ever been on a board of directors?

In My Humble Opinion
1

Recently I was asked to be on the board of directors for my local Women’s Center. I was pretty flattered and, as this is a place which has been important to me over the years (AND, honestly, as this looks great on a resume), I accepted.

But I guess I didn’t really know what I was getting into. Suddenly, there are committees and subcommittees and proposals for an all-day staff retreat and all kinds of things that I am expected to take part in. Yes, I realize that I should have gotten the hard answers re: time commitment before accepting, but I really just thought it was a monthly (or so) meeting to make sure everything is running as it should. But it seems that we are actually more in the position of trying to determine what as it should looks like, how we will get there, etc.

I have other concerns specific to my Board, but in general:

Have you ever been on a Board of Directors?
For what type of organization?
What were your duties/expectations/requirements?

2

I’ve been on the board of directors of the United Way, of several United Way agencies, of the Asso. for Retarded Citizens, of my public library, the United Arts Council, and several others. I’ve also been executive director of three agencies that had boards of directors.

Expectations include:
You will give your time and expertise and use your personal resources and your contacts in the community to benefit the organization.
You will attend meetings and participate in events.
You will be an ambassador for the organization in the community.

Written, detailed expectations were given to prospective board members of the agencies where I worked, and I asked for specifics before agreeing to serve on boards. These should include the number of meetings of the board, if serving on a committee is a requirement (it usually is), and how often committees meet. If financial contributions are expected (United Way expects this), it should be spelled out. The number of fund-raising events, volunteer recognition events, etc. should be given in calendar form.

It sounds as if you were not very well-informed before you agreed to serve. If you feel that because of time constraints, you will not be able to be a good, reliable, responsible board member, it would be best for you to speak up now.

I resigned my position as executive of one agency because there were too many board members who had been recruited by their friends, but who did not carry out their responsibilities.

3

I have been, more than once.

Subchapter S corporations all.

Annual meeting to review and comment upon the officers’ plans for and reports of the corporations’ endeavors. And to give approval to major items. Some special meetings called when needed - there are certain things that the officers can’t do without approval of the Board.
Your description sounds like you’re functioning more as an officer than a director.

4

Sure. I’m currently on the board of directors for my daughter’s non-profit day care, and I was on the board of directors for a flying club.

The amount of work involved really varies. In the case of the day care, the total amount of work I’ve had to do was to attend meetings once a month and sell some chocolates. We have a professional administrator who runs the whole show.

Mind you, if you sign up to be the secretary or the treasurer, you’ll have a lot of bookkeeping and paperwork to do, especially if the government is involved. The amount of work for other positions really depends on the organization.

5

President of my public library’s board of directors for 6 years.

I was like you seem to be for a while - going along for the ride, attending the meetings, etc. One year it occured to me that I was representing the community, and that I should do what they wanted, so I started talking to people and asking them questions. Everything changed after that. Instead of being a rubber stamp, I (and the rest of the board) became activists, making changes that have made the entire state rethink their entire attitude to libraries and their funding.

It has been a wonderful experience. I suggest you think about whether you truly care about what you are doing, and if so, take an active role. It is wonderful to be a part of something that changes a community for the better.

6

I work under a board of directors, and because of the job have somehow morphed into serving on boards.

Lamar nailed it. Each organization has its own culture but, if they’re serving their purposes, they all serve communities. Entrenched “cutures” can become prisons or treasures. Hang back, listen, learn and then react.

But yeah, serving means…serving. From my experience with boards and commissions, the majority will be content with showing up and having the titles mentioned in their obituaries. The few who actually work, get things done, are pure gold. Most times the actual work isn’t that awful, e.g. just taking notes, calling around, mustering help, whatever. The frustation is hauling along the deadwood who just wanna listen to themselves pontificate. (Show up, drink coffee, argue down “enemies”, leave: duty done.)

Most of useful politics are local. If people don’t care enough to control what they actually CAN then the rest is basically a ego-ridden circle jerk. (I’m always bemused by folks who get all hot and bothered by radio jerks blathering on about BIG issues while listensers ignore the real power they have to control what’s actually happening in their lives.) Local boards and commissions are where real people actually get things done.

Hang in there, lorene.

Veb

7

I’m on a few, and my experience is very similar to Ringo’s, and not similar to everyone elses. I expect that’s because like Ringo, all of mine are in the corporate world, not non-profit.

There are formal board meetings ranging from monthly to quarterly, and occasional phone calls from company employees seeking advice. Advice runs the gamut, typically asking if I know some particular person, or some type of person (in some market, or with some specialty), and can I make an introduction. In my particular case, I’m more technical than the typical Director, and I’m occasionally asked for advice on technical issues, but that’s a bit out of the ordinary for Directors. Occasionally, I’ll take on a more direct project (such as investigating a market), but that’s rare.

8

I’d agree with summerbreeze, Lamar Mundane, and TVeblen. Lot of work, lot of rewards.

Additionally, for me, some of the work I did helped me have a better attitude about my own life. Corny, I know. But true. All true.

9

I’m on my union’s board, have served on the equivilant of a board at my church, and have served on my condo association’s board.

In the case of the union & church, job burnout is the biggest danger. At church, they rotate board members out every 3 years in part for this reason. The time commitment for both is like you describe.

As you may suspect, the union board is highly political. I have mixed feelings about my commitment there.

The condo board only required one monthly meeting. Not bad, until I realized individual board members could be held financially liable for their actions.

10

I manage a non-profit conservation organization and work closely with the board. In non-profits, there are two broad categories of boards - policy and executive.

A policy board typically acts as an advisory group that guides the organization. They define the organization’s mission and program, but the implementation of these is usually left to staff. A policy board usually has an executive director or similarly authorized employee who can enter into contracts, make personnel decisions, authorize expenditures, etc. A good policy board will act as Lamar Mundane describes - getting ideas from the community and focusing the work of the organization onto specifically defined needs or goals. In these organizations, though, the advisory board does not necessarily (although they do sometimes) do the work themselves.

In an executive board, the board members are essentially managing the organization. Executive boards are often found in non-profit organizations without full-time staff, in which the majority of the work is done on a volunteer basis. An executive board has to take a more active role in the day-to-day operations of the organization, and membership is usually more demanding than a role on an advisory board. This is not to say that these groups don’t have staff, but the employees here do not have the same level of responsibility as employees of an advisory board.

Sometimes, a single board serves both roles; sometimes an organization has an advisory board and an executive board, and sometimes there’s an advisory board and an executive director.

Speaking as someone who works for a board, I think that it’s very important for the board members to be involved in the work that the organization is doing. Just as important, though, is that the board communicates with the organization’s employees. When I started working here, nobody on staff really had any idea what the role of our organization was supposed to be, or what we actually did as a non-profit. It’s hard to get things done when you don’t really know what you’re supposed to be doing or why you’re doing it. By getting the board involved, we’ve gotten past that issue and better defined the organization’s purpose, but there’s nothing more demoralizing to the staff of a non-profit than an apathetic board.

There’s nothing more energizing than an enthusiastic board, either. We’re currently going through the same process (what should the organization look like and how do we get it there), and we’re starting to see the light at the end. It’s a lot of work, but it’s well worth doing - as long as you stick with the plan that you come up with.

Probably a little different information than you were looking for. If you have any staff-oriented questions, my email’s in my profile. Good luck with it.

11

I’m currently on the board of a Subchapter S corporation.

I have few duties beyond showing up for meetings and I’m always the one who makes the motion to adjourn. :smiley:

Julie