Own the Game!
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.
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.
CEOs/Executive Directors tell me...
The above statements and questions are just a few of the 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, and
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Consequences of actions or inaction need to be recognized.
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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 also been successful with their services, yet these symptoms persist. Addressing this dilemma is why I created, 501c Impact!
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 and curriculum to help current and future board members understand the true gravity of the work they are expected to perform and then how to execute.
I further believed this tool would in turn incline the members to prioritize their commitment to the nonprofit organization to whom they said, “yes” when asked, “Will you serve on our board of directors?”
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501c Impact! is an innovative, creative way to help organizations tackle issues and learn or reinforce knowledge in a fun and engaging gamified way, that uses experiential and social learning methods along with good old-fashioned competition. The game is designed to help current and prospective board members synthesize their knowledge with their performance.
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501c Impact! began as a teaching resource for Influencers and morphed into a dynamic way to also help management and staff understand the work of the board, the demands of the CEO/Executive Director and the magnitude of what is involved in running a nonprofit organization. Playing 501c Impact! is equally ideal for new CEOs/Executive Directors or Founders who do not fully understand the nonprofit landscape, as well as university students pursuing a degree in nonprofit management.