3 Tips For Board Engagement
Tom Suddes | April 3, 2008
Here is a SIMPLE way to deal with one of the biggest issues facing FOR IMPACT
(Not-For-Profit) ORGANIZATIONS:
HOW TO DEAL WITH YOUR BOARD.
We have been involved in hundreds of Board Meetings, Board Retreats and Board Planning Sessions. And, we’ve had hundreds and hundreds of our training participants ask for more help with How to Deal with Their Board.
We hope this helps.
We have found the best way to look at your Board is based upon 3 A’s:
ALTITUDE. ATTITUDE. ACTION.
- ALTITUDE.
- Where (at what ‘ALTITUDE’) are the majority of your Board Members focused at the moment?*Where should they be focused?*We’ve heard so many horror stories of Board members actually dropping down to 3″! (Yes, inches!) They’re concerned about the brand of cola you’re using in your vending machines!Try sharing this ALTITUDE FRAMEWORK with your Board to facilitate a discussion about their role, responsibility and engagement.For what it’s worth, we believe:
- Your Board, as a collective whole, should be engaged only at 30,000′ around the Vision and the Message and Goals… all at the highest level.
- Individual Board Members should be engaged as individuals and part of a smaller group to help at the 14,000′ STRATEGY level. They should be engaged based upon their own particular talents and strengths. (Left brain, financial, ‘numbers’ people should be helping with budgets, etc. Right brained, creative entrepreneurial types should be working on strategic partnerships, new delivery mechanisms, etc.)
- No one should be involved in the ‘details’ of the EXECUTION.***This does not mean that some of your Board will not actually be engaged in some of the work that you do (around both your IMPACT and your INCOME). They’re doing that as part of the team, not as MICRO-MANAGERS!
- Where (at what ‘ALTITUDE’) are the majority of your Board Members focused at the moment?*Where should they be focused?*We’ve heard so many horror stories of Board members actually dropping down to 3″! (Yes, inches!) They’re concerned about the brand of cola you’re using in your vending machines!Try sharing this ALTITUDE FRAMEWORK with your Board to facilitate a discussion about their role, responsibility and engagement.For what it’s worth, we believe:
- ATTITUDE. ‘ATTITUDE IS EVERYTHING’… and the Attitude of your Board, as well as your Attitude towards your Board, are, literally, everything!
- If you feed your Board every detail and reams of minutiae at Board Meetings… then that will be their ‘ATTITUDE’.
- When you have the incredibly outdated ATTITUDE of “Every Board members need to GIVE or GET…” Or, “My Board is responsible for fundraising. They’re supposed to be getting me money…” Then they believe the only reason you want them engaged is for ‘MONEY’!
- If your ATTITUDE re: helping with the fundraising is “Give us names,” then, Nick would say, “How’s that working for you?”Special Note: Here are our 3 ROLES for your Board:
- CHAMPION… your CAUSE.
- INVITE… others to get ENGAGED.
- INVEST… with a COMMENSURATE COMMITMENT.
- ACTION.
- Get the ‘right people on the bus’ (Board)…
and wrong people off the bus (Board). - Change the way you run your meetings! (Use Altitude Framework.)
- Visit with each Board Member and go over their 3 roles!!!
- Get the ‘right people on the bus’ (Board)…
Here is a very simple ALTITUDE FRAMEWORK that we use in all of our discussions with Boards. We also incorporate it into our presentation design, in meetings and in our planning process.
| 30,000′ | The WHY | VISION |
| 14,000′ | The WHAT | STRATEGY |
| 33′ | The HOW | EXECUTION |
Think about this as it relates to your Board.
Here are 3 ideas for immediate action:
Special Note: Here’s a great list of QUESTIONS to engage your Board at the highest level (vs. handing out multi-page, smallest text possible ‘committee reports’).
4 Comments So Far
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About For Impact
We help "nonprofits" fund their visions through training, coaching and consulting based on 25+ years of experience and $1Billion+ raised directly and $1Billion via coaching/training. For Impact is also our message, our commitment and a movement.
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Rick Isaiah - January 12th, 2010 5:31 pm
Fyi
Reply
MarthaVal - March 6th, 2011 9:04 am
Salut à vous tous ,
En premier lieu , donnez-moi l’opportunité de vous démontrer ma gratitude pour chacune des super connaissances que j’ai trouvées sur cet impressionnant phorum .
Je ne suis pas certaine d’être au meilleur endroit mais je n’en ai pas vu de meilleure .
Je proviens de Brussels, États-Unis. J’ai 46 ans et j’ai 5 agréables enfants qui sont tous âgés entre 2 ou 15 ans (1 est adopté). J’adore beaucoup les animaux de compagnie et je fais de mon mieux de leur présenter les items qui leur rendent l’existance plus heureuse .
Je vous remercie dors et déjà pour toutes les très “à propos” discussions à venir et je vous remercie surtout de votre compréhension pour mon français moins qu’idéal : ma langue maternelle est l’espagnol et j’essaie de m’enseigner mais c’est très ardu !
Ciao
Martha
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udmanulo4 - March 29th, 2011 7:11 am
Très favorable journée à tous les participants de ce site internet ,
Premièrement, permettez-moi de vous montrer mon appréciation pour chacune des très pertinentes infos que j’ai rencontrées sur cet fantastique forum.
Je ne suis pas sure d’être au meilleur section mais je n’en ai pas vu de meilleure .
J’habite à Saskatoon, usa. J’ai 34 ans et j’éduque trois super enfants qui sont tous âgés entre 3 ou 12 années (1 est adoptée ). J’aime énormément beaucoup les animaux de compagnie et je tempte de leur offrir les fournitures qui leur rendent la vie plus heureuse .
Je vous remercie d’avance pour toutes les très pertinentes débats dans le futur et je vous remercie de votre compréhension pour mon français moins qu’idéal : ma langue de naissance est le vietnamien et je fais de mon mieux d’apprendre mais c’est très complexe !
A bientôt
Arthru
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arthurviale - May 9th, 2011 9:43 am
Pleased to come together all person appropriate here
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