Given the wide range of skills and backgrounds to be ideally found at a meeting of Board members and the Executive Director, a well-led non-profit makes sure these men and women harmoniously complement one another. In this post, Toni Jackson explores how the Executive Director and Board members are stronger working together. Working apart is avoided whenever possible. The odd coupling of gifts within some non-profit organizations can allow them to thrive where others would simply struggle.
SHARE
Toni Jackson
While the Executive Director of a non-profit organization is the face of the organization, it’s the non-profit’s Board members who set the tone. As the governance of the organization, the Board is extremely essential. For a non-profit organization to fulfill its Mission and operate well, its’ members and the Executive Director need to work together and understand each other.
A good Board is one that is willing to be accountable for the decisions they make on behalf of the non-profit. To put it simply, responsibility without accountability isn’t the hallmark of high-performing non-profit Boards. As well, I feel, each Board member must be willing to participate in all aspects of the organization. Being willing to only donate money (i.e. write a check) is not enough! Each Board member should be ready and willing to offer their distinct expertise and talents to promote the Mission of the non-profit. Boards made up of people who only want to write a check, or who have a ‘the buck doesn’t stop here’ mindset, will not flourish.
Fill the gap
Executive Directors are the face of the non-profit organizations they lead. They also, I strongly feel, need to be a practitioner. It’s very important that these leaders be able to step in when the situation warrants it. Having the ability to fill the gap is an essential part of what allows Executive Directors to be effective and thrive. Executive Directors who aren’t practitioners, when programs or services hit a bump in the road, can’t jump in, fill the gap, and help get things back on track.
When Board members and the Executive Director understand each other they can work together well. When this happens within a non-profit organization, sustainability and better outcomes aren’t far behind.
LEARN
- The Board sets the tone and the Executive Director stands as the public face of the organization.
- Responsibility and accountability are cherished practices of good Boards.
- A proper Board has to be fully invested in their gifts and talents, not just in their check books.
- The Executive Director must be able to “stand in the gap” and be a pragmatic practitioner. Show they’re capable of doing that needs to be done.
- The Executive Director and the Board have to understand and work with each other
GROW
So how do you create the right balancing act between the Executive Director and the Board? This is arguably the most critical relationship within a nonprofit organization. The Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation supports leadership, innovation, and collaboration. They conducted a Board/Executive Director Relationship Workshop which illustrated best practices and measures to maximize these two roles.
The most apt description of the proper relationship for the Executive Director and the Board is that it’s both a partnership and a balancing act. The reality is simply this: The Board is the Boss of the Executive Director yet, make no mistake, the Executive Director is the face of the organization. Each one needs the other.
Nine Characteristics of a Strong Board/Executive Director Partnership
(some are self-explanatory, some are not)
- Balance – At times one half of the partnership may be more dominant than the other, but there is an equilibrium in the distribution that may shift in one direction or the other from time to time.
- Mutual Respect
- Mutual Trust
- Clear understanding of roles and responsibilities. What’s mine and what’s theirs.
- Accountability – A contributor to engendering mutual respect and trust, players in a partnership must be accountable to the other half and demand and get accountability in return. Without active accountability, there is no basis for moving forward.
- Shared ownership, Shared goals, and Shared Vision.
- Shared leadership – Proper balance is when each partner is willing to recognize when the strengths of the other half surpasses its own and step back when needed, while also being willing and able to step forward when it’s warranted.
- Open Communication – Can you create true open and shared dialogue when things are good and when things are bad.
- Appreciation – A simple thank you, public recognition, and expressed gratitude foster a healthy work environment.
Toni Jackson outlined -in the Share section- the proper roles and perspectives that define an effective Executive Director and Board. In the Growth section we set forth the characteristics of a high-performing relationship between an organization’s Executive Director and it’s Board of Directors.
In the end, if you master the 9 characteristics outlined above, you’ll be well on your way towards creating the proper balance in your non-profit’s leadership and governance. Working together you are stronger. The end result of heeding Jackson’s advice and developing the right partnership: Being a well-run and sustainable organization.
Your Outcomes Well
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