What Does Nonprofit Sustainability Look Like?
I often hear community leaders and elected officials pontificating about the importance of a “strong, sustainable nonprofit sector” as a way to enhance overall community health. They talk about the business and municipal communities partnering with the nonprofit sector to better address problems and bring a more holistic approach to the collective work. Unfortunately, I have rarely, if ever, heard any of these people exhibiting any true understanding of what a strong, sustainable nonprofit organization actually looks like, or the resources that are needed to accomplish this. So, what does a sustainable nonprofit organization even look like? And, how can we work actively to help the sector be as sustainable as we say we want them to be? In the environmental sphere, sustainability means ensuring that we are using our natural resources wisely and in ways that don’t totally deplete them. The same is true in the business sector – sustainability means ensuring that a company has sufficient resources to survive, maintain, and grow over time. For the nonprofit sector, sustainability can seem more precarious simply because of the nature of their structures and funding sources. But at the end of the day, a nonprofit is a business first, and the same fundamental principles of sustainability apply whether we’re talking about a for-profit or a nonprofit business. So, what are the primary components of nonprofit sustainability that its leaders must be attentive to? And, how can the community leaders, who verbalize their commitments in the most well-meaning of fashions, ensure that these organizations can continue their important roles in our communities for many years to come? Component #1 for Nonprofit Sustainability: The Strategic Plan A strategic plan is the road map for any business’s success. Without a plan that looks ahead 3 to 5 years, a nonprofit is at risk of stagnation, mission creep, and all sorts of other preventable issues. Strategic planning should be a top priority for any nonprofit leader and board member, as it sets the vision and charts a measurable path to accomplish organizational goals. Not only this, a good strategic plan puts accountability in place with clear, measurable objectives and outcomes that can be revisited at the end of each year to determine progress and impact. As a former nonprofit executive director and current, active board member for several organizations, I understand deeply the value of a strategic plan and the importance of keeping it at the forefront of the work. Anyone who gets involved with a nonprofit should read and become familiar with the organization’s strategic plan…and advocate for the creation of a plan if there isn’t one. Also, it’s always best practice to revisit the plan each year to check in on its implementation and make any tweaks that may be needed along the way. Component #2 for Nonprofit Sustainability: Adaptability The most successful and sustainable nonprofits are highly adaptable and attentive to fluctuations and changes in their broader ecosystems. These are the organizations that understood how to “pivot” long before the COVID-19 pandemic popularized the word and forced us all to figure it out (or go bust). Sustainable nonprofits tend to be headed up by fearless, information-driven leaders, people who pay attention to trends and resist the urge to maintain programs or activities strictly due to tradition. Some of these dynamic leaders seem to operate by instinct, but the most thoughtful of this group actually do a lot of homework behind the scenes. Analyzing data, having conversations with peers, staying informed about current or upcoming issues that could impact their organizations. For those who serve on the boards for these nonprofits, it’s imperative to not leave all the adapting to the executive director while board governance stagnates. True partnership between a board and its leadership team requires strong communication. This is the only way to be sure that shifts and pivots are well thought out, that consensus is built, and that implementation occurs organization-wide instead of in silos. Let’s be open to change and adaptation, and deliberate and thoughtful about its implementation! Component #3 for Nonprofit Sustainability: Planned Succession Most nonprofit leaders I know are pretty good at succession planning for their boards of directors. If their bylaws require board turnover via term limits, succession planning gets baked into how the organization functions. However, succession planning for staff and leadership is also super important for building a sustainable nonprofit. Not only should the leader be thinking about the skills and/or representation needed to maintain a healthy board, he/she should also be planning for their own eventual departure from the organization. For every nonprofit I have been involved with, whether as a board member, a staff member, or an executive director, I have operated under the philosophy of “leaving it better than I found it”. In my experience, this means taking the board development and succession planning process seriously, and it also means taking deliberate steps to improve the organization’s structure, operations, programs and staff to prepare for the day when I will no longer be involved. This type of succession planning may seem difficult, especially when there is so much to do on a day-to-day basis. But it’s so important to any nonprofit’s long-term health. We must always operate with a long-range vision for our organizations – whether we are board members or paid staff – and take incremental steps that move our organizations towards greater sustainability while we are involved. Component #4 for Nonprofit Sustainability: Diversified Funding The fourth and final component I’ll share related to nonprofit sustainability is also the most difficult to achieve: a diverse funding model. Building a funding model of any sort in the nonprofit sector is difficult enough but establishing funding diversity is extremely tough…and also extremely important for long-term organizational sustainability. Financial sustainability requires sufficient resources to pay for overhead, staff, and programming. It also requires a build-up of reserves for unforeseen challenges. This should be enough to cover at least 3 months of the operating budget. Lastly, financial sustainability requires
