BWB Solutions LLC

Engage and Include Your Board
By Mike Burns for NonProfit PRO

Engage and Include Your Board You are one of the few individuals in the universe who possesses the knowledge and experience this board understands it must have to inform and make s...

Can Boards Evaluate Themselves: Why Not?

Can Boards Evaluate Themselves: Why Not? #NonprofitBoards Here's this week's Eugene Fram thoughts with a focus on board evaluation. My answer to whether they can evaluate themselves is of course. I believe during a strategic planning process it's helpful to have a more objective eval with a...

AI and other Meeting Agenda Topics
https://nonprofitboardcrisis.typepad.com/mbblog/2023/09/ai-and-other-meeting-agenda-topics-nonprofitboards.html

Conflicts Of Interest

Conflicts of Interest #NonprofitBoards It is generally the rule that nonprofit board members must both sign a promise to identify and avoid conflicts of interests with their nonprofit. But the Las Vegas Review Journal suggests that sometimes conflicts of interest are not so simple....

Rejection: A hard pill to swallow

Didn't Get Picked Cooler summer greetings! This is the time to enjoy our outside natural resources as much as we can take the heat. But for some, this season may also r...

Didn't Get Picked Cooler summer greetings! This is the time to enjoy our outside natural resources as much as we can take the heat. But for some, this season may also r...

https://www.nonprofitpro.com/post/discover-introspection-self-improvemnet-via-board-totem-pole-process/

Self-Improvement Via a Board Totem Pole Process Boards can be well-represented as an entity in the form of a totem pole, like those derived from Northwest Indigenous people. Boards might even improve their understanding of and effectiveness as a body by developing their own board totem pole process.

Numbers are a dominant question when it comes to designing a good, effective and efficient board. How many are too many or too few? This list highlights the numerical challenges, or at least questions that come to mind, when considering the design and maintenance of a nonprofit board.

Can Numerology Design the Best Nonprofit Board? Numbers are a dominant question when it comes to designing an effective board. How many are too many or too few? This list highlights the numerical challenges, or at least questions that come to mind, when considering the design and maintenance of a nonprofit board.

BWB Solutions served the CT RC&D efforts to study and create a model for Affordable Farming. Please check-out the video that tells the story. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oIX9IziC5QA

Throughout the nonprofit sector there is significant activity around building a board that is inclusive and reflects constituents. The end result: more effective services. More movement toward mission accomplished. But recruitment is just the first step in achieving these outcomes. One tool that can help: The Theory of Change and the focus of this month’s NonprofitPro Magazine article.

Go Beyond Board Recruitment With the Theory of Change Throughout the nonprofit sector, there is significant activity around building a board that is inclusive and reflects the constituency of each nonprofit. The end result: more effective services. But recruitment is just the first step in achieving these outcomes. One tool that can help: The Theory of...

Seven Warning Signs that Something May Not Be Right in Your
Nonprofit

A really effective executive can make a nonprofit successful. But, a really ineffective or even incompetent (e.g. rising to your highest level of incompetence but a really good practitioner) executive can destroy a nonprofit. And, while there is a modicum of literature about what makes a great exec, there is little literature that describes the institutional changes that should call a board to action when there are signs that change is necessary. Neither is there literature about what these signs might be.

Mike Burns, Partner at BWB Solutions LLC has compiled a list of Seven Warning Signs to look out for in your nonprofit.

bwbsolutions.com

Great podcast on The Four Ps of Marketing for Nonprofits

‎Inspired Nonprofit Leadership: The Four Ps of Marketing for Nonprofits, Part 1 on Apple Podcasts ‎Show Inspired Nonprofit Leadership, Ep The Four Ps of Marketing for Nonprofits, Part 1 - Jul 7, 2022

"Nonprofit boards operate within two dimensions: relational and transactional. Of course, the goal of every nonprofit board is to have effective transactions, but without positive or at least civil relationships, decisions (the transactional) and the processes for making decisions can fail. Managing these dimensions is complicated, especially for the leadership, aka the officers and the chair, in particular, noting that each member is equally responsible for the success of the board."

Read more about our thoughts on common sense governance:

Common-Sense Governance While nonprofit board management is complicated, some of the complications can be addressed through basic common sense. Here are a number of common sense and tested suggestions that may reduce at least some of the complications that can affect achieving nonprofit board success.

We love the statement from a piece of the following Thought Leadership in Governance article: "effective boards need contrarians and forward thinkers". This article titled "Five Ways to Combat Groupthink" makes the point that without dissenting opinions versus going along with the crowd or not "risking voice important dissenting opinions" (aka the US Supreme Court?), only the leadership makes decisions and this does not always produce great outcomes for the organization.

Designated "Rock Thrower" #NonprofitBoards I love the statement from a piece of the following Thought Leadership in Governance article: "effective boards need contrarians and forward thinkers". This article titled "Five Ways to Combat Groupthink" makes the point that without dissenting opinions versus going along...

