is a message here for non-profit board “houses”?

Easy Board Home Improvements

June 8, 2022July 4, 2017 by Grant MacDonald

Living in an 100+ year old house means getting used to a life with a long and never completed home maintenance agenda. Something always needs repair or replacement. And, out there in the world there is no shortage of additional household improvement ideas I could add to my list.

Ex officios unearthed – Part 2

November 23, 2017April 21, 2017 by Grant MacDonald

In the first post in this series I explored the possible benefits of external ex officio directors. These are places on the board for representatives of outside organizations. It was a call to dust off this artifact of non-profit board structure and modernize it.

Do we need a motion for that?

June 20, 2023February 21, 2017 by Grant MacDonald

Have you ever been uncertain about whether an item to be decided by your board requires a formal motion? Perhaps your board flirts with some version of “Robert’s Rules” even though no one really knows them? Maybe your board follows past practices with respect to making motions with no idea of where the procedures came from, or what could be improved. If any of this is true, you are in good company.

You might be surprised to know that here is no universally accepted or prescribed set of procedures that non-profit boards must follow in their deliberations and decisions. Yes, there are a set of meeting procedures many people have heard of called Robert’s Rules, but that is not where I am going here.