1. IN State Conference December 2018
Planning-Oversight-Resources What a Good Board Does And How to Help Them Do It!
IN State Conference
December 2018

2. Primary Duties of Board and Board Members
AS WE GO THROUGH, THINK ABOUT WHAT YOU’RE DOING WELL, INDIVIDUALLY AND COLLECTIVELY, AND AREAS FOR IMPROVEMENT

3. PLANNING and VISION Real Duties One Why do we exist?
Where are we headed?
What big picture things are we adding or subtracting?

4. Draw the distinction between:
ENDS- organizational purposes.
Changes that happen to people OUTSIDE the organization &
MEANS- Other organizational issues, how to get to ends.
Board doesn’t produce the ENDS, but DOES define them.
Board helps with WHAT not HOW

5. What Does the Board Need to Plan Well?
Information on past performance
Any prior commitments?
What HFHI and other affiliates are doing
Income projections
Any must or must NOT dos
Community direction and priorities
Partnership with affiliate staff

6. Where does that info come from?
ED and staff
Board planning committee
Board education committee
Ad-hoc group set up just to research those questions
US Support Center of HFHI

7. A Plan is Pretty USELESS if
You don’t check on it’s progress
Quarterly checks at committee and board level
Make adjustments
Tracking chart or dashboard is helpful…..

8. PROVIDE OVERSIGHT REAL Duties Two Financial controls Financial review
Program review
Are we meeting the plan we laid out in duty #1????
One thing can’t be delegated- raising and managing money

9. Oversight Includes:
Policy formation and review. Have a schedule to review periodically. Include by-laws.
Enforced financial checks and balances
Getting program and $ reports
THEN: LETTING THE STAFF OR COMMITTEE WORK!!!

10. Key Financial Questions
Do we have a budget? How are we doing on plan/cash flow?
How dependent are we on biggest funding source?
What is delinquency rate?
How profitable is our store?
Do we leverage assets?
INSIST on reports-hire if necessary
Some committees will go away over time as staff take over those functions

11. KEY PROGRAM QUESTIONS Are we functioning within our mission?
Are we doing our plan?
What should we add, start?
What should we stop doing?

12. What does the board need to do oversight well?
Financial reports on time
ALL the information
Policy book
Record of past agreements
Metrics and/or dashboard

13. Something like this….

14. PROVIDE RESOURCES REAL Duties EVERYONE is on fund-raising
The board has the vision
The board has to fund it, too!
People are resources, too
It’s the board’s job to replace and improve itself
Board sets the mission, has to pay for it as well.

15. Real Duties RAISE MONEY Board Source says members: Make a contribution
Establish fund-raising policies
Make connections
Volunteer to help out
Select board members and staff members who can raise $$$$
Also know about present funding, where it’s coming from, have some idea of how the affiliate works and what funds are for.

16. At Your Affiliate: Be a leader in fund-raising events
Participate in thanking major donors
Refer at least 2-5 people/orgs to ED
Bring friends to dedications, build days, ceremonies
Use your networks
Find board and committee folks

17. What does the board need to provide resources well?
Clear expectations
Coaching
Practice
Systems for referral
Success stories
Idea of what people are needed
Way to plug new folks in
Recognition

18. If it were me:
I would put your board expectations, including fund-raising, in writing for new members.
I would track performance on a monthly basis.
I would create systems to make referrals easy.
Start with easy wins….

19. Ladder of Effectiveness
Personal: Face to Face
Personal letter or telephone call
Personalized letter/
Telephone solicitation
Impersonal letter/direct mail
Impersonal telephone call/phone-a-thon
Fundraising benefit/Special Event
Door to Door
Media/Advertising

20. Adding New Board Members
Identify Cultivate Ask Orient INVOLVE Educate Evaluate- don’t keep dead wood Cycle Off

21. What Boards Should Expect from EDs-
Positive attitude about mission
Open, timely communication
Identify key issues
No surprises
Information for decisions
Communicate with whole board
Particularly true in fund-raising.
Boards need to know what is it costing to raise a dollar.
What are our parameters for success.

22. What EDs Should Expect from Board:
Govern more, manage less
Timely, clear decisions
Do homework
Find money and leaders
Speak with one voice when decisions are made

23. COMMITTEES- A Few Words About
They are commonly misunderstood at affiliates

24. Committees Can be Board Committees Operating, Functional Committees
Advisory
Ad Hoc

25. Board Committees:
Are the ONLY ones that do board work, need board members
Executive
Personnel
Finance
Planning
Board Recruitment and Education

26. Operating Committees Serve as EXTRA staff
Should report through staff not board channels
Family selection, support, fund-raising, construction etc. committees are operating committees
Do not have to be board members or have board chairs

27. Consider Time Limited, Ad Hoc Committees
For special events, special projects, research etc.
Allows people to serve on a project, for a short time
Good place to recruit future leaders

28. Executive Committee should NEVER, EVER have power
To change mission or plan
To change budget
To make structural change to organization
To hire and fire ED on own

29. Many Affiliates Have Poor Board Meetings…
Don’t:
Just hear reports
Just listen to ED
Just sit there
Just rubber stamp
Waste time of busy people
Do:
Ask about finances
Find meaty, important issues for board to discuss
Have board talk, not sit
Use reports

30. Let’s Hear Your Stories
What’s working for your affiliate?
What did you try that didn’t quite make it?
What advice would you give?

31. Ideas “borrowed” from:
Fund-Raising Fitness. A Board Source Toolkit for Board Fund-Raising
Involving Your Board in Fund Development by Simone Joyoux
Board Source Nonprofit Certificate Training
Doing Good Better by Stoesz and Raber

32. Feel free to contact Mark Eul
Capacity Build Organizational Consultant, HFHI
Board Source Certificate Holder