Starting a Charity? Preparing to Have a Board

Here's the way I'd like to see nonprofit boards set up right from the beginning. I think this way would virtually eliminate dysfunctional nonprofits, it would nip founder-itis in the bud; it would result in a much more efficient and effective nonprofit serving the community; and it would broaden and deepen the community support for mission accomplishment. Here's the way I would do it:

1. At the very beginning, when thinking through the concept of the charity's role and mission in the community, I would become seriously involved in volunteering for several charities who are serving my target population or serving people in some way like the people I want to serve with my charity. I would get into their problems and see, both from the program side and the fundraising view, what those problems are and how they are caused.

2. Next, I would take a year to find board leadership for my charity. I would go to community leaders and those who support other charities and ask them their opinions about a new start-up in the arena in which I want my charity to serve. I would ask them what they see the needs are; would ask them what governance qualities are needed; I would ask whether they would financially support such a start-up.

3. Then I would write a board job description so that my incoming board members would know right up front what was expected from them. I would also draft a set of performance standards and a process of board member evaluation, and put that before prospective board members. That job description would contain at least the following elements:
1. Give active and visible support for the nonprofit throughout the life of the community
2. Significant personal annual giving to the nonprofit
3. Strategic planning as a regular board agenda item
4. Attendance at board meetings, special events
5. Take on ommittee assignments and attendance at those committee meetings
6. Satisfaction of other evaluation measurements.

Now, I'll just bet you're saying, "Yeah, and you'll have no board members, too!" And you might be right. But many times I have seen a nonprofit board adopt this kind of job description and within a year or two everybody in town wants to be on that board. Why? Because when the job description is rigorous, the board gets a lot done and the nonprofit starts to move in healthy directions. People in the community can see this; they hear about it from the grapevine. And leaders will tend to go where leadership is needed and appreciated.

Now, if it does happen that leaders identified by a nonprofit board as potential board members do balk at a more rigorous approach to their job description, there's significance in that, too. Either we're asking the wrong folks, or the community's leadership isn't appropriate for board membership. Either way, it's a sign we need to pay attention to, and deal with. Not by cutting down on the charity's governance, but by finding leadership that will really lead and govern. It's tough, yes.

If we did it that way, we wouldn't have so many little mom and pop charities springing up all over the place. And a lot of would-be founders with great ideas would be satisfied with volunteering for and working within existing organizations, making them better and more effective instead of going off and founding their own charity and expecting it to grow into something useful to society.

Ah, but we must return to the steps of building a governing board. More tomorrow…