Emerging Executive

The Board Chair and Executive Director Relationship

As a general principle, the board of directors primarily governs and staff primarily manages the organization.  For a nonprofit to be effective, regardless of size or lifecycle stage, there must be a good relationship between the Executive Director and the Board Chair.

If you are fortunate enough to be part of a medium or larger size nonprofit organization, this means that the board provides counsel to management. They should not be involved in the day-to-day affairs of the organization.  On the other hand, if you heading an organization with limited staff, the Executive Director is going to need a more hands-on board (beyond just governance)  to make sure the organizations runs smoothly and effectively.

A board’s ability to govern lies in its group structure.  The board chair plays a key role in leading the board and setting the tone for all members to ensure a focus on mission, direction and priorities.  In this respect, the Executive Director relies on the board chair in partnership to help him or her deliver on the organization’s mission.

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Save the Date:  March 13, 2020. 11th Essex County Community Foundation's BoardCONNECT

Talented individuals with a passion for addressing community concerns want to offer their skills to local non-profits. Non-profit organizations seek community members willing to help guide, support and strengthen their organizations by serving as Board members. But how do they find one another?

ECCF's popular BoardCONNECT program has expanded for 2020! Including more options to participate, more value and its own special night so truly powerful networking can happen.

Click here for more information: http://eccf.org/boardconnect

What do you Need a Fundraising Plan? 

So your fundraising activities are proactive, organized, visible and most importantly – successful!

Developing a well- crafted fundraising plan provides you the opportunity to articulate your financial vision for the organization. It should clearly identify tangible and realistic goals that are achievable using different income sources. Depending on the size of your organization, fundraising activities can include a range of approaches including grants, gala events, gifts from both board members and other individuals, and major donor sponsorships. Your fundraising plan should be a living document, like a dashboard, that provides your board with an ongoing snapshot of how well you are doing in meeting your fundraising goals and identify when you may need to take corrective action. 

To learn more about how to set up an effective fundraising plan, visit www.emergingexecutive.com/resources and download the webinar on Fundraising Planning.  It’s one in a series of useful and simple to understand webinars designed to give you an overview of how to maximize your fundraising strategies.  

Bored at Board Meetings? Start with the Outcome in Mind

How many board meetings have you attended where most of the time is spent discussing or reviewing activities which have already happened?
 
Typically, much time in a board meeting is wasted listening to reports from committees and the agenda is depressingly repetitive; the executive director report, financial update, the program committee report and on it goes.
 
Shifting this dynamic gives you valuable time, more productive meetings and most importantly, more engaged and committed board members.  If you can relate to this, you are not alone.
 
Click here to read more:  Start with the Outcome in Mind

News from Around the Web

Good Reads:  Brick Road - Shortlisted for the Man Booker prize in 2003 a rich story about a Bangladeshi immigrant in London. The Boys in the Boat, The #1 New York Times–bestselling story about American Olympic triumph in Nazi Germany and now the inspiration for the PBS documentary “The Boys of ‘36'.”

Coming Soon to Boston:  Register now for the final tour of the King Tut exhibition before it returns to Cairo for good. June 2020 https://kingtutexhibition.com/ 

Podcasts:  From the inspirational Brene Brown a new Podcast starting in March 2020. Unlocking Us

A Quick Reminder

Our services at Emerging Executive help nonprofit organizations through the most appropriate combination of consulting, executive coaching, or training for your organization, and always incorporates practical experience and feedback. Services include: board and leadership development, executive coaching, strategic planning, and grant writing.