Seattle Public Theater

ORG NAME

Plan for Board Development

Prepared by The Executive Service Corps

Of Washington

ORG NAME

Plan for Board Development

Part 1: INTRODUCTION

Organizational Background

(ORG NAME) began operation in _____as a ______focused on______. It produced _____. ORG NAME also offered ______to ______.

Recently, …..

On______, ORG NAME engaged The Executive Service Corps of Washington to provide guidance and support in the preparation of a board development plan. ESCWA consultant ______was assigned to the project. ESCWA is a nonprofit organization, providing a range of managerial consulting services to improve the effectiveness of nonprofit organizations, schools and public agencies in Washington, through services donated by a team of experienced executives and professionals.

Deliverables were to include assistance with (1) setting agendas for board meetings, (2) drafting a board recruitment plan, (3) delineating roles and expectations for the Board and its members, (4) establishing a committee structure, and (5) outlining an orientation program for new members. The project was scheduled to end on ______with a report to the ORG NAME Board of Directors.

Process

The ORG NAME Board appointed a committee of the following individuals to work with the consultant in developing a plan.

• Board members:
• Management:

The committee met on _____occasions. Considerable time was spent defining the messages for Board recruitment, including redrafting the mission statement, developing descriptive phrases and rewriting the tagline. The agenda and material for discussion were prepared and presented by the ESC consultant.

Findings and Recommendations

The results of the Committee’s deliberation are presented in the following format:

• Where is ORG NAME now?
• Recommendations
• Next steps

Part 2: WHERE IS ORG NAME NOW?

The involvement to date in Board Development has been ______. Considerable time and energy have been devoted to crafting a mission statement and establishing a five-year vision statement. Also, some work has been done on describing the roles and expectations of Board members.

Describe current status of board and organization…

The following pages profile the current Board members, document the newly revised organizational structure, and outline the five-year business plan.

BOARD PROFILE

Part 4: RECOMMENDATIONS

The following statements summarize what needs to be done to position ORG NAME to recruit and retain effective Board members.

• Agree on clear mission and vision statements
• Decide on the size of the board and the frequency of meetings.
• Establish a committee structure.
• Agree upon the roles of the Board and the expectations of its members.
• Tightly manage the agenda of meetings.
• Implement a training/orientation program for members.
• Decide on the mix of skills and professions needed in Board members in order to achieve the vision
• Outline a recruitment plan

Each of these needs is addressed in this section of the report.

1. DESCRIPTIVE STATEMENTS

Mission Statement:

ORG NAME’s commitment:

• To produce… of the highest quality;
• To provide…
• To build and strengthen … ; and
• To inspire….

Descriptive Statement

ORG NAME …..

Tag line:

Insert….

Applicable phrases:

For example

Executive Service Corps of Washington © 2008

• Building
• Challenging
• Creating
• Dynamic
• Engaging
• Enthused
• Fresh
• Informed
• Innovative
• Intimate
• Inspiring
• Inviting
• Involved
• Provoking

10

Executive Service Corps of Washington © 2008

2. ORGANIZATION

Size

• Grow the Board to 15 members, making sure ownership is not diminished in the process.
• Consider establishing an honorary board to help open doors and to assist selectively in recruiting and fundraising.

Frequency of meetings

Continue meeting on a monthly basis for the next several months, but reduce to a bi-monthly schedule effective July 1. Monthly meetings are too frequent to attract talented members with busy schedules, and quarterly meetings are too infrequent for a semi-working Board.

Committees

• Include non-Board members on committees when they can be helpful. But exclude non-Board members, with the possible exception of the MD, from service on the Board Development committee.
• Maintain the following standing committees:
• Administration
• Finance
• Development (fund raising)
• Program
• Board Development
• Consider establishing the following ad hoc committees to address issues of immediate concern:
• Community relations
• Volunteer recruitment and training

1. ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

The Board has five roles. Each of those roles involves certain responsibilities, many of which are shared with staff. Appendix A provides a more detailed listing of responsibilities with assignments to Board and staff, respectively.

Establish strategy

• Continually review and adjust as needed:
• Mission statement
• Vision statement
• Short term goals
• Annual expectations

Set policy

• Guide the workings of Board and staff
• Articulate values

Supervise

• Select an MD and AD/ or ED
• Support the MD and AD/ ED, and evaluate performance
• Oversee the effective management of resources
• Approve and monitor programs and assess effectiveness

Advocate

• Enhance ORG NAME’s image within the community

Raise funds

• Provide for adequate resources to carry out ORG NAME’s mission

COMMITTEE JOB DESCRIPTIONS

Administration

The Administration Committee meets more frequently than the full board. It is comprised of the board officers. The Administration committee is responsible for the following:

• To work closely with the Managing Director and the Artistic Director to guide and oversee the day-to-day affairs of ORG NAME
• To make minor decisions on behalf of the Board, if such decisions must be made immediately or do not warrant full Board action.