Let Your Policies Be Your Guide
Hey there, friends in the nonprofit sector! Today we’re going to talk a bit about your nonprofit board’s role in policy making, and I’ve got a few tips to offer about policies that every nonprofit organization should have. But first, a quick story from the field: A good friend of mine is the executive director of a regional nonprofit organization that works on issues of housing and housing affordability. One of her board members, a real estate agent, is constantly pitching fellow board members about purchasing investment properties or refinancing their homes with him. At her wits end, my friend asked for my advice on how to deal with this board member and encourage him to stop pestering his colleagues for business. I encouraged her to find her Conflict of Interest policy and slam it on the table with authority at her next board meeting. OK, I skipped the table slamming part, but the rest is true. This story illustrates two things in my mind: first, the significance of policies to the overall governance of a nonprofit organization; and second, the importance of board members understanding (and enforcing!) the policies that are in place. Who Needs Policies, Anyway? I can’t tell you how many nonprofit leaders I’ve met who have told me some version of the following: “I have spent so much time creating and growing my programs that I never stopped to think about policies and procedures.” If you share this sentiment, friends, just know that you are not alone. The fact is, nobody sets out to start or grow a nonprofit organization because they’re excited about governance policies. People who get involved in our sector tend to be doers, problem solvers, program implementors….so it’s no surprise when policies get forgotten in the midst of the more exciting (and often more challenging) work of growing programs and services. Whether we think they’re fun or not, governance policies are so important to the long-term sustainability of a nonprofit organization. Not only do they help lay the foundation for how the business will be governed and managed on a daily basis, but they also often serve as a pathway to help navigate tricky situations when they arise. Going back to the story I shared at the beginning of this post, if my friend didn’t have an existing Conflict of Interest policy at her fingertips, who knows how much longer her board member’s inappropriate behavior would have been tolerated. With the policy in hand, she was able to successfully initiate a conversation with her executive committee and the violating board member later resigned. I know…we don’t like losing board members, but some board members simply must go. And in these types of tricky, political situations, written policies keep everyone focused on what’s best for the organization. Nonprofit Governance: The Board’s Policy Role One of the most important roles for a nonprofit board is to oversee compliance and policy issues for their organizations. This includes ensuring that the organization’s governing documents are in order, that federal and state required filings are handled, that the mission and vision statements are clear, and that the appropriate policies are in place to help the Director guide the organization on a daily basis. It’s easier to keep board members focused on policy during an organization’s start-up phase when everything is being built. But, for those well-established nonprofits where policies have been in place for many years, it’s not uncommon for boards to get complacent about this duty…especially when there are more fun and interesting things to pay attention to, like the organization’s programs. Please don’t let your boards get too distracted by the fun stuff, friends. While it’s great for your board members to be curious and excited about the programmatic work, their actual job is governance, not programs. And the key to good governance is good policy. This policy duty, along with strategic planning and fiscal oversight, make up three governance must-haves for your board. Policies…But Which Policies? There are many policies that a nonprofit organization might need to govern itself effectively. Personnel policies, financial policies, operating policies, the list is long. But, for the sake of this post, I’ve pulled out a few of the top policies I look for when working with a nonprofit client: Board Member Duties Policy– documents in writing what is expected of a board member. This policy might address issues like meeting attendance requirements, giving expectations, and committee service, among other things. Conflict of interest Policy– specifies various circumstances that may be considered conflicts of interest and clearly spells out requirements for the disclosure and handling of these issues. This is one of the first policies an organization will create, as it is required even before nonprofit status is granted. Budget Policy– clarifies the budget creation and approval process and puts provisions in place regarding the circumstances under which board approval is required (or not) for spending. Gift Acceptance Policy– specifies the types of contributions that will be accepted by the organization and how. This policy may include gift options like cash, stocks, real estate, etc., and will spell out how these gifts will be handled, and the donor acknowledged. Investment Management Policy– if your organization has enough cash to warrant investment activity, there should be an investment management policy to guide it. This policy will include the types of investments that are acceptable (stocks, bonds, etc.), place limits on the percentage of the portfolio that can be invested in these vehicles, and include accountability measures for outside investment managers, if applicable. Confidentiality Policy– stipulates that board members and staff must maintain the confidentiality of any personal or sensitive information they acquire during their service to the organization. This policy should define what types of information is considered confidential and may also include a formal agreement to be signed by board and staff members. Record Retention Policy– specifies the types of records that will be maintained and for how long. This policy should be created with IRS guidance in
Nonprofit Finance: Your Board Members Hate It. Help Them Love It.
