Why is Nonprofit Board Member Engagement Critical to Success?

If you are a director of a nonprofit organization, a board chair, and/or a board member, it is your duty to care for the organization in a way that helps to ensure its current and future success. Having engaged board members is crucial to how well your nonprofit organization performs and achieves its mission. Having a disconnected, disengaged board will result in a disconnected, underperforming organization.

At Tweed-Weber, we have a tried-and-true method for conducting a Nonprofit Board of Directors Assessment. It is essential to get answers from each board member relative to the following (just to name a few):

• Do they support the organization’s current mission/purpose?
• Do they believe the organization’s work activities are aligned with its mission/purpose?
• Does the board believe there is a strategic vision of how the organization should be evolving over the next three to five years?
• Does the board have a common understanding of the organization’s planning objectives?
• Does the board regularly discuss how the organization should meet new opportunities and challenges?
• Do board members understand what information they need to make informed, responsible decisions?
• Is the board provided with the information they need to make informed, responsible decisions?
• Do board members have a complete understanding of the organization’s current work activities?
• Do board members understand the key measures that are used for tracking progress toward the organization’s goals?
• Is the board involved with developing strategies for generating resources?
• Are appropriate financial controls in place to ensure the organization’s stable operations?
• Does the board ensure that the budget reflects the priorities established in the annual plan?
• Is there an effective process in place to nominate and select new board members?
• Does the board’s composition reflect the diversity of background, expertise, and other resources needed by the organization?
• Is the size of the board appropriate for effective governance?
• Do board members feel actively engaged in the work of the board?

Whew. That’s a lot. But there’s so much more to be learned in addition to the questions above. Conducting a board of directors assessment has become a best practice of highly successful, highly regarded nonprofit organizations. The collective voice of the board should be heard as a regular part of board management and the way the board functions.

If you would like to learn more about Tweed-Weber’s Nonprofit Board of Directors Assessment, feel free to contact us. We will help you Know More, so you can Do More. Call us toll-free at 1-800-999-6615, email us at mail@tweedweber.com and/or visit us on the web at www.tweedweber.com. Also, be sure to follow us on LinkedIn (Tweed-Weber, Inc.) and Twitter (@TweedWeber).