It’s blazing hot on the East Coast and freezing cold here in the Pacific Northwest. It’s “hump day” in our work week and I thought we could all use a great art break.

Check out this and other great images on Twisting Balloons, Artist Recreates Works courtesy of one of my favorites sites, Taxi.

Then back to our nonprofit work!

This Memorial Day weekend launches Blue Star Museums, a partnership between the National Endowment for the Arts, Blue Star Families, and more than 1,300 museums across America to offer free admission to all active duty military personnel and their family members from Memorial Day through Labor Day 2011. 

Museums in all 50 states & DC are participating.  They represent not just fine arts museums, but also science museums, history museums, nature centers and 70 children’s museums.  Click here to find participating museums in your state or in your summer vacation destinations. 

“Blue Star Museums may be the program at the NEA of which I am proudest,” said NEA Chairman Rocco Landesman. “Blue Star Museums recognizes and thanks our military families for all they are doing for our country, and simultaneously begins young people on a path to becoming life-long museum goers.” 

What a fitting way to officially kick off a cultural summer in America.   

Ok, so nonprofit policies and governance may not be the sexiest topics on the planet, but they’re right up there with mission as the most important concern of every nonprofit board of directors. 

Thanks to the launch of Independent Sector’s online Resource Center, nonprofits can now access great, new (and free!) resources on governance & ethical practice.   

The resource center has more than 250 free tools, model policies and other resources gathered from organizations across the United States.  All are related to the four critical areas covered by the Principles for Good Governance and Ethical Practice: legal compliance and public disclosure, effective governance, financial oversight and responsible fundraising.

Independent Sector reports:   “Organizations that have used the Principles report increased capacity to achieve their missions, including improvements in governance, changes in organizational culture and practice, and increased credibility with funders, individual donors and community partners.”

It’s sure to be a “go-to” place for governance fundamentals and tools to keep you from starting from scratch when writing/updating your policies.  

Dandy new info on email open rates, online fundraising & social media useage via NTEN and M+R Strategic Services.  Will help you set your expectations and strategy.   And… more cool nonprofit infographics here.

“Change favors the connected mind.”  In 4 minutes, Steven Johnson illustrates (literally) his interesting thoughts on where good ideas come from.  I think nonprofit leaders will find this a delightful diversion but also serious food for thought.

Ponder in the quiet(er) moments of the weekend; put in practice back in the office soon. Happy weekend friends. 

And speaking of where good ideas come from, I found this through my new favorite source, Brain Pickings.

Nonprofit Confetti – curated info and occasional musings for creative nonprofits. 

At a recent conference, I shared tips for ways nonprofits can best use Facebook, twitter and blogs as part of their communications strategy. It’s hard to hit the target with blogs – especially for small nonprofits – and I’m always on the lookout for good examples.

I ran across one this week and it’s worth a look. The two things that I think distinguish the Whidbey Camano Land Trust Blog are:

• a complete focus on stories. In fact, they describe their blog as “a collection of personal stories about people’s connection to the land and to the Land Trust.” Now that sure seems like something I’d like to read and something that would inspire me to learn more about their work if I weren’t already a member.
• blog posts aren’t just staff-generated. Not only does this practice spread out the blog workload (ok, I guess that’s the old executive director in me that immediately goes to staff/time management!), it provides a rich opportunity for board, volunteers, members, partners – and staff too – to share their Land Trust experiences, love for the land, different perspectives and very personal stories. So I might read about someone just like me or I might be inspired to write about a cool time I enjoyed land that had been conserved.

I think it’s tough for small nonprofits to staff a blog. I think it’s tough for anyone to write a blog that people actually want to read. The Whidbey Camano Land Trust shows us how both can be done.

Any good examples you can share?

Yes, I know, “the board manages the board”.  However, executive directors can not, and should not, remain hands-off in board building. A key ED role is helping your board be successful. 

Chiding Inaction
I’ve coached many EDs at the end of their ropes because of one or more non-performing board members. They grumble “we’re all grown-ups; they need to just follow through on what they say they’ll do”.  Or…“a board member is supposed to [fill in the blank]”.  Yes and yes.  But… 

My experience with boards is that even though we know – and frankly, they know – what they are supposed to do (i.e. take a lead in fundraising, take the initiative to annually evaluate the ED, etc., etc.), board members don’t always step up and meet expectations. This is especially true on “working boards” where board members also serve in the role of volunteers helping implement programs and projects. 

Board members don’t always perform well because of any number of valid reasons — their own fears, abilities, comfort level, knowledge level, competing time commitments – to name a few. As an ED, you can beat yourself up (and beat up the board), but that’s not going to change things. It won’t motivate them to perform better and it won’t change their behavior. It will only make them feel guiltier about not doing their job or make them so uncomfortable that they just want to get off the board as soon as they can.

