1. The Effective Board Chairperson
Tom Holland, Ph.D., Professor
UGA Institute for Nonprofit Organizations
and
Julie Meehan, MSW, Director
Community Connection of Northeast Georgia

2. Basic Responsibilities
Facilitate board meetings: plan agenda, distribute materials in advance, ensure agenda is followed, keep attention on main issues
Work with committees: appoint members, make sure charges are clear, support committee chairs
Oversee and conduct evaluations of CEO and board
Ensure communication among board members
Educate board to enhance its effectiveness
Help recruit and orient new members
Solicit annual gifts from every member
Recognize work of members
Keep board attention on preparing for the future of the organization, focus on long-term initiatives

3. Some Traits of a Good Chair
Wisdom, thoughtfulness
Willingness to take responsibility
Prior experience in leadership roles
Commitment to organization’s mission and vision
Strong organizational and management skills
Open communication
Welcomes and uses feedback to grow
Unbiased, fair, objective
Supportive of others’ ideas and efforts
Good public speaker
Good listener
Unabashed about asking others for money
Calm and capable in crisis
Sense of humor

4. Job Description
Works with CEO, board and its committees to conduct the governance work of the board
Appoints board volunteers to key positions and ensures clear charges to each
Leads annual fundraising efforts and sets example with involvement and giving
Works with board to establish and maintain systems for
Planning for organization’s future, setting priorities
Monitoring organizational performance and setting priorities for future improvements
Overseeing and evaluating work of the CEO
Overseeing financial affairs
Maintaining effective public relations activities
Ensuring compliance with laws and ethical standards

5. Learning about the job Serve in various roles on the board
Talk to prior chair and those of other boards
Discuss duties and goals with CEO
Ask board members what they are looking for in a chairperson & how to improve one’s performance
Attend conferences and workshops on the role
Draw upon expert resources, such as and

6. Relationship with the CEO
This partnership is essential for success
Requires continuing attention, accessibility, regular interactions
Discuss work styles of Chair and CEO
Identify goals for coming year for organization, for board, and for Chair-CEO relationship
Ensure that board speaks with one voice to CEO about expectations and assessments
Identify ways to address difficult issues
Make sure there are no surprises
Plan for and cultivate future leaders

7. Running Board Meetings
Plan meeting agenda
Keep emphasis on major issues of organizational directions and policy, not operations
Use “consent agenda” for routine matters
Make sure committees distribute reports in advance and come with an important policy question for discussion
Do not allow reports to be read in meetings
Ensure that everyone has opportunities for input
Delegate important issues to committees for work
Summarize key points and assignments
Hold brief meeting assessments at end of every meeting

8. Principles of Meeting Management
Meetings are costly in staff time, so must be productive
Decide specifically what should be accomplished with meeting
Identify who should attend, based on purpose of meeting
Decide on meeting agenda and work plan (structure, format)
Make sure agenda to engage participants early and actively. What do you want them to accomplish and why?
By each agenda item, indicate the type of action sought (decision, vote, brainstorming, assignment) and time estimates for each item
Make sure agenda items focus on questions of goals and policy, not operations

9. Managing Meetings II
Invite participants, providing clear statement of meeting purpose and expectations for participants
Make sure that agenda and background materials are distributed to participants well in advance of meeting
Open meeting with summary of purposes, making sure everyone understands expectations and the specific policy questions to be addressed.
Clarify ground rules (such as participate actively, stay focused on topic, maintain momentum, get to closure)
Make sure someone takes notes and distributes them
Clarify own role in meeting; model the behavior you want others to follow

10. Managing Meetings III
Manage the time carefully, keep the process moving
Make sure that extraverts don’t crowd out the introverts by calling on silent ones and reminding those who have spoken
Ask participants to help you keep track of time
If time gets out of hand, ask participants for input on resolution
Do periodic checks on satisfaction, suggestions
Check your conclusions with group on conclusions and delegated tasks
Leave minutes at end for open evaluation
Try to end on time and on positive note

11. Communications
Chair makes sure members are in regular contact, moving ahead on charges
Incorporate some social time to nurture interpersonal relationships
Assign mentors to newcomers
Use electronic media to sustain regular communications
Ask for feedback on how to make board work more productive and satisfying
Practice active listening

12. Recruitment
Periodically get feedback from Governance Committee on findings from evaluations
Make profile of skills needed to accomplish goals and skills currently available on board
Use gaps to guide targeted recruitment
Nominations should bring needed skills (not just friends)
Everyone is responsible for identifying potential nominees
Incorporate possible nominees into committee tasks to assess their value to board
Make sure person understands expectations of membership
Members work with Chair and CEO to make formal invitations
Nominees must be approved by full board
Hold orientation sessions with newcomers
Appoint mentors

13. Conducting Board Evaluations
Evaluating board’s own work is as important as evaluating CEO
Take time to discuss HOW we are doing our work, as well as WHAT we are doing.
Lead major assessment at least once per year and brief assessments at end of meetings
Have the Board Development committee
Identify gaps in skills that need board training
Recruit new members whose skills fill gaps in group
Incorporate findings into future board work and in recruitment

14. Sample Questions for Assessments of Meetings
Did we keep our attention focused on our top priorities?
Were the background materials clear and useful?
Were the important questions raised?
Did everyone have sufficient time for input?
Did we miss any important things?
What changes should we make for the next meeting so our time is used more productively?

15. Annual Assessments of Board
Use board member job description to list key expectations of board and members.
State each item as a question.
Provide rating system for responses (done very well, adequately, needs improvement)
Allow space for comments and suggestions.
Distribute to all members annually.
Use findings to plan work session on improving the board’s performance in coming year.

16. More on Board Development Committee
Charge: ensure that the board continues to enhance its performance and add greater value to the organization
Tasks:
Conduct periodic assessments to identify the individual and group competencies needed to carry out the board’s work
Strengthen those competencies by recruitment, nominations, and board education
Provide orientation to newcomers, feedback and coaching to every member and to group
Recommend future leaders for board and help them prepare for roles
Plan board retreats and other learning opportunities
Ensure compliance with by-laws and propose amendments when needed

17. Firing members
Unproductive or disruptive members demoralize others, set negative examples
Make sure that expectations are clear about such matters as attendance, preparation, positive involvement
Use term limits for bringing in new perspectives
Sustain engagement by matching individual interests with assignments
Chair should have candid conversation with person to explore reasons for inaction or disruption
Identify specific changes expected and allow time for growth
If none, thank person for past work and make ending clear

18. Passing the Torch
Turnover in Chair is important for board and organization
Establish process for preparing new leaders for board
Get to know members’ interests, talents, interpersonal skills
Plan for education of potential leaders, in collaboration with them
Rotate committee assignments
Support attendance at leadership education opportunities
Chair shares own learning with new leaders
Chair avoids criticizing or second-guessing new leaders, supports their work

19. When Consultants May Be Helpful
When getting ready to hire a new CEO
Preparing a strategic plan
During major transitions, new directions for organization
Dealing with a complicated problem or conflict in board
Special projects, such as market analysis, planning fundraising campaigns, audits
When board is sinking into inaction
Conducting assessments and using findings for change

20. Resources
Most national associations have leadership training sessions as part of annual conferences
Most states and larger cities have training sessions for leaders of nonprofits ( Ga. Center for Nonprofits, Community Connection)
Talk with other board chairs, observe at meetings, look for effective practices