New Tools for Creating a Vibrant, Engaged and Energized Board of Directors in the 21st Century

1. Welcome to our Webinar :New Tools for Creating a Vibrant, Engaged and Energized Board of Directors in the 21st CenturyTo listen to today’s webinar please dial: 1.866.740.1260 and enter access code:5155012*There will be NO AUDIO via the computer today.

2. New Tools for Creating a Vibrant, Engaged and Energized Board of Directors in the 21st Century Presented by Andrew Marietta, Regional Manager, CNY OfficeValerie Venezia, VP of Membership & MarketingNew York Council of Nonprofits, Inc. www.nycon.org Community Focus | Statewide Impact | National Network

3. Today’s Learning Objectives… What’s old is new again…. • Recognize traditional motivating factors for board engagement • Identify challenges and obstacles to board involvement • Explore traditional methods for overcoming challenges (old dogs/new tricks) What’s new is new too… Increased use of online tools to: • Identify new motivating factors for board engagement • Recruit board members, orient new members, engage in dialogue, manage board progress, distribute materials, and on-going assessment board performance. • Help retain board members. What’s old and new can help you... • Identify priority areas that need to be improved and introduce new methods that will engage and energize your board members.

4. Traditionally, What Motivates Board Service? Traditionally, What Gets & Keeps Board Members “On The Board?”

5. Our Board Members • Get: • Personal Satisfaction • Commitment to Mission, Cause, and Community • Professional Growth or Networking Opportunities • Benefit to Employer or Self • Recognition Give: • Time • Community Perspective • Credibility • Influence • Expertise • Resources • Directly or Access to (“Give, Get or Get Off”?) • Commitment to Excellence • Duties of Care, Obedience & Loyalty

6. Has This Happened To You? A lack of qualified candidates interested in board service? The Nominations Committee meets for the first time two month before the annual meeting? New members aren’t meaningfully participating? No one is willing to become President or Treasurer? Members not confirming their attendance in advance? Problems getting a quorum? Committees not meeting on a regular basis or at all? A few dominate meetings, while some are quiet? Members are voting for something they really don’t understand (a budget, perhaps)? Inactive members remaining on the board? A lack of consensus on purpose and goals for the board of directors in general?

7. First, Let’s Define Board Development The process of creating, maintaining & improving the functioning, effectiveness & productivity of board leadership & governance.

8. Typical Charges for a Board Development Committee • Plan for leadership succession: • Recruit & nominate • Design & implement orientation • Encourage & coordinate ongoing development & training opportunities • Manage communications with existing board members & officers re: renewal of terms, term expirations, resignations, etc. • Regularly review board & officer job descriptions, qualifications & performance expectations/standards • Review bylaws and make recommendations (regarding the recruitment, nominations or skills analysis process) • Develop strategic goals (short and long term) • Analyze strengths and weaknesses organizationally and requirements needed to meet set goals

9. Always Looking • What are the biggest challenges you experience finding board members? How Easy Do You Make It For Them To Find You? • What have been your most successful strategies identifying new board members & why?

10. How Can Online Technology Help Your Board? • Connect to a group of citizens who are already engaged in and knowledgeable about your mission • Provide a channel of open communication regarding needs your board has for particular expertise area • Provide user friendly application/nomination process • Provide easily accessible board orientation • Provide a consistent, accessible platform to share information about meetings, minutes, ask questions, etc. • Provide a vehicle for on-going dialogue, community exchange, and project management • Venue to survey board members for feedback on appropriate policy issues

11. Are You Ready?

12. It’s A Cycle • Connect to those who care about your cause… • They are already out there! • Recruit them.. • If they already know you, it’s much easier • Inform and educate… • How much of my time will this take? • Orient to your board process… • Robert’s Rules of Order? • Engage in board process… • The more ‘user friendly’ the more you will have friendly users! • Assessment • Can be on-going and informal • Identify changes, adapt, recruit new members with different skills

13. Connect With Those Who Care About Your Cause • Social Networking:Create a Page for your organization on Facebook. Promote and post board opportunities; showcase your board • Professional Networks (LinkedIn, YNPN): Let your contacts know that your organization is searching • Utilize LinkedIn Board Member Connect to recruit • Google Grant & Google Alerts: Get visibility and stay connected • Web Resources: Share, post and promote board openings with example tools like BoardAssist or Idealist. • Website: Promote board openings and invite inquiries. Have an ongoing survey for interested board members • E-mail: Send a Constant Contact message to your contacts to alert them of the board opening

14. CONNECT, RECRUIT, INFORM, ORIENT – DO IT ALL ON YOUTUBE! YouTube:Make a video and post it (with or without creating a customized channel for your organization), let potential members know why they would want to be a part of your organization, what involvement would entail, how they can learn more (Example). • Share your passion for the mission • Tell personal stories about organization’s impact • Highlight your programs and events • Show your impact

15. Now What?Board orientation, meeting management and feedback online. Immediately. Streamline your orientation process by making it virtual Keep board members organized by giving them access to necessary documents, dates & info Give board members the tools and info they need to fulfill their roles and responsibilities

16. Orientation Tools • Welcoming, inclusive participatory environment • Training • In-person orientation to board service • Webinar • Screencasts • One-to-one meeting with leadership and staff • Pre-board service • Board Mentor or “buddy” system • Annual Retreat • Access to Board Resources • Access to virtual Board Manual (Google Drive)

