Workshop on Board Governance

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Governance Matters

I will be presenting this workshop at the Southern California Center for nonprofit Management on June 12, 2008 as a volunteer facilitator. I contributed the following article to Nonprofit Directions.

Governance is vital for any organization. In an environment where resources are scarce and news of resource misuse seems to be rampant, good governance is becoming increasingly important for the success of all organizations.

Boards of directors add value to the organization they serve through certain job outputs. The board holds itself accountable for these roles of