How It All Started
My board relies heavily on me as the CEO to do everything.
We cannot get responses to our communications with board members.
A few of our board members never attend meetings.
My board members will not fundraise.
My board members do not follow through on their commitments.
Can you find me good board members?
Twenty percent of the board does eighty percent of the work.
My board is more operations focused than governance and strategy focused.
We discuss the same things every meeting with no decisions being made.
The staff does not understand what the board does.
Some voices at the board table speak louder or more often than others.
The above statements and questions are just a few comments I hear consistently from clients and training participants. Yet, these only represent symptoms of bigger issues.
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Board members need to better understand and accept their roles and responsibilities.
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Communications among board members and between the board and CEO need to improve.
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Collegial working relationships need to be forged.
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Consequences of actions or inaction need to be recognized.
Trainers, consultants, university degree programs and capacity building nonprofit organizations abound. Each seeks to help nonprofit organizations make a greater impact through improved fundraising, programs, personnel, measurement, infrastructure and more. Each of these Influencers has been successful with their services, yet the symptoms persist. Addressing this dilemma is why I created, 501c Impact!
Glenda Hicks
Certified Governance Consultant & Trainer
I am Glenda Hicks, a certified governance consultant, trainer, and CPA. I believed there had to be another way. There needed to be a tool these amazing trainers, consultants, capacity builders and universities could use to augment their services to help board members understand the gravity of the work they are expected to understand and execute. I further believed this tool would in turn, incline the directors to prioritize their commitment to the nonprofit organization to whom they said, “yes” when asked, “Will you serve on our board?”
501c Impact! began as a teaching resource for Influencers and morphed into a dynamic opportunity to redesign my Certificate in Nonprofit Board Governance course to incorporate lively, engaging, experiential learning in a creative and innovative way.
