Board Café

Short enough to "read over a cup of coffee," the Board Café features a menu of ideas, information, opinion, news, and resources to help board members give and get the most out of board service. Each month the Board Café serves several "little ideas" as well as one "main course." Published by CompassPoint Nonprofit Services. Made possible by the generosity of the Charles Schwab Corporation Foundation and others. September 9, 1998. Vol. 2, No. 9. Executive Chef / Editor: Jan Masaoka.

A few issues ago, we published "How to Fire Your Executive Director," which generated a ton of mail and has been reprinted in so many other magazines we know we're doing our job getting to the big issues in a thought-provoking way. Several readers wrote and asked for information on what to do "next"--when the executive director is leaving. This month's "Main Course at the Board Café" is written by Tim Wolfred, who is currently serving on his 16th interim executive director position (yes, 16th!), as well as consulting to boards on Executive Transitions. -- Jan Masaoka

A Fundraising Newsletter For The Rest Of Us

Too many articles on fundraising are written for large organizations with fundraising professionals. Thank goodness there's the Grassroots Fundraising Journal, which gives down-to-earth advice for smaller nonprofits. Legendary speaker Kim Klein writes it and it's great. Subscriptions are $32/year through Chardon Press. 510-704-8714.

How Can The Board Of A National Or Statewide Organization Provide Management Oversight Between Meetings?

It's a problem. If you're on the board where the members are geographically distant from one another, how do you provide management oversight and assistance to staff? The board may only meet quarterly, and much of the contact among board members may be through e-mail or just with the staff. Here's one idea borrowed from Food First/Institute for Food & Development: To ensure financial and legal oversight in between board meetings, the board established a Management Oversight Committee (MOC), which meets every 6 weeks and where two of the three members live near the office (the out-of-state member participates by phone). This committee has finance, audit, legal and personnel responsibilities which might be done by separate committees if the organization were larger and working in only one city. The MOC provides a report on the organization's operations to each board meeting.

Website Of The Month: <http://www.genie.org>

The Nonprofit GENIE (Global Electronic Nonprofit Information Express) has answers to hundreds of common questions about nonprofit management, plus a new lead substantive article each week. Click on the GENIE's magic lantern icon to select among questions related to boards, nonprofit finance, fundraising, and more.

Booklet On Investments For Nonprofits (Good Timing?)

As the stock market continues its roller coaster ride, this might be a good time to send for a booklet from the accounting firm Grant Thornton. It's a brief but a solid introduction to the topic: "Investments and Exempt Organizations: What Board Members Should Know." Call the Grant Thornton office in your town for a copy, or call their national office (312-856-0001) for the number of the office nearest you.

This month's "Main Course at the Board Café"

When the Executive Director Leaves: The Job Of The Board's Executive Transition Committee

The departure of an agency executive demands intensive leadership and activity by the board of directors. The obvious primary task is the search for a new chief executive. But regardless of the circumstances under which the ED is departing, a healthy transition usually entails many more tasks as well:

1. Arranging a proper send-off for the departing executive, and establishing a consistent message about the departure and transition;
1. Determining what work the organization needs to do to prepare for the hire (perhaps time to work through a sense of loss, mid-level planning, major board and structural changes, resolution of a long-standing ambiguity about mission);
1. The selection, if needed, of an interim executive, who can act in roles ranging from "caretaker" to "change agent;"
1. Deciding how to conduct the search and screening and with what outside help;
1. An "organizational audit" to determine the key challenges for the next CEO; and
1. Planning a structured entry for the newly hired executive that sets him or her up for success--welcoming rituals, community introductions, performance goals, an evaluation protocol.

To coordinate all these facets of an executive turnover, some boards find it helpful to create an ad hoc Transition Committee. This committee should include one or two key board officers, or the officers as a group may choose to serve as the Transition Committee. An important member and resource to the committee is a staff administrator, who will be a crucial communications link with the entire staff group and provide logistical support (and who is not a candidate for the job).

Reassurance to key stakeholders is a major benefit of a visible and energized Transition Committee. Staff are usually destabilized by the departure of a good (or even a bad) leader. Donors can also be lost. A board swiftly and decisively swinging into action as a solid bridge between EDs gives confidence to all agency constituents about the future.

Money is also an incentive to early convening of a Transition Committee. Foundations who already have made significant programmatic investments in an agency know the value of a well-managed CEO transition to an agency's vitality, and they may be willing to provide some transition funds. As part of its grant application, the committee will be asked to develop a work plan and time line and to identify any consultants it may want to use for transition guidance.

As members of the board of directors, you'll want to be sure you find the right executive for the job, and that the organization is ready for that individual's leadership. A conscientious Transition Committee can make the difference. Good luck in your transitions! --Tim Wolfred

Tim Wolfred manages the Executive Transitions program for CompassPoint Nonprofit Services, a program launched earlier this year to help San Francisco/San Jose Bay Area nonprofit boards lead productive transition processes. To date, the program has worked with more than 40 boards on their transition needs, including assistance with searches, provision of interim executive directors, consulting on strategic hiring and compensation, and other topics. The results of a recent study on executive director tenure will be published later this year. For more information, contact Tim at 415-541-9000 x 350 or <timwolfred@aol.com>.

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