Dr. Earl R. Smith II

Dr. Earl R. Smith II
Managing Partner, The Federal Circle
DrSmith@Dr-Smith.com
Dr-Smith.com

Nonprofit organizations require special contributions from directors in order to achieve extraordinary results for their organizations. Nonprofit board members are usually volunteers dedicated to a cause or mission. Usually nonprofit boards serve as the fundraisers, cheerleaders, and provide much of the management of the organization. For this reason, nonprofits must constantly assess their effectiveness, re-evaluate delegated responsibilities, re-assess goals, question past activities and celebrate achievements.

Volunteers are a great source of passionate talent. Nothing beats stronger than the heart of a motivated volunteer. One challenge faced by volunteer nonprofit boards is keeping volunteers motivated. A well-established tool for motivation is by assessing the effectiveness of workers. This is accomplished in a normal business setting through the job evaluation process. Nonprofit board members are often volunteers and traditional job performance evaluations are not appropriate. However, all volunteers want to know they are making a difference. A simple matrix of job functions and outcomes conspicuously posted can provide a tool for volunteers to fill in and track their effectiveness can boost performance and morale. Passionate workers will try to exceed any goal a nonprofit board sets. Non-profit organizations should hold celebrations when goals are reached or exceeded.

Nonprofit boards will also work most effectively if board members regularly evaluate how well business functions are being delegated. Responsibilities, once given, should not be then forgotten about. Different functions of a board require more time and effort to carry out, and this will often lead to lowered performance if the responsibility for a certain office is carried by one volunteer for too long. By rotating roles and responsibilities, a natural accountability is built into system. When roles are shifted, the achievements and the work of each officer and board member should be recognized by the organization.

Nonprofit boards are also prone to repeat activities, sometimes past their useful life. Nonprofit boards should hold retreats at least annually. Committees should be establish and charged with gauging the effectiveness of programs or activities. Everything should be on the table for discussion. Board members should be encouraged to discuss goals and freely assess the strategies being used to reach established goals. Committees should be encouraged to generate new ideas and activities to exceed previous expectations. This can be an exciting time for volunteers, and energize the organization to new levels of creativity and achievements. When new activities are recommended, the committee making the recommendation should be charged with organizing the project and establishing metrics to judge their effectiveness. This establishes ownership of the project.

Nonprofit boards are usually single-issue focused organizations. The issue, such as hunger or poverty, may be a persistent issue and require year round work, but when goals are reached a celebration or acknowledgment/recognition meeting should be held. This serves two purposes: 1) it serves to recognize the hard work of the individuals reaching a milestone, 2) alerts the community to the need and the effectiveness of the nonprofit board in servicing the need. Nonprofit work performed by volunteers is work, rewards are often few. Lavishing praise on volunteers and the organization in front of peers as often as possible can be a very motivating reward with little or no expense to the organization.

Nonprofit boards are staffed by some of the most motivated, dedicated and capable people to be found. A volunteer’s passion is usually fueled by a desire to alleviate suffering or some other pressing community need. The volunteers and stakeholders/donors want to know how effective their efforts are at meeting those needs. Celebrations and should be held to praise and motivate board members and staff. Reviews should be done to re-tool where needed and to document the effectiveness of programs.

© Dr. Earl R. Smith II

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Related Articles:

• Board Diversity – A Subtle Challenge

• Components of Good Governance – Three Committees

• Managing External Influences on Governance

• Good Governance – The Chairman’s Role

• Governance By Visionaries

• Nonprofit Governance for Results

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Dr. Smith is Managing Partner of The Federal Circle. The Federal Circle partners with teams and existing companies. We help them up their game and win big in the Federal space. We also arrange funding for acquisitions and expansion by acquisition. Our model is based on the belief that, if you select the very best and work with them in a highly professional and focused manner, the results will be truly amazing. He is the author of Amazing Pace: Turbo-charged Business Development – a book that shows how Advisory Boards can dramatically increase revenue. Dr. Smith is also the author of Dream Walk: Parables for the Living – a book of Raven Tales and exploration.

This entry was posted on Saturday, September 20th, 2008 at 8:36 AM and is filed under Governance. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.