17. MAKE YOUR ORIENTATION MANUAL VIRTUAL (AND ACCESSIBLE)! • Organization history/background • Strategic Plan • Governance documents (bylaws, other) • Official mission and approved marketing message(s) • Complete fiscal information (and summary “in plain english”) Audited financial statements, IRS Form 990 • Budget, typical financial report & investment policies • Program descriptions • Minutes (last 6 months) of board & other committees • Board roster & committee structure • Annual reports • Personnel policy & roster • Insurance coverage overview

18. Engaging Current Members: Communication is key • Ongoing, open communication active involvement • Build a platform to make it easy to engage and reduce your reliance on meeting in person • Integrate virtual meeting tools: • Anymeeting • ReadyTalk • Free Conference Call • Skype

19. Keeping the Board Engaged • Encourage working outside of Board meetings • Integrate online tools to provide support • Project Management – Online Group and more • Blog – WordPress Nonprofit Board Management plugin • Showcase board and committees • Post events and make invites • Post documents • Wikis – Share resources, edit documents • Create a Group for your organization on Facebook. • Open; Closed (public, but only members see posts); Secret (only members can see and post)

20. Committees in Action: Empowered and Making Decisions • Schedule meetings when people are available • Doodle; ScheduleOnce; MeetingWizard • Online calendar for committee meetings • Google • Online resources for committees • Mycommittee • Blog • Feedback • Surveymonkey • What does your board need? Ask for it! • Synthesize information and then act on it.

21. Are People Staying?Make it rewarding and easy. People will stay. • Respect & use each members’ skills, contacts & time as effectively as possible • Build structures & processes that are effective & efficient • Provide growth & leadership development opportunities • Strengthen working relationships • Foster ties to mission

22. Retention Strategies • Leadership stability: succession planning, grooming & mentoring officers and committee chairs • Support effective communication • Strategic planning • Working committee structure • Express Appreciation, say Thank You!

23. Retention Tools • Board Meeting & Committee Calendar • Use shared Google Calendars to inform of meeting dates and events • Use E-vite to remind of meetings and confirm attendance • Board Retreats • Touch base virtually using webinars • Routine Board Assessment & Training • More accessible trainings online • Recorded trainings • Online assessment • Strategic Meeting Agenda • Keep Well-informed – “No Surprises” • Make minutes & other important documents more accessible by posting online • Keep board updated by posting to a private blog/ updating through email (Constant Contact, etc)

24. Are We Making a Difference?Ongoing assessment and constant change. • Use online survey tools to: • Obtain feedback • Assess board composition, structure, performance and process • With SurveyMonkey you can: • Create a survey • Gather responses via email • Analyze and download the results

25. Key Areas for Assessing Board Performance • Individuals • Attendance (# or %) • Participation/ engagement rating • Influence (activities or results) • Donations (give or get) • Attended training/ development opportunities • Board • Progress with strategic goals, objectives and work plans

26. Assessing Board Structure and Process Key structural areas to assess • Operational committees • Committee charges • Committee minutes Key process areas to assess • Minutes • Motions • Strategic Plan

27. Assessing Board Composition Perform an Assets & Needs Inventory Online • Knowledge of/commitment to mission & org. • Talents, Specialized Knowledge & Skills • Board & Leadership Experience • Influence, Contacts, etc. • Diversity & Representation • Ethnic, racial, religious, etc. • Geographic, consumer/community, sector or industry, etc. • Age

28. What’s Next? • Use assessment findings to put needs back out there and recruit based on this information • Stay focused and implement what is realistic

29. In Summary…. • Make your first step towards Board 2.0 simple • Put an application for board service online • Record a board orientation and send link to current and incoming board members • Create a simple online space for meeting materials & dialogue (range from Drop box to custom solution) • Create and email newsletter for board members • Record your “Mission Moments” and send them to board members (can be cross utilized fro marketing, fundraising, etc.) • Allow for meaningful engagement via electronic medium(s) at board meetings. • Create a Board Development Committee to manage these efforts • Set up a Google calendar for your board and committees • Set up a blog and invite your board members • Send an e-vote to your board for your next board meeting • Create a Facebook account for your nonprofit • Set up a Google account and post your orientation Google Drive • Bookmark board and nonprofit resources in Delicious • Develop a board assessment/evaluation with Survey Monkey • Celebrate board leadership, participation & achievements • Share them online in Facebook, YouTube, and more!

30. RESOURCES FOR “BOARD 2.0” www.mycommittee.com www.5pmweb.com www.google.com/groups www.google.com/apps http://www.wiggio.com/ http://projects.zoho.com/jsp/home.jsp http://wordpress.org/plugins/nonprofit-board-management/ http://www.basecamphq.com/ www.surveymonkey.com www.youtube.com www.facebook.com www.myspace.com www.linkedin.com www.blogger.com http://www.votenet.com/ http://www.doodle.ch/main.html http://www.meetingwizard.com/ http://www.techsmith.com/camtasia.asp http://secondlife.com/ http://www.wikispaces.com/ www.evite.com http://delicious.com/valeriev http://delicious.com/amarietta