As we know now in more detail, the governance of the Southern Baptist Convention grossly failed to protect both the membership and the institution. Some leaders as described by Heather Cox Richardson (a daily historical perspective on current mostly political events) left in recognition that the governance of the body had actually betrayed the membership and the institution.

Governance Fail #NonprofitBoards I recognize that institutional faith practices, aka "organized religion" is a different type of nonprofit. Often the body is "steered" by charismatic individuals who have persuasive powers and presumable insights for which the less enlightened want to follow. But be...

The Boy Scouts was founded on christian faith principles. But over 70 years and contrary to fundamental christian principles, the board and those it hired failed to live up to those principles and instead did great harm to thousands of individual members. Meanwhile, a "settlement" of the Boy Scouts USA s*x abuse case is soon to reach another milestone.

Boy Scouts Board - No Admittance of Guilt, No Apologies!!! #NonprofitBoards It's Sunday for many who read today's blog. I mention the day of the week because for Christians, this is a day of reflection about faith. The Boy Scouts was founded on christian faith principles. But over 70 years and...

While nonprofit boards continue to struggle understanding and fulfilling their roles governing, the push for diversity, equity and inclusion must parallel the work needed to ensure nonprofit success. Toward this end it becomes helpful to recognize when the lack of diversity has been demonstrated as a failure to board success. As pointed out in this article, one such example is Transit Boards.

Why Board Diversity Makes A Difference #NonprofitBoards While nonprofit boards continue to struggle understanding and fulfilling their roles governing, the push for diversity, equity and inclusion must parallel the work needed to ensure nonprofit success. Toward this end it becomes helpful to recognize when the lack of...

A senior care charity sold its property for a fraction of its worth. Its leaders’ friends got rich. What went wrong?

Mike Burns on Twitter “Fiduciary Duties Fail: A Case Study https://t.co/y90zKCqJVG”

"Today there's a lot of upset folks down in Ohio. The problem: Mr. Trump is coming to their county having scheduled one of his rabble rousing rallies (alliteration). But funny enough, this is not THE problem (don't ask me about THAT). Nope, what is the problem is that the County Fairground Board has approved the rally - well, not the rally but the use of the Fairground for the rally. And as much as it pains me to say this, I don't see that as a problem."

Nonprofit Board Policy #NonprofitBoards Today there's a lot of upset folks down in Ohio. The problem: Mr. Trump is coming to their county having scheduled one of his rabble rousing rallies (alliteration). But funny enough, this is not THE problem (don't ask me about...

According to a board development person the following describes what is a "powerhouse" nonprofit board:

"They make good decisions on behalf of their mission. They are nimble, influential, effective, and connected."

We would offer - great at policy, planning and evaluation - strategic and fiduciary.

How would you define a "powerhouse" nonprofit board?

Let us know in the comments!

Nonprofit Board "Powerhouse" #NonprofitBoards According to a board development person the following describes what is a "powerhouse" nonprofit board: "They make good decisions on behalf of their mission. They are nimble, influential, effective, and connected." I would offer - great at policy, planning and...

Did you know that it is possible to have a nonprofit board committee that has more power and authority than the full board? No, we're not making this up. This is most often in the form of a standing executive committee described in the by-laws.

Read more about it in the article below:

Why Your Nonprofit Does Not Need an Executive Committee - NonProfit PRO Did you know that it is possible to have a nonprofit board committee that has more power and authority than the full board? No, I’m not making this up. This is most often in the form of a standing executive committee described in the by-laws.

"Writing for the court, Justice Neil Gorsuch said: "A reprimand, no matter how strongly worded, does not materially impair freedom of speech," especially when "the censure at issue before us was a form of speech" by the other elected representatives on the board."

Mike Burns on Twitter “Out of Control Board Member https://t.co/DOEnLXxpz0”

Just how much power and influence should a long-term donor and/or board chair have in the selection (or in this case, retention) of the executive?

Mike Burns on Twitter “Board Chair/Donor Not More Equal Than Board Members https://t.co/dOZPamoGnS”

Getting the Biggest Bang for Your Buck

"While EVERYTHING nonprofit has a cost, recognizing the cost of providing service is frequently lost on boards and the public as well...

Annie E. Casey folks did some extensive research and conversations and concluded that it should offer "a three-tiered rate struc­ture that pro­vides a 25% indi­rect cost rate for grantees with bud­gets under $5 mil­lion, 20% for grantees with bud­gets between $5 mil­lion and $100 mil­lion and 15% for those with bud­gets over $100 mil­lion. This new struc­ture cov­ered the report­ed indi­rect costs of the major­i­ty of Casey’s grantees in each of the tiers.""

Mike Burns on Twitter “Getting the Biggest Bang for your Buck https://t.co/byQXSKbMgf”

A comprehensive list and relatively simple rating of nonprofit board management tools

Mike Burns on Twitter “Nonprofit Board Management Tools https://t.co/szJQu0FQS2”

THE GOOD BONES OF NONPROFIT LEADERSHIP Nonprofit Leadership

Join us for a Meetup on Thursday 2/17!

THE GOOD BONES OF NONPROFIT LEADERSHIP Nonprofit Leadership