It’s all a matter of motivation with boards – helping them be successful and in turn building their confidence and capacity to do more and do better. 

Motivating Action 

Instead, ED’s have to work closely with your board chairs to coach individual board members, inspire action and match abilities and strengths with the amount of work to be done and the kind of work they will be called upon to do. In the meantime, the organization can gradually recruit new board members, change the board over time, provide needed board training, and accomplish more. But the bottom line is that you’ve got to work with what you have in the meantime. 

Pushing, pushing, pushing more programs, more fundraising, more time expectations on board members just won’t change them. Instead, it will only paralyze them. Wishing they’d do more, and being disappointed every time they don’t, will only make you frustrated and resentful and erode any sense of mutual goals. You can’t “will it” so. 

All nonprofits have to match their programs and services with the financial and human resources (staff and board), while working to build greater capacity over time.

Boards are made up of good, busy people committed to the cause, but executive directors have to be realistic about what they will do, help match ability and willingness to program and fundraising work, gradually build board capacity over time, work to help make them successful and celebrate achievements while you continue to dream bigger.

Whoa, didn’t see that coming?  Well, if you or your fellow board members catch yourself saying the following, you’re on the way to reading your executive director’s resignation letter.

Nope. There are many things a board can delegate to staff but delegating all the responsibility for fundraising is not one of them. Fundraising remains a board role because of a board’s fiduciary responsibility. It is a board/staff partnership. You’re partners in identifying, contacting, and asking potential donors and members. You’re partners in making sure you make budget.

“I was talking to the Membership Director the other day because she called me to complain about…”

Staff reports to the executive director. If they have a beef, they talk to the director. The director hires and manages staff. The board hires, evaluates and fires the executive director. Sure there should be good, direct communication between board and staff, but if a staff person goes directly to a board member about personnel or matters pertaining to management and programs, send them back to the ED.

“I’d like to review the menu for the event before our Events Coordinator talks to the caterer.”

Nothing will drive an ED (or any staff member) to the door like micromanaging. Let them do their jobs planning and implementing programs and services. You do yours governing, fundraising and insuring financial oversight and long-term financial security.

“This is a nonprofit.  Everyone expects us to be poor.”

Donors, members, constituents expect and want your nonprofit to have the human and financial resources it needs to meet your mission. You can’t do that if you’re chronically under-funded or worried about whether your organization will survive another year. There’s nothing wrong - and everything right – about making sure you have adequate funds to do your job, plan for a rainy day (or economic downturn), attract and keep the best staff, and carry out your mission.

“We’ve got to find more fundraisers for the board before next month’s elections.”

Board recruitment is an ongoing process of identifying the board’s needs and potential candidates to match, cultivating candidates, determining if they are a good match for your board and then ultimately nominating them when the time comes. You don’t magically find “fundraisers” overnight who are going to jump on the board and immediately solve all your problems by asking for loads of money.

Great EDs are one of a nonprofit’s greatest assets.  Let them do their job and you do yours. Expect the best of them and be the best board member you can be.  Your nonprofit’s success depends on it.

 While there is obviously legitimate business that must take place at board meetings, when I was an executive director, I found it invaluable to periodically schedule time on the meeting agenda for an open discussion about deeper issues.

Making room on the agenda for bigger thinking

Such discussions can precede an annual planning process or just give your board time to reflect and think more deeply about overarching issues or organizational priorities. Some might say that taking time in a board meeting to just talk is frivolous. I say you’ve spent precious time and effort to assemble a smart board and it’s irresponsible to waste the good minds around the table. Schedule 45 minutes, pose one stimulating question. Take notes but make it clear that no “result” is expected. This is just a time to think more expansively.

Changing the questions to provoke your board’s thinking

Rather than posing a question like “what are our greatest strengths/weaknesses/opportunities/threats, etc., etc.” how about posing one of the following in an upcoming meeting?

• What about [your organization] keeps you awake at night?
• What do you tell your friends and colleagues about your board work at [your organization]?
• If someone asks you why you’re on the board of [your organization], what do you say?
• If our executive director took ill suddenly, what steps would we take to insure that organization stays on track?
• What organizations are doing similar work? Are there new ways to partner with them that we haven’t ever considered?
• If we closed our doors tomorrow, what would be the greatest loss?

I found this time for philosophical discussion eventually led to better planning and programmatic focus.  More importantly, it stimulated the board’s thinking about the big picture, their board service, and the impact of our organization. They left the board room better fundraisers and a more motivated board.  Frankly, I can’t think of a better result from a board agenda item!