They are volunteers, too!
Look here for information and the latest techniques to develop your board or committee. The purpose is to help those who work or serve on nonprofit boards of directors or committees.

~March 2009~

         Managing a board is multi-faceted.  And it is a volunteer management task.  The principles of managing boards are the same as managing the direct service volunteer.  There is a Web site “Free Management Library” with a section on managing the nonprofit board of directors.  The excerpt below is from that site.  There is much, much more!  Note the table below this brief article for what is on the site.  There is also a hot link to the site.

Major Duties of Board of Directors

Brenda Hanlon, in In Boards We Trust, suggests the following duties (as slightly modified by Carter McNamara to be "nonprofit/for-profit neutral").

1. Provide continuity for the organization by setting up a corporation or legal existence, and to represent the organization's point of view through interpretation of its products and services, and advocacy for them

2. Select and appoint a chief executive to whom responsibility for the administration of the organization is delegated, including:  to review and evaluate his/her performance regularly on the basis of a specific job description, including executive relations with the board, leadership in the organization, in program planning and implementation, and in management of the organization and its personnel - to offer administrative guidance and determine whether to retain or dismiss the executive

3. Govern the organization by broad policies and objectives, formulated and agreed upon by the chief executive and employees, including assigning priorities and ensuring the organization's capacity to carry out programs by continually reviewing its work

4. Acquire sufficient resources for the organization's operations and to finance the products and services adequately

5. Account to the public for the products and services of the organization and expenditures of its funds, including:  to provide for fiscal accountability, approve the budget, and formulate policies related to contracts from public or private resources; to accept responsibility for all conditions and policies attached to new, innovative, or experimental programs.

To view this Web site:  http://managementhelp.org/boards/boards.htm

The following chart is a list of all the pertinent sections of this Web site if you are seeking information on nonprofit boards and their management.