The Best of the Board Cafe : Hands-On Solutions for Nonprofit Boards

About the Author vii About CompassPoint Nonprofit Services viii Acknowledgments ix Foreword xi 1. Introduction 1(14) About Nonprofit Boards and Executives 7(4) Alligators in the Boardroom: Myths and Urban Legends about Nonprofits 11(4) 2. Responsibilities of the Board: The CompassPoint Board Model for Governance and Support 15(1) Why Do Nonprofits Have Boards? 16(2) The CompassPoint Board Model for Governance and Support 18(6) A Board Member Contract 24(2) Key Documents: Bylaws, Incorporation Papers, IRS Ruling Letters, and Others 26(3) Table of Contents for a Board Binder 29(2) The Board and the Staff 31(3) The Board's Role in Human Resource Administration 34(3) What Are the Board's Responsibilities for Volunteers? 37(2) All-Volunteer Organizations 39(4) What Is an Advisory Board and Should We Have One? 43(4) 3. The Board-Executive Director Relationship 47(32) Hiring the Executive Director 49(2) Job Description for an Executive Director 51(3) Searching for a New Executive Director 54(2) How Much to Pay the Executive Director 56(3) Evaluating the Executive Director's Performance: Three Approaches 59(5) Executive Director's Performance Assessment: Sample Board Survey 64(8) Should the Executive Director Have a Vote on the Board? 70 Firing the Executive Director 72(7) When the Executive Director Leaves: The Job of the Board's Executive Transition Committee 75 4. Big Decisions: Strategic Plans, a 360-Degree View, Mergers, and Closing Down 79(18) Strategic Plans 80(4) What to Do When You Really, Really Disagree with a Board Decision 84(2) A 360-Degree Organizational Assessment 86(4) Should Your Nonprofit Be Considering a Merger? 90(1) Thinking about Closing Down 91(2) The Right Way to Go Out of Business 93(4) 5. The Board Manages Its Own Affairs 97(16) Board Self-Assessment: Are We Doing a Good Job? 98(3) Conflict of Interest 101(3) Orientation and Integration of New Board Members 104(2) What to Do with Board Members Who Don't Do Anything 106(2) Removing a Difficult Board Member 108(2) Should We Have a Board Retreat? 110(3) 6. Composition and Recruiting: Who Is on the Board and How Did They Get There? 113(22) The Board's Composition and Profile 114(3) Eleven Cool Ideas for Finding Hot New Board Members 117(3) The Diversity Issue 120(4) Young Voices in the Boardroom 124(2) Diversity for Organizations Based in Minority Communities 126(2) Questions to Ask Candidates for the Board 128(2) Questions to Ask Yourself Before Joining Your Next Board 130(2) Dominating Personalities on the Board 132(3) 7. Officers and Committees 135(18) Frequently Asked Questions 135(2) Should the Board Have Committees? If So, Which Ones? 137(2) Board Committee Job Descriptions 139(5) Governance Committees: New Trend on Nonprofit Boards 144(2) Year-Long Agenda for a Board Committee 146(2) Annual Report from a Board Committee 148(2) Job Descriptions for Board Officers 150(3) 8. Meetings 153(16) How Often Should the Board Meet? 153(2) Ten Quick Ways to Invigorate Board Meetings 155(3) Ten Tips for the Board Chair on Meetings 158(3) The Strategic Board Agenda 161(3) Better Board Meeting Packets 164(2) Should the Board Hold Executive Sessions? 166(3) 9. Boards and Fundraising 169(10) True or False: The Board Should Raise Money 170(4) Five Ways One Board Member Can Raise $100 to $5,000 174(2) Eight Easy Ways for the Board to Get Started with Fundraising 176(3) 10. Boards and Finance 179(32) A Board-Staff Contract for Financial Accountability 180(5) The Board and the Budget (Beauty and the Beast?) 185(3) Cash and Investment Management 188(4) Loans from Board Members 192(5) Seven Things the Board Chair Should Check Before Filing Form 990 197(2) What Boards Need to Know about Insurance 199(4) Concluding Words 203(2) Resources 205(1) Newspapers, Magazines, Books, and Web Sites 205(4) Organizations and Associations 209(2) Index 211(4) Subscription Form for the Board Café Newsletter 215(3) How to Order More Copies of The Best of the Board Café 218