Often, when you join an organization, the board is already in place. You didn’t recruit them or train them or otherwise have any opportunity to set their expectations about their essential role in fundraising.
A dysfunctional board (i.e., a board that refuses to fundraise) is more than dead weight. It’s an albatross around your neck that will drag you and your organization down.
You may be able to function, but it won’t be at an optimal level.
So what to do?
Please weigh in with your thoughts, and also feel free to ask me any specific questions you may have about challenges you’ve encountered.
I’ll get us started with this:
To move from good (or not-so-good) to great requires two parallel lines of attack:
- Establish expectations now, using every avenue at your disposal, while providing ongoing support to assist board in fulfilling expectations, and
- Develop ways to change a dysfunctional system (e.g., new bylaws that include terms of office; a nominating or board governance committee that establishes requirements for board membership; written policies and procedures for recruitment, orientation, onboarding and ongoing support, and a systemic way to gently counsel board members into more appropriate roles, as needed).
