This question was posed online in the Chronicle of Philanthropy earlier this month and really struck us as good food for thought. The article recounts a debate over whether board performance is the responsibility of a nonprofit’s Executive Director/CEO or the board itself? We see this debate amongst our clients on a daily basis. Many nonprofit staff members suggest that the board is not doing their part, while the board sees it as the staff’s role to drive board performance.
We feel very strongly about the fact that unless a board embraces and leads a fundraising effort, it will not be successful. But, many times it is the Executive Director/CEO who pieces together a board development or recruitment committee and moves the board toward more strategic recruiting, so that they have a board capable of leading. The Executive Director/CEO is also typically the one who advocates and/or pursues training and coaching opportunities to prepare the board to better execute its role.
Click here to read the full debate. It’s an interesting article and definitely worth the read. We’d love to get your thoughts on this pressing question and hear who’s the driving force behind your board’s performance.
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