highlights a hot-off-the-press resource with 22 board governance tools and templates. And this reminder:
to download free resources from the 20 management buckets (core competencies) and
.
Tool Competence!
Peter Drucker, the father of modern management, once compared businesses to nonprofits with this memorable poke-in-the-ribs to both:“Although I don’t know a single for-profit business that is well managed as a few of the nonprofits, the great majority of the nonprofits can be graded a ‘C’ at best. Not for lack of effort; most of them work very hard. But for lack of focus, and for lack of tool competence.”
So with that inspiration,
Dan Busby, president of ECFA, and I have co-authored a hot-off-the press resource,
ECFA Tools and Templates for Effective Board Governance: Time-Saving Solutions for Your Board. Jam-packed with 22 tools, the 272-page book includes access to downloadable Word documents that can be customized for any board.
The tools are organized around six themes: • Selecting and Training Excellent Board Members
• Board Assessments
• Reporting to the Board
• Taking Time for Strategic Planning
• Policies and Board Responsibilities
• Ideas for Better Board Governance
Peter Drucker also wrote,
“At least once every five years, every form should be put on trial for its life.” So…if it’s been five years (or 10 or 20 years) since you’ve updated your boardroom tools, this book will be a lifesaver for you. Examples:
• Tool #1: The Pathway to the Board. Ask an administratively-gifted person on your Governance Committee to track names and next steps in this customizable form for prospects in your pipeline. (It will slow you down—a good thing—so you take time to “date” board prospects before you propose “marriage.”) Six important steps.
• Tool #2: Board Nominee Suggestion Form. Inspire your board and senior team to recommend board prospects with a suggestion form that factors in your board-approved criteria. A huge time-saver!
• Tool #5: The Board’s Annual Self-Assessment Survey. According to John Carver, “Board self-evaluation is an inseparable part of governing, not an extraneous or optional task.” Three options for measuring your board’s effectiveness.
• Tool #8: The Board’s Annual Fundraising Audit. Here’s a true or false quiz with 10 statements the board must address annually about your fundraising program. What should the board be asking the CEO and staff? Features a green/yellow/red dashboard with Celebrate/Watch/Act indicators.
Tools and More! Sprinkled throughout the book are the research results from
ECFA’s 2019 Nonprofit Governance Survey and comprehensive report,
Unleashing Your Board’s Potential.
ECFA research revealed that 82% of board members indicated that their fundraising needed the greatest improvement. Strategic planning was ranked second with 64% saying that was their nonprofit’s greatest need.
• Tool #11: Monthly Dashboard Report. A one-page color-coded dashboard report from the CEO to the board can be customized to highlight three to five of your CEO’s Annual S.M.A.R.T. Goals—with this caveat from Peter Drucker, “If you have more than five goals, you have none.” This will revolutionize your CEO’s priorities—and get everyone on the same page.
• Tool #15: Board Retreat Trend-Spotting Exercise. Just add water and stir—and this simple template will engage every board member in looking down the road for those important twists and turns that will impact your organization. Easy to implement!
• Tool #22: Straw Vote Cards. Hundreds of boards use green and red straw vote cards in every board meeting—as a quick and courteous way to give every board member a voice. The green card means yes. The red card means no. Another huge time-saver and consensus-builder.
A Lot More! I’m a tad biased, of course, but even if you use just one tool or template—you’ll bless your board members and save time and money. The book gives you access to all 22 tools and templates—so you can customize them for your board’s unique needs.
Other tools include: a legal audit checklist, a financial management audit checklist, options for the board’s annual evaluation of the top leader, a quarterly board meeting agenda template, board retreat read-and-reflect worksheets, The Rolling 3-Year Strategic Plan Placemat (one page), a board policies manual template, job descriptions, tent cards and tools for leveraging board member strengths, a “Ten Minutes for Governance” practice, and the Board Member Annual Affirmation Statement.
Did I mention—272 pages of jam-packed time-saving tools? Enjoy!
To order from Amazon, click on the title for
ECFA Tools and Templates for Effective Board Governance: Time-Saving Solutions for Your Board, by Dan Busby and John Pearson. (Note:
read my tribute to Dan here.)
Your Weekly Staff Meeting Questions:1) R. Buckminster Fuller said, “If you want to teach people a new way of thinking, don’t bother to teach them. Instead, give them a tool, the use of which will lead to new ways of thinking.” What tool inspired you to think a new way?
2) “At least once every five years, every form should be put on trial for its life,” wrote Peter Drucker. Are there other unexamined or outdated programs, systems, or tools that need a refresh in our organization?
Agree or Disagree?
Insights from Mastering the Management Buckets Workbook
One of the big ideas in the Board Bucket, Chapter 14, in Mastering the Management Buckets, is to “ensure that all board members hone their board competencies regularly.” That includes understanding the foundational role of the board.
Agree or Disagree: Green Card or Red Card?
“There are no dysfunctional organizations,
only dysfunctional boards.”
If you agree with that statement, invest in your board and order ECFA Tools and Templates for Effective Board Governance. Then note the hidden webpage in the book and download the customizable Word documents that will enrich your board’s effectiveness and your organization’s impact.
For more governance resources, visit the Board Bucket here.
JASON PEARSON: UNEXPECTED CREATIVE. Are you leveraging the extraordinary power of visual media to inspire your members, clients, or customers? Check out the innovative work from Jason Pearson at Pearpod Media (branding, digital, print, and video). If it’s been five or more years since you’ve put your visual images “on trial”—contact Pearpod Media today!
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