Throughout my twenty-plus years in the nonprofit sector, I have encountered a lot of governing boards. I’ve served as a staff liaison to board committees, managed boards as an executive director, provided professional development consulting services to boards, and served on numerous nonprofit boards through my volunteer work out in the community. In each of these experiences, I have observed one very predictable reaction when it comes to organizations’ finance committees. Friends, your board members do not want to be on your finance committee. Of the various types of governance committees that a nonprofit may have, finance committees are usually the least in-demand when it comes to board members volunteering to serve. If you are blessed to have at least one CPA on your board, you can usually count on that person to serve as chair. But filling the committee with a variety of voices and perspectives is usually like pulling teeth. What’s this all about? Well, friends…fact is, finances can be intimidating! Assets, liabilities, pledges receivable, oh my! Revenues, expenditures, investment strategies, please help! It takes a special kind of mind to LOVE finance. But, at the end of the day, the finance committee is by far the most important committee a nonprofit organization has. Whether your board members love finance or hate it, they have a fiduciary duty to the organization, and it behooves them to understand the finances to be sure there are no fiscal surprises down the road. And, as a nonprofit leader, it behooves YOU to give your board members the tools they need to be successful. What Does Fiduciary Duty Mean, Anyway? When a person agrees to serve on a nonprofit board of directors, they are agreeing to become fiscally, ethically, and legally responsible for the organization. In terms of financial responsibilities, this means board members must ensure the organization’s fiscal health in all aspects. This includes approving the organization’s budget, ensuring that organizational expenditures remain within the approved budget, keeping a close eye on bank accounts and investments to ensure proper handling and performance, and overseeing the annual audit and tax filing processes. I know, it’s a lot. And the fact that it’s a lot reinforces the importance of the endeavor. Board members’ fiduciary duties simply cannot be overstated, and it is a big mistake to rely on the one CPA on your board to do all the heavy lifting in this area. So, how can nonprofit leaders help bring more awareness to the importance of organizational finances and support board members who say “yes” to serving on finance committees? Here’s a few tips: Training is Key. Setting board members up to be impactful finance committee members is so important. Start by offering a training session so members can learn about the organization’s current financial position. Is your nonprofit financially healthy or are you operating with less than one month of operating expenditures in the bank? Either way, your board members should see and understand. They also need training on the types of reports they’ll be reviewing regularly, their role in the budgeting process, and any other financial issues that they’re responsible for overseeing. Take them through the annual audit process and discuss why it matters. All of this is important, you must never assume that board members understand it all the moment they join your finance committee. If you’re lucky enough to have a CPA on your board (or other professional who is well-versed in finance), perhaps you can recruit this person to help with training, whether one-on-one with individual committee members or as a group. If you don’t have an in-house financial expert, spend a few hundred dollars to hire a consultant for this purpose. It’ll be well worth the expense, your board members will appreciate it, and your organization will be better off because of it. Slow Down the Finance Discussions. I can’t tell you how many board meetings I’ve sat through where the board treasurer sprints through their financial report as if it will self-destruct in 30 seconds. Other board members may try to follow along, but most simply zone out until the report is over. Is this familiar, friends? I know… Nonprofit leaders can begin to deepen board members’ understanding simply by slowing down financial discussions during meetings. Give the treasurer ten minutes instead of five. Review the profit & loss and balance sheet reports in detail. Avoid too much financial jargon that board members outside of the finance committee won’t understand. Discuss the finances in context with the organization’s programs. Incorporate charts, graphs, etc. for the visual learners on your board. Encourage questions and spend whatever time it takes to get those questions answered. Seriously, friends, your nonprofit’s finances are too important to rush. Please, take it easy. Be Clear About Annual Financial Cycles. As your