Third Sector Connector :: Forum

Re: Underperforming CEO/ED and performance review. [by Mazarine]

Sun, 21 Feb 2010 06:33:04 -0000

Leadership Roundtable:: Underperforming CEO/ED and performance review.
First of all, kudos to you for figuring this out and staying on top of the governance of this organization. Time and time again I've seen boards who are completely checked out, who have no idea what is really going on at a nonprofit.

Having difficult conversations with leadership must take place as soon as you possibly can manage it. Time is critical, especially now.

Second of all, I don't agree with the previous answer. This person assumes they know what's wrong with your nonprofit. Here are some questions.

Aside from not being proactive with fundraising,
Is this leader mistreating workers?
Is this leader not understanding how to interact with your development director?
Is this leader disorganized, harshly critical, and impervious to feedback?
Is this leader slandering workers and telling you they are all "stupid"?
Is this leader not good about keeping promises to board members about meetings?

If the answers to the above are all "YES" then to manage this leader, this is how I would have the conversation.

I would start with asking the leader what's going on in their life right now. I would tell them about one good thing that they're doing, if you can think of one. Then I would ask them if they thought they were having any challenges with this job right now. Then I would ask them if they saw their challenges, what they would like to do to begin to address them.

If the leader did not see any challenges, then I would say, This is what the board sees as your challenges right now. We are all fundraising as hard as we can. We are trying to set the best example for you. You have had 16 months to begin to fundraise for this organization. We are not seeing any forward movement on your part. We need you to have ten major donor meetings in the next three months. We need you to ask for large gifts. You can spend the first two months researching, cultivating, and narrowing down a pool of donors, but you need to do this now.

And then you can tell them that the fact that they have accomplished these meetings will count for 50% of their results to the board, and the actual monetary outcome of these meetings, the other 50% of results.

Tell them that you and the board and the development director will all be there to support them in these meetings, whether they need introductions, research, major gift coaching, etc. But that they need to get them done.

Then, if at the end of three months, they haven't gotten any gifts or gone on their meetings, then you have grounds to give them their one month notice.

I've got more about how to manage people at my website.

http://wildwomanfundraising.com

Who makes up the ideal board of directors? [by Laura Deaton]

Wed, 27 Jan 2010 18:19:30 -0000

Leadership Roundtable:: Who makes up the ideal board of directors?
In our Third Sector Connector LinkedIn Group, a colleague recently posted this question: "Who makes up the ideal board of directors? I am looking for info on a small board start up for a nonprofit. Thank you."

I thought other members might want to chime in, so I decided to post my answer here for her (and link to it so that she can easily access the dialogue), so here it goes!

Deborah - That's an important question since your Board is ultimately responsible for leading the organization and setting critical direction based on your vision, mission, and strategic goals. All too often, I've heard people advise others to put together a skills matrix and recruit based on essential job functions. For instance, you need someone with financial savvy, so you recruit a CPA. You need someone to help with marketing, so you recruit a PR or marketing pro. You need legal advice so you recruit an attorney. You need diversity that mirrors the composition of your community.

While I agree that there's something to be said for identifying critical needs, I think that my colleague Hildy Gottlieb has articulated a model in her book, The Pollyanna Principles, which is a perfect opportunity for a nonprofit that's just getting started! In essence, she suggests that we recruit and foster boards that "Govern for What Matters" and that are learning communities focused on the mission, vision and values of the organization. You have the chance to start from scratch and bring on the people who are truly committed to visionary community change, instead of those who hold particular job titles or who meet specific diversity criteria.

Here's a link to our tips archive that provides lots of great resources on boards and shared governance.

Addition to original post: This link on creating a code of ethics also has some great questions and could be a great starting point for a new Board, too.

Anyone else have some advice to share?

General Best Practices For Boards and Staff Leaders at Nonprofit Orgs [by Laura Deaton]

Tue, 06 Oct 2009 14:48:19 -0000

Leadership Roundtable:: General Best Practices For Boards and Staff Leaders at Nonprofit Orgs
In my work, I frequently get asked, "What are best practices for...?" Invariably, I send people to this really valuable tool that was created during trainings with youth services organizations in Whatcom County Washington. I've seen many other "Best Practices" tools, and this is one of my favorites. Do you have a similar tool that you like?