Board Café

Short enough to read over a cup of coffee, the Board Café offers a menu of ideas, information, opinion, news, and resources to help board members give and get the most out of board service. Thank you to the James Irvine Foundation and others for making the Board Café free to its 4,000 and growing subscribers. Executive Chef / Editor: Jan Masaoka. April 13, 1999. Vol. 3, No. 4

Now that spring has officially arrived, the new millennium is looming ever closer, and tax season is almost over, some nonprofits may feel the need to assess their organizations with a spring evaluation that gets to the heart of the strengths and shortcomings of the organization. This month's Board Café looks into the "360 Degree Evaluation," assessing an organization by obtaining input from staff, funders, clients, volunteers and outside consultants in order to smooth out rough edges and prepare for upcoming challenges. Also in this issue, a newly published survey on nonprofit CEOs, how to get rid of unsolicited junk e-mail, and our pick for Website of the Month. --Jan Masaoka

HOW LONG DO EXECUTIVE DIRECTORS STAY ON THEIR JOBS?

Just released is a study of 137 nonprofit CEOs on what they like most and hate most about their jobs, how long they stay on the job, and what would make them leave. If you've got a great exec and want to keep her or him (73% of the respondents were female), this is a good study to read-Leadership Lost: A Study of Executive Director Tenure and Experience. Although some execs reported staying on their jobs for 20+ years, the average tenure was about six years; perhaps the most startling finding was that for most executive directors, this is a job they hold only once. Long hours and the burden of being responsible for the organization were the chief complaints of respondents; the survey also suggests ways for boards to share that responsibility, and accentuate the positives for their executive directors. Cost for one copy is $10.00 + $4.00 shipping & handling; 8.5% sales tax is required for CA residents only. See the end of this issue for ordering information.

WEBSITE OF THE MONTH: Get info directly from the IRS website

It's that time of year . . . April . . . when our fancy turns to taxes. If you need a tax break, take a look at IRS Publication 526 on Charitable Contributions to help you plan for your tax return next year. You can find it on the IRS website at http://www.irs.ustreas.gov/prod/forms_pubs/pubs/p526toc.htmAnd just as we submit tax returns as individuals, nonprofit corporations (which don't generally pay taxes) have to submit annual INFORMATION returns . . . Form 990 and Schedule A, also downloadable from the IRS site. You'll find them under "Forms and Pubs."

MAILING LIST ABUSE AND THE FTC

A reminder: the Board Café doesn't rent or give away our fax and e-mail mailing lists to anyone. If you've been irritated by unsolicited commercial e-mail (UCE) you've gotten, a slightly satisfying thing to do is to forward it to the Federal Trade Commission at uce@ftc.gov . According to FTC staffer Paul Luehr, the FTC downloads this "spam" to a database, and then searches and identifies particularly misleading solicitations.

This Issue's "Main Course at the Board Café":

A "360 Degree Evaluation" of the Agency

Nonprofit board members often have a hard time judging how well the agency is functioning. First, board members usually have only a limited time each month to spend on their volunteer board commitments. Second, board members are often unfamiliar with the intricacies of their agencies services, and/or elements of nonprofit management. Finally, board members often receive most of their information from the agency's executive director when in many ways the best judges of the agency's performance are the clients and community served. As Aristotle commented long ago, "The guest is a better judge of the feast than the cook."

As you probably guessed from the name, a 360 Degree Evaluation defines a circular process. In a 360 Degree Evaluation, the board seeks feedback from those who stand around the outside of the circle (as well as inside it): clients, the community, volunteers, donors, funders, and staff. The following examples suggest strategies for gathering input from a variety of constituents and sources:

1. From Staff:

   Consider asking staff, as well as board members, to complete an Executive Director's Annual Assessment and/or a staff "climate survey" to learn more about their perspective of the agency's strengths and weaknesses. These responses should be given directly to the board president. Staff and board comments can either be submitted anonymously, although people could be encouraged to sign their names so follow-up questions could be addressed to the right individual. In order to respect confidentiality, any report than comes from these evaluations would not attribute a specific comment to any one individual. A summary of the staff and board's feedback would be shared with the executive director and the few board members who are delegated responsibility for the ED's evaluation. Board officers or a small committee of the board should meet with staff to respond to concerns and recommendations.

2. From Foundation, Corporate, and Government Funders:

   Board members can conduct a series of telephone interviews with foundation and government program officers. For example, they can ask for comments on the quality of written proposals, quantity and quality of interaction with the agency, the agency's reputation in the community, and suggested areas for improvement or change. (Bonus: funders will almost always welcome such calls from board members and they'll be impressed that the organization's volunteer leadership is committed to getting feedback.)

3. From Donors and Volunteers:

   Staff and/or board members can conduct telephone interviews with major donors and key volunteers, asking for feedback on how well the agency involves and informs them. Donors and volunteers should also be asked to share their perceptions about the agency's effectiveness.

4. From Clients and Patrons:

   Consider holding one or two focus groups with clients and patrons, facilitated by an experienced focus group facilitator, during which clients can give feedback on current services and unmet needs. A more extensive client survey can involve a written questionnaire, a telephone survey, or in-person interviews. An extensive survey may be undertaken as part of a strategic planning process, or such customer-service information may be collected routinely through follow-up contact.

5. From Independent Management Evaluators:

Whatever method your board chooses, getting direct feedback on the performance and reputation of your organization will give you the independent knowledge you need to fulfill the board's responsibilities to ensure accountability to the community.

Ordering information for "Leadership Lost: A Study of Executive Director Tenure and Experience" Cost for one copy is $10.00 + $4.00 shipping & handling; for CA residents only, 8.5% sales tax is required (tax for one copy = $0.85) payable to: CompassPoint Nonprofit Services, 706 Mission Street 5th Floor, San Francisco, CA 94103. We accept cash, check, VISA, MC & AMEX (please include card number, exp. date, & card holder name.) You can order via mail; fax: 415-541-7708; e-mail: boardcafe@compasspoint.org ; & web: http://www.compasspoint.org/publications/pubinfo.html Ordering multiple copies? Buy 2-9 copies and receive 10% discount, or buy 10 or more copies and receive 20% discount. Shipping & handling = $4.00 for orders under $40. For orders over $40, shipping = 10% of subtotal.

You are reading the BOARD CAFÉ, published monthly by CompassPoint Nonprofit Services. The BOARD CAFÉ is one component of Board Match Plus+, CompassPoint's venture with the Volunteer Center of San Francisco to strengthen the ability of individuals to serve on nonprofit boards. Board Match Plus+/CompassPoint: 706 Mission Street, 5th Floor, San Francisco, CA 94103; phone: 415-541-9000; fax: 415-541-7708; Silicon Valley office: 1922 The Alameda, San Jose, 95126; phone: 408-248-9505. e-mail: boardcafe@compasspoint.org Website: http://www.compasspoint.org/index.html We welcome your comments and contributions to the BOARD CAFÉ.

If you would like your own free fax or e-mail subscription to the BOARD CAFÉ, please sign up at http://www.boardcafe.org/index.html or contact CompassPoint Nonprofit Services at any of the numbers above.

To view past issues, visit http://www.boardcafe.org/bcarchives.html

The Board Café's e-mail/fax mailing list is not rented, exchanged, or given to any other entity.

©1999 CompassPoint Nonprofit Services

Contact Information