The Truth About What Boards Want

1. The Truth About What Boards Want Passion, Partners and Alignment June Bradham, CFRE President and Founder Corporate DevelopMint April 2010

2. Getting everything right Leadership Boards Vision Mission Donors Staff

3. What makes a non-profit successful?

4. # 1predictor of success is the amount of giving by the governing board

5. What makes a board member want to give? Respect for the CEO Personal satisfaction

6. Each must have a board Each must have a leader

7. How do we do everything right? ...but it doesn’t have to be.

8. What do board members reallywant?

9. Listen to thetruth > Stellar board makeup >Passion for the cause >Dedicated, smart, visible CEO >An inspiring CEO who engages board members >Plenty of time for board members to socialize >Trust and transparency >Asks that follow a great experience, not just a sense of obligation >Plenty of opportunities for board members to get their hands dirty >Meaningful lessons that complement current skill sets—not training “For me to connect with a donor, I need to be able to be clear about what we do and how we can impact systemic problems. This means learning to tell the story—and that takes training.”

10. AlignMint™: The correct positioning of different leadership components within an institution (i.e. president, governing board, advisory boards, campaign committees) so that each component can perform with maximum effectiveness to achieve the mission of the institution.

11. the first step: accurate assessment • survey board members about experience • on board • with CEO • does CEO understand what fuels board engagement? • survey staff – are they in good alignment with board • check MintMetrics™ drivers

12. AlignMint™:when to start? • board members disengaged? • partnership between CEO and Board absent/weak? • board recruitment aimless or nonproductive? • board unhappy with CEO? • staff interaction with board unproductive? • entire organization seems directionless?

13. Sample Board Survey Items • Our CEO's vision of the future and of the potential impact of this • organization has kept me involved and motivated. • I feel a strong sense of trust in our CEO. I believe he/she is frank with • me and provides me with all the information I need to make good • decisions. • My relationship with the CEO is very friendly - I enjoy having • informal, non-work related conversations with him/her. • My service on this Board taps deeply into my skills, well beyond • superficial contributions. • If I had the resources available, I would be comfortable significantly • increasing my level of giving to this organization.

14. Sample Staff Survey Items • For good board members, "passion for the cause" is something that • doesn’t have to be present from the start. It can develop over time. • Informal social contact between Board members and the CEO can • certainly happen at times, but the critical relationship is the reporting one • (CEO reporting to the Board). • Because of their duties, Board members are most concerned with the • effectiveness and efficiency of their Board working relationships. For • this reason, the development of personal relationships between members • is far less of a priority to them. • A Board member's contributions (whether in time, energy, or money) are • mainly based on his/her belief in the cause, not on his/her experience on • the Board itself. • Our Board members clearly understand that part of Board service involves • making generous contributions to the organization.

15. evolve? How will you and your institution…

16. AlignMint - Action Steps • revisit your board recruitment – are you asking the right questions and meeting several times? • examine your board meetings • Socializing time? • Active discussion? • arrange for the Chair and CEO to meet with board members individually • happy with experience/committee assignments? • suggestions for change? • start more informal CEO/board interactions—in and out of meetings

17. their challenges: Recent application: Red Cross chapters board retreat • evolving role for local chapter boards • board members engagement • board involvement in fundraising

18. Major Donors The Donor Pyramid: Where do board gifts fit? In the most successful fundraising programs, Board members give 25% of the total contributed. Leadership Donors Annual Donors

19. Today: only partial fulfillment of the Mission IDEAL Fundraising: $ 3 million One Chapter’s Fundraising Results: $1.74 million Earned Earned $410,000 $410,000 Community Community $2.59 million $1.33 million Board (25% of comm.) Board $173,000 (13%) $647,500

20. solution: multi-chapter workshop: • joint state-wide boards retreat • agenda • encourage response by board members

21. meeting the challenges: engaged board response • How do we recruit the right people for board service? • How do we enhance the partnership between CEO and • boards to increase board member satisfaction and engagement? • As chapters, how can we increase giving percentages from • Boards?

22. Corporate DevelopMint June Bradham, CFRE President Executive Park at Faber Place 4000 Faber Place Drive, Suite 130Charleston, SC 29405-8585 843.853.9999 jbradham@corporatedevelopmint.com www.corporatedevelopmint.com