The Foraker Group

While board and staff balance is critical to sustainability, assessing this relationship is difficult. However, resources do exist. First, and most important, is the existence of a committee dedicated to increasing the board’s capacity. Such a committee – usually called the board development committee or governance committee – typically generates a job description for board members. The committee’s responsibility is to ensure that the right people are identified and recruited to be on the board.

The board development committee should orient new board members to the organization, recommend periodic training on effective nonprofit governance, and ensure that all members are engaged at appropriate levels. The committee should also spearhead an annual board assessment to determine if the board is, in fact, committed to ongoing improvement.

The ultimate value of a board development committee is to get the right people in the room and encourage and facilitate the balance between board and staff. Assessing this committee’s processes and its effectiveness may help to determine if that balance is real and sustainable.

What tools do you use to measure your board and staff balance?

–Dennis

Dennis McMillian is President of The Foraker Group, a capacity building organization based in Alaska, and the author of Focus on Sustainability: A Nonprofit’s Journey.