Finance

The Finance committee oversees the financial planning and budgeting process, and the conduct of financial and operational audits. Its tasks are:

• To review budgets initially prepared by staff, to develop appropriate procedures and expectations for budget preparations, and to assure consistency between the budget and the multi-year plan.
• To report to the Board any financial irregularities, concerns and opportunities.
• To recommend financial directives or policy (e.g. maintain a reserve fund, obtain a line of credit)
• To ensure that financial reports are accurate and timely.
• To oversee short and long-term investments.
• To recommend selection of the auditor, if an audit is called for, and to work with the auditor.

Development

The Development Committee is responsible for overseeing ORG NAME’s fundraising efforts. Its responsibilities are:

• To work with staff to establish a fundraising plan that incorporates a series of appropriate vehicles, such as special events, direct mail, product sales.
• To take the lead in certain types of outreach efforts, such as chairing a dinner/dance committee or hosting fundraising parties.
• To be responsible for involvement of all Board members in fundraising, such as having Board members make telephone calls to ask for support, and
• To monitor fundraising efforts to be sure that ethical practices are in place, that donors are acknowledged appropriately, and that fundraising efforts are cost-effective.
• To oversee the grant writing process.

Program

The Program Committee is comprised of Board members, key staff, and possibly other interested and involved individuals, who are most familiar with ORG NAME’s products and programs. Its responsibilities include:

• To ensure that the mission and vision statements are expressed through ORG NAME’s programs.
• To facilitate discussions about program priorities and direction.
• To guide program evaluations, and present evaluations to the Board

Board development

The Board Development committee is responsible for the general affairs of the Board. Its tasks are:

• To prepare priorities for Board composition
• To meet with prospective Board members and recommend candidates to the Board
• To recommend a slate of officers to the Board.
• To organize orientation sessions for new board members and training sessions for the entire Board, and
• To suggest non-Board individuals for committee membership.

1. AGENDA SETTING

Productive Board meetings are essential both for effective governance and for recruitment and retention of talented Board members. The following principles are offered as guidelines for meetings.

• Clearly identify and promulgate all action items beforehand.

• Limit the number of action items to a maximum of three. Clear them with the Board President before sharing with the full board.

• Limit the length and detail of the MD and AD reports. Eliminate all but the most substantive issues. Focus on the progress toward achieving annual objectives. Present material so as to invite questions.

• Make maximum use of a consent agenda.

• Save time at each meeting to review progress toward meeting objectives and to educate Board members about the issues facing ORG NAME.

• Provide opportunity for, and encourage, all Board members to participate and be heard. Seek comments from as many board members as possible during the meeting.

• On or before the start of each fiscal year:
• Assess the prior year’s performance.
• Set goals and expectations for the year. Link them to the vision statement.
• Approve the budget for the year.

• Consider the following standard agenda for each Board meeting:

• MD/AD update
• Financial update
• Fund raising update
• Presentation of item of interest

• Provide informal time for the MD/AD to talk about concerns that keep him/her up at night.

• Whenever possible, the President and executive staff should seek the counsel of individual members between formal meetings.

1. EXPECTATIONS OF BOARD MEMBERS

Current and prospective members should be aware of what is expected of them in their role as part of the ORG NAME Board. The following list of expectations should be shared with prospective members and with all current members on an annual basis.

• Attend and actively participate in at least 75% of all Board meetings.

• Attend special events.

• Review the agenda and supporting materials prior to meetings.

• Actively serve on committees and take on special assignments as needed.

• Make an annual financial contribution to ORG NAME and engage in fund-raising.

• Remain informed about ORG NAME’s mission, programs, and policies.

• Promote ORG NAME within the community.

• Keep up-to-date on issues pertaining to….

• Provide support and advice to the Managing Director.

• Suggest nominees for Board membership

• Accept responsibility, with other members of the Board, to see that ORG NAME fulfills its mission and meets its legal obligations.

• Avoid all conflicts of interest and any appearance of impropriety and do not receive, directly or indirectly, any financial benefit.

• Comply with ORG NAME policies and procedures.