nonprofit’s leader, you are more likely to understand your organization’s financial fluctuations better than your board members. Do you have a major annual program that hits your balance sheet hard with expenses every June? Do you have a gala that replenishes your funds and enables you to build up your reserves at the end of each year? Are there two months out of every year when you barely meet payroll? Whatever these cycles look like for your organization, its important to be clear and transparent with board members so they don’t panic when a normal dip occurs. Helping your board members understand these cycles can also enable them to think strategically and offer solutions to help the organization through difficult times. It’s Tricky But Not Impossible. Sure, friends, nonprofit finance can be overwhelming, confusing, and outright boring for board members who are less numerically inclined. But this thing called “fiduciary duty” is real and helping your board members perform their important fiscal oversight duties is so important to your organization’s overall health and sustainability. So, spend the time giving your board members what they need to be successful in this area. Slow down the financial discussions at your board meetings. And don’t
A Gentle Reminder About Governance…
I’ve taken too long of a break from writing, friends! Life and business sure have a way of taking over. I’m excited to be in the middle of launching a new education series for nonprofits with my friends over at the Academy for Grassroots Organizations. This new series will be called the Level Up Nonprofit Education Series. All workshops will be created and facilitated by yours truly, and while we’re targeting small and midsized nonprofits, there will surely be something for everyone. So, stay tuned and get ready for some excellent tips to take your nonprofit’s governance and management to the next level. Preparing these new workshops has forced me to take a fresh look at some of the fundamentals that I and many other nonprofit leaders take for granted. For example, I often notice that the words “governance” and “management” are used interchangeably. Yet, these terms couldn’t be more different in their meanings and applications. So today, I’d like to offer a quick reminder about governance and how it is distinct and separate from nonprofit management. OK, here goes: Governance is defined as: the act or process of governing or overseeing the control and direction of something1. Management is defined as: the judicious use of means to accomplish an end2. Taken at face value, governance and management are easy enough to distinguish. But on a day-to-day basis, when the nonprofit leader is focused on getting things done, often with limited resources, it’s really no surprise when lines get blurry. When it comes to the governance and management of a nonprofit organization, friends, it’s important that these two very different roles be treated as such. Equally importantly, we must ensure that the right people are involved in the roles that are most appropriate for them and encourage everyone to stay in their respective lanes. In short, management is for the executive director; governance is for the board. When we talk about governance in terms of “overseeing the direction of something”, the board of directors should be top of mind. It is the board’s role to create the organization’s vision, oversee the finances, and ensure that the business needs of the nonprofit are in order. Governance includes duties such as strategic & financial planning; policy setting; legal & fiscal oversight; and executive staff oversight. Governance is all about the high-level vision and oversight that a nonprofit needs to be successful. Governance is where the “what” of an organization gets defined and nurtured. It is NOT where programs get developed, nor is it where minor budget expenditures get approved or where volunteer management occurs. Governance is vision and oversight, and the rest – the “how”, the day-to-day, the implementation – is management. More on management another time. Even though board members shouldn’t be involved in the daily management of a nonprofit, their role is just as important to the organization’s overall success as the executive director, program manager, or volunteer. Governance can and should be active. What this means in practice is that board members should prepare for and actively participate in board meetings, understand the organization’s mission, pay attention to the finances, and serve as ambassadors in the broader community. There is a lot involved in nonprofit governance, friends…more than just showing up for the occasional meeting. Over the next several weeks, I’ll dive a little deeper into the main components of nonprofit governance. Check back for a quick refresher and I’ll be sure to share more information about the Level Up Nonprofit Education Series as it becomes available. Take it easy!
