Nonprofit Boards And Executive Director: A Case Study

The nonprofit board and its governance are critical to an organization’s success. Brown (2007) stresses the need for governing boards to be informed, effective, and engaged, especially because the current environment (i.e. increasing competition for resources, etc.) demands high-quality board performance. The purpose of this paper is to examine existing literature as it relates to nonprofit board governance and performance. This analysis includes an examination of nonprofit boards’ roles, responsibilities, and functions along with a review of best practices. In addition, board roles and best practices, and their correlation to board performance is emphasized. Finally, a discussion of the practical implications of the literature as it relates to DavidsonWorks’ board ties the literature to real-world application.

The diversity of nonprofit organizations, services provided and the problems faced shows that nonprofits require leadership with an in-depth understanding of the multifaceted nonprofit landscape. Understanding the culture of nonprofit work is also crucial and much easier to understand once you have been through a nonprofit management program. My career interests lead me towards an avocation of a deeper knowledge of strategic management/planning, legal structure and standards, increase my skills in quantitative analysis of policy, financial governance and developing fundraising strategies. These areas allow for macro management within the nonprofit

“The governing board of a non-profit organization holds ultimate responsibility for ensuring that the organization serves its mission and for the overall welfare of the organization itself.” (Worth, 2017) This week’s reading was about how boards of non-profit organizations or better known as “governing boards”, operate and the types of responsibilities they have. Before taking this class, I thought that boards held the same responsibilities and held the same amount of power. Elected boards, self-perpetuating boards, appointed and hybrid, and advisory boards were discussed in this chapter. I was able to learn about the advantages and disadvantages of each board. For example, an advantage of a self-perpetuating board would be the board is able

The members of the board are tasked with designing the organization’s structure and determining how different aspects of the organization will interact. Since the only source of revenue for Making a Change, LLC, is monies it receives from businesses and our philanthropist community who may or may not be looking to invest in the organization’s cause and/or for tax purposes.

At the center of any successful nonprofit organization there is an effective chief executive and board of directors. These leaders must work as a team with a vision and specific skills, to effectively produce resources in order to accomplish the organization's goals. The majority of the decision making authority and leadership is shared amongst board members; however, critical management skills and day-to-day operational decisions rest within the authority of the chief executive. However, members of the board must also be sufficiently skilled in management in order to assess the work of its director to assist in the implementation and evaluation of strategic decision making.

Finally, and perhaps most importantly, consider what the prospective directors ' affiliation might be with executives. Members of the board are often obliged to make arduous decisions concerning finances, personnel and salaries. Ensure that potential members do not have a conflict of interest concerning management and other key personnel. Professionals emphasize board members must

The nonprofit sector faces many challenges that make it more difficult to measure its financial performance. Young (2007) states that the survival of nonprofit businesses depends upon receiving financial funding from outside donors such as donations from charities, government contracts, endowments et cetera, and the necessity for having several different revenue sources is a challenge for nonprofit management. In addition, he points out that securing capital for operating is also much different than in the traditional business world. Fortunately, scholars have provided tools and information that will help nonprofits manage and measure their unique financial performance so they may make informed decisions and guide their organizations to sustainability (Young, 2007).

The last stage of my proposal includes no longer recognizing the NCAA as a purely commercial venture. The NCAA as an amateur, educational organization, does not fit well into the traditional antitrust analysis as applied by the court in NCAA v. Board of Regents of the University of Oklahoma. By viewing the NCAA as a profit-oriented economic entity, the court struggled in an effort to make sense out of both the per se and rule of reason tests. Justice White's dissent explained that the majority erred by: first, failing to recognize the NCAA's role in promoting amateur athletic competition as an integral part of the process of higher education; second, treating the NCAA television plan as a ‘purely commercial venture’; and third, applying a traditional

What do you see as the ideal relationship between the board and the executive director?

The organization who will be discussed in this paper is currently evolving from a grassroots phase to a growth phase. As this nonprofit prepares to embark on another strategic planning phase, the CEO and chair are aware that the role of the board is moving through its own phases of growth as well. The organization is no longer in its early stages of development, as such, leadership has self-reflected and is committed to amending the organization’s vision to take it to the next level. The CEO and chair are focused on providing the board the tools needed for appropriate management and effective governance as it moves through this stage in its lifecycle to the next. The leadership of this nonprofit is committed to maintaining a strong and constructive partnership which will assist in keeping everyone focused on the mission, foster the further definition of board members roles and responsibilities, introduce a performance evaluation of the board, honor legacy/founding members by instituting a legacy board, and provide additional resources and documents which strengthen the communication of the board’s fiduciary role.

As world business has changed dramatically during recent years, chargers of business entities, including Non-Profit entities, urged to find a perfect rules in order to enhance their competence within an excellent environment. To fulfill the requirement, the National Center for Non-Profit Board has issued a paper on "Ten Basic Responsibilities of Non-Profit Boards" to clarify the roles and responsibility of the board about 30 years ago. This regulation paper requires ten basic responsibilities including Determine the organization, Select the executive director, Support the executive and review his/her performance, Ensure effective organizational planning, Monitor and strengthen programs and services, Ensure adequate resources, Protect assets and provide financial oversight, Build a competent board, Enhance the organization’s public standing and Ensure legal and ethical integrity (Richard T. Ingram, Ten Basic Responsibilities of Nonprofit Boards, Second Edition (BoardSource 2009). We will first introduce the Board of Director and purpose of Non-Profit Board of Director, then introduce all of ten responsibilities in detail and finally make extension about it.

A nonprofit organization has turned into one prominent highlight to American life in which non-profits are the drivers of social change for the delivery of needed goods and services to the population (Hess & Bacigalupo 2013). Nonprofits expresses the American ideals and beliefs in which a group of volunteer members seek to provide societal benefit, identify social problems, and advocate for change (Heyman, 2011, pg 7). Nonetheless, nonprofits are essential to public policy and advocacy that has created a significant amount of pressure and demand on the role of leadership among those organizations. In this paper, I will discuss the aspect of leadership I found interesting on managing organizations and people, strategic and planning, and integrating

In summary, effective and well-functioning boards are designed consciously by employing High-Impact Governing strategies that counteract the issues associated with faulty governing models. Foundationally, a mission statement provides a basis for understanding the board’s purpose, function, and objectives. If left to its own devices, these boards tend to underperform, remain in a state of stagnation, and have a counter-productive partnership with the COE, hence Eadie’s methods strengthen governance which encourages a sense of purpose, functionality, and camaraderie.

My course objectives for the second part of the class are still as follows: 1)

Read the following case study and critically analyses the situation and write a report in while outline the issues and problems faced by the organization’s members. Describe how you address them. Justify your answers and give detailed reasons for your intended actions.