5. TRAINING/ORIENTATION

Board members must be kept fully informed about ORG NAME’s operational and financial matters, its policies and plans, and the needs and concerns of its playgoers. They also need to be reminded periodically of their responsibilities and legal obligations as members of the Board.

The Board Development Committee should assess the training needs and implement a plan to address those needs. Training sessions should be conducted on a timely basis for each new board member and annually for all members. The sessions should be structured around the material presented in this report.

New members should be assigned to committees as soon as possible.

Senior Board members should be assigned to mentor new members.

1. BOARD RECRUITMENT GUIDELINES

Prospective Board members should:

• support ORG NAME’s mission and purpose
• be willing to commit time and energy to ORG NAME
• preferably reside in, or have connection with, one of Seattle’s north end communities.

Possible sources of new Board members:

• Community leaders
• Avid….
• Small business owners/ general managers
• Corporate representatives
• Educators
• School administrators
• Involved parents
• Independent professionals (lawyers, physicians, CPAs, etc)
• Paraprofessionals
• _____professionals
• Realtors
• Elected officials

Resources:

• Leadership Tomorrow
• United Way
• Seattle Works
• Project Lead

NEXT STEPS IN BOARD DEVELOPMENT

With the updating of the mission and vision statements, the recent staff reorganization and the clarification of the roles, responsibilities and operations of the Board of Directors, ORG NAME is ready to launch a board recruitment effort. The following four action steps should be taken in 2004 to identify and recruit members.

1) Engage in a self-evaluation, wherein each Board member is asked to assess the Board’s performance and report on his/her satisfaction with service on the ORG NAME Board. The results should be used to make changes in how the Board operates. It is anticipated that these changes will be looked on favorably by prospective new members. See attachment B for a suggested board evaluation questionnaire.

2) Ask yourselves the questions in attachment C. Make sure you have clear, convincing answers. These are questions that prospective Board members will ask.

3) Invite a group of influential people from the Green lake community to serve on a special panel to assess and advise the Board on how it could (a) increase ORG NAME’s presence in the community and (b) expand the Board’s membership to include more community representation.

4) With the assistance of members of the special panel, approach potential new Board members. Rehearse your message so that it is crisp and convincing. Appeal to the individual’s passion. Make it worth his/her time to be involved and participate in Board meetings. Look at the ORG NAME Board as though you were outside the organization and were being invited to join the Board.

ATTACHMENT A

ASSIGNMENT OF BOARD & STAFF RESPONSIBILITIES

Planning:

Programming:

Personnel:

Community Relations:

Board Operations:

* Note:

• B= Board
• S= staff
• J= joint

ATTACHMENT B

ARE WE DOING A GOOD JOB?
by Jan Masaoka

At a regular physical check-up, the doctor may ask the patient, "How are you feeling?" The answer is important. Although some patients may feel well but have a hidden disease, the patient's own sense of well being is an important indicator. In a similar way, when a board asks itself, "How do we feel about our board and our organization?" the answer is an important indicator, if not an error-proof test. We suggest an annual poll of board members to get a sense of how the board is doing. There are many such surveys, but here's a short one you can try. Give board members a scale to choose from for each answer, such as 1 - 5 , with 1 being Very Unsatisfied and 5 being Very Satisfied. You might also ask your executive director (and other staff who frequently work with the board) to fill out a similar survey, and then use the results of both to kick off a discussion where people reflect on the survey results and establish objectives for the year about board activities.

HOW SATISFIED ARE YOU THAT THE BOARD . . .

1. Understands and can convey the organization's mission and purpose?
2. Is confident that the organization is in compliance with federal, state and local regulations?
3. Has procedures that report that government contract obligations are fulfilled?
4. Has a strategic vision for the organization?
5. Knows enough about the organization's programs and services?
6. Monitors and evaluates the performance of the executive director on a regular basis?
7. Provides financial oversight for the organization, including approving a realistic budget?
8. Monitors financial performance and projections on a regular basis?
9. Has adopted a fundraising strategy and reflects on its successes?
10. Has a clear policy on the responsibilities of board members in fundraising?
11. Acts as ambassadors to the community on behalf of the organization and its clients/patrons?
12. Understands the role that volunteers play in the organization and the organization's philosophy of volunteer management?
13. Appreciates the respective roles of the board and staff?
14. Currently contains an appropriate range of expertise and diversity to make it an effective governing body?
15. Effectively involves board members in board activities and responsibilities?
16. Periodically assesses our own performance as a board?

Source: CompassPoint Nonprofit Services