Your Board Members Have Got to Go (eventually)…
I was talking to a friend the other day about his involvement with a local nonprofit organization. He proudly noted that he has been on this organization’s board of directors for over 20 years, and was taken aback when my jaw dropped and I exclaimed, “WHY WOULD YOU EVER??” Once I recovered from my shock, I explained to my friend that board service is not intended to be a life sentence, and that he and the organization’s leadership are doing the nonprofit a disservice by allowing board members to stick around that long. I have heard several arguments in support of long-term or even permanent board service. One is that long-term board members are valuable because they bring institutional memory that can help inform current and future decisions. Another is that board member recruitment is so challenging that it’s easier to just hold on to the board members that are willing to stay involved. The most egregious reason I’ve heard is that it’s easier to manage a nonprofit board when there are fewer new personalities to learn and navigate. Seriously, friends. While some reasons may sound better than others, they’re all just excuses for bad nonprofit management behavior. Simple and plain. First of all, it floors me that anyone would want to serve on a nonprofit board for 20 years…heck, I’m amazed that I am able to get some of my board members to serve the six years that are allowed by my organization’s bylaws. Board service is a volunteer duty that should have a fixed start and end point. Board members should know what to expect, what is expected of them, and understand that they are not intended as permanent fixtures in the organization. Next, the nonprofit executive director who allows herself to slip into this sort of comfort zone with her board is failing at one of the most important leadership qualities there is: VISION. It is the executive director’s role to lead the nonprofit, and one of the most important aspects of this role is ensuring that the future of the organization is secure. The expertise your organization needed when it first started 5 or 10 years ago, for example, is not the same expertise it needs today. Nor should it be what you are looking for in a board member 5 or 10 years down the road. Nonprofits change, grow, and develop over their lifespan…and this requires a changing, growing and developing board to govern it. Finally, and most importantly: I have never seen a set of nonprofit bylaws that intentionally allow for permanent board service. Every set of nonprofit bylaws includes language about board member election, terms, and most also include language about term limits. The bylaws are the primary governing document for any nonprofit, and failing to govern the organization according to the provisions therein is a huge problem. Two quick asides: The truth is that most board members do not keep track of their terms and when their service is supposed to expire. They rightfully rely on the organization’s executive director (or whoever the leader is in an all-volunteer organization) to make sure this issue is managed correctly. So, if the leader fails to pay attention or doesn’t prioritize board management, board members can easily be stuck with the organization far longer than they ever intended. And the organization can be equally stuck with them. So friends, please take some time to review your bylaws and see what they say about board member terms. If you’re not following these provisions, figure out how to fix that. Depending on how bad the problem is, you may need to create a phased solution…but ignoring the issue of permanent board members will only create more problems in the future. Nobody wants a stagnant nonprofit organization. Keeping your nonprofit fresh and current involves more than just introducing a new program or initiative every now and then. Preventing stagnation starts with the organization’s governance, ie: the board of directors. New blood creates new ideas and new opportunities. Don’t get so tied to any of your existing board members that you can’t imagine the organization without them. That’s contrary to best practice and harmful to any organization. Good board management is good nonprofit management. Do this part right and everything else in your organization will be better for it. I promise.
Have You Checked Your Conflict of Interest Policy Lately?
Friends….Can we please talk about conflicts of interest for a few minutes? This won’t take long. We’ve all seen stories in the news about some of the more egregious examples of conflicts of interest. Individuals caught enriching themselves at the expense of one or more organizations they’re involved with (self-dealing). Business leaders making sweet-heart contract deals with friends and family members (nepotism). People using information not available to the general public to profit personally (insider trading). The examples are everywhere, and it seems to happen all the time. It’s no surprise, then, that we can become desensitized to the very real damage that a conflict of interest can do…to an individual’s reputation, to a company’s bottom line, and to an organization’s ability to continue its mission in the community. But let’s not be complacent, friends. This is a serious issue for any business, but particularly for nonprofit organizations. Did you know the IRS can strip your nonprofit status for conflict of interest violations committed by board members? Yep. Sure can. The IRS defines a conflict of interest as follows: A conflict of interest occurs where individuals’ obligation to further the organization’s charitable purposes is at odds with their own financial interests. Pretty simple, right? Unfortunately, the reality is that despite this simple definition, conflicts of interest aren’t always easy to identify. That’s because business and personal interests and relationships are often complex and nuanced. In addition, nonprofit leaders rely on the honesty and ethics of board members to be up-front about disclosing real or potential conflicts before they cause problems. This usually happens, but sometimes it doesn’t. And when a conflict arises, seemingly out of nowhere, the primary tool that a nonprofit leader has to address it is the organization’s written conflict of interest policy. Yes, written policy. It is not enough to talk about conflicts of interest. Nonprofit organizations are required by federal law to have written conflict of interest policies that apply to their boards of directors. Best practice also dictates that these policies apply to staff as well. A written policy is the first line of defense in terms of preventive measures that can mitigate the damage that conflicts of interest can cause. In addition, ensuring that board and staff acknowledge their understanding of the policy, in writing, is equally important. What this typically looks like in practice is an annual conflict of interest disclosure form that gives board and staff members the opportunity to disclose, in writing, any real or potential conflicts of interest and acknowledge that they understand the organization’s policies related to the issue. The annual disclosure and acknowledgment process is an opportunity to remind everyone involved in your organization about the importance of ethics in nonprofit management. So friends, please resist the urge to gloss over the subject when it’s time to complete this annual process. Lead by example…if you as the organization’s leader act like this is an important issue, your board and staff are more likely to treat it as important as well. A related issue that I will write about another time is the utility of having a robust board recruitment process in which potential board members are vetted properly before being asked to join a board of directors. Proper vetting in advance can uncover potential conflicts before board service even begins and help prevent surprises down the road. We all know what conflicts of interest are. We all know how serious the consequences can be when they go undisclosed and unchecked. I’m just here to gently remind you: please don’t be complacent about the issue. Even the perception of a conflict can cause very real and lasting damage to your organization. Take care, friends!
This is (supposed to be) Serious Business
I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been subjected to this type of nonprofit board recruitment conversation: “Hey, L. I’m on the board of XYZ Organization and I’d really love it if you’d consider joining. There’s no real work to do, just show up at a few meetings. No, really, you don’t have to do anything…oh, but their events are really fun! Shall I tell them you’re interested?” Umm….how about NO. Sounds like a total waste of time to me. And if this is how your organization approaches board member recruitment, please step into my office because we need to talk. Don’t Sell Your Organization Short….The Board is There to Work A nonprofit board of directors is the most important group of volunteers an organization has. The board of directors is the governing body. The board is ethically, fiscally, and legally responsible for everything the organization does. Equally importantly, this group plays an integral role in creating and nurturing organizational culture – and this can be either positive or negative. While board members are not typically involved in running the day-to-day operations, they are responsible for setting policy, hiring & managing paid executive staff, and overseeing the organization’s finances. Board members should also be the most vocal advocates for the nonprofit they represent, working to bring increased visibility to the organization’s programs and services and expanded funding opportunities to sustain the work. How is it possible that all of this responsibility can be condensed into “just showing up at a few meetings”?? How can these important duties be dismissed as “not having to do anything”?? I don’t know…but it happens all the time. A functional and cohesive board can be the lifeblood of a successful organization. But a board that is not fully aligned and committed to the very real work that comes with running a nonprofit business can cause significant issues for the organization’s health. These issues can include negative community reputations, reduced funding opportunities, and even a loss of the nonprofit status in the most egregious of cases. So, what are some best practices when it comes to building a strong board of directors? Here’s a few of my tried and true strategies: Always remember, a nonprofit is a business. Every nonprofit is born out of a passion to do good. But, if everyone is busy building and expanding services and programs, who is keeping an eye on the business? A nonprofit board should be recruited based, at least in part, on the business expertise that is required to run a successful nonprofit organization. Sure, we all want our board members to participate in our events and help implement our programs, but their first and most important duty is ensuring a healthy business. Let your bylaws be your guide. Every nonprofit should be governed according to its bylaws, and this includes the recruitment and service of its board. When recruiting board members, it is important to have a clear understanding of what your bylaws say in terms of the board’s size and composition, board members’ terms of service, and any other rules governing how the board manages itself and the organization. Following your bylaws is not only a good business practice, it can also help lead the organization through tricky governance issues that arise from time to time. This is not a place for all your friends. Too many nonprofit organizations rely on the personal networks of existing board members to recruit new board members. What tends to happen in these cases is that the board becomes homogeneous, both in terms of representation and culture, and this is never good for the longevity of an organization. While it is perfectly fine to recruit from board members’ personal networks, this should not be the primary mode of identifying the people who will govern the organization. More important is identifying the right people, which should be done in accordance with the mission, goals, and business needs of the organization. Always remember your mission. In addition to recruiting according to the business needs of the organization, it is also imperative to have board members who wholeheartedly support and believe in the mission. It is not enough to identify people with great connections or deep pockets, it is much more important to recruit board members who believe in what the organization is working to accomplish. It is only through this mission connectivity that you will get the most out of your board members in terms of commitment, participation and advocacy. Clear expectations should lead the way. If you do not have a board member job description, get one in a hurry. Board members should come to your organization with a clear understanding of their role, duties, and what is expected of them. Does your organization have a board member giving requirement? Do you want board members to perform volunteer work in addition to attending board meetings? Be clear and up front with expectations so your board members join the organization with a full picture of what they will be responsible for. The worst thing you can do as a nonprofit leader is diminish the important role of your board of directors. And the next worst thing is having existing board members who fail to understand or embrace their fiduciary and legal responsibilities to the organization. Remember: This is (supposed to be) serious business. Treat it accordingly.