Like it or not, for most nonprofit Executive Directors, managing their Board takes at least 25% of their time.
Less than half of nonprofit leaders feel their Board pulls their weight with respect to being effective agency ambassadors.
I been both an agency leader with a Board chair who was disengaged, and as the Board Chair with a Director who was unwilling to allow the Board to contribute in a meaningful way.
There are many levers to pull to get one’s Board engaged and active.
If you can get create a respectful boundary-appropriate relationship with your Board chair you are halfway there to changing the dynamic where the Board shifts from a burden to an asset.
This shift takes time and intentionality- we’ll explore how to get there.
Tip #1- Get to Know Your Board Chair
It may seem obvious but the first step to creating an effective Board is getting to know your Board chair.
They may have become the Chair after years of gradually gaining an in-depth understanding of the work of the agency and the Board due to a carefully created succession plan.
They may have recently volunteered for the role, or they have been served as the Chair for many years.
Even if both of you have been in your respective positions for many years, how well do you know that person?
Could you speak with confidence about the things which motivate them and why they have chosen to involve themselves with your agency?
It is time to reset and invest the time understand their motivations and interests.
Take the initiative and deliberately set aside time to get them know them as well as schedule routine check-ins with them.
Create the space and the time to develop a fuller understanding of this person as a three dimensional human being. As part of this process you will undoubtedly discover really useful information about them which will help you leverage the potential of your Board
Tip #2 Allow Your Board Chair to Get to Know You
If you are only reaching out to them when you need something from them, you probably are not getting the most from that relationship.
Your chair is your ally and for them to help you move your Board they have to be invested in both you AND your agency.
Establishing the time to talk about things broader than a Board meeting agenda helps establish trust and understanding.
As you get to know them, take the opportunity for them to learn more about you.
Does your Board chair know why you took the Executive Director job and where you want to take your agency? Do they understand what your priorities are and why?
Tip #3 Understand How They Learn and Lead
I am not suggesting you become besties. It is possible that your chair is not someone you would be friendly with were it not for this professional relationship.
While getting to know your chair is nice, it is for a purpose, to get your Board engaged and active.
Your chair needs to fully understand the information you provide. You can save yourself time and frustration once you know how they digest information.
You may know from experience if they need a few days to read and react to documents. Take note of their learning curve and adapt your style to meet their needs.
Through your interactions with your chair, you should be discerning if they are visual, written or auditory learners.
Begin to tailor the format and pacing of the information you share with them in a way which best meets their learning style.
Ask for their suggestions on the type and frequency of information you share with the Board.
Once you receive their opinion, make sure you listen to it.
As a chair I talked with the director about the type of information I thought the Board needed to make informed decisions, and after they continually ignored my suggestions, I assumed they did not really want us to be engaged.
Tip #4 Help Your Board Chair Delegate
Talk to your Board chair about strategies to get other board members involved and follow-through on tasks.
If you have developed a relationship with your chair, you can have candid and productive discussions about other Board members and ways to effectively elicit their involvement.
Understand your Chair’s leadership style and be a problem solving partner with them to get the results you both want.
If they are hesitating to assign tasks to others, have frank conversations about how best to approach other Board members.
If they horde information kindly share with them the impact of their actions.
The point is to become their partner to get the job done.
Tip #5 Help Your Board Chair Establish Boundaries
When I was an Executive Director, I had a chair who wanted to be involved in the minutia of the daily operations but shied away from fund-raising.
Board basics should tell you this is the inverse of what a Board should do.
Assuming your chair knows what the appropriate role of a Board of Directors is (and if not you must run not walk to get them and the other members good Board training) it is extremely helpful to talk about your mutual expectations.
You should ask of your chair what they need and expect from you.
These conversations should spell out what type of issues they want to be informed of, how soon they want to know it and what type of actions they plan to take and what they expect you to do and when.
Walking through potential scenarios with respect to personnel issues, bad press or an unhappy funder helps create role clarity before your need to act quickly and respond.
If you are able to get clear of each of your respective roles before there is an actual situation to respond to the chances are improved that your energy can be focused on effectively addressing the issue and not who is supposed to do what.
It is helpful to both staff and the rest of the Board when the Chair and the ED have a mutual understanding of everyone’s role.
If expectations and boundaries are clear time can be spent on problem solving rather than getting folks back in their appropriate lane.
I know it may be daunting to think about the time it takes to develop this type of relationship with your Board chair. It is time well spent as it should yield a productive partnership and will begin the process of having your Board be an asset and not a drain.
You can do it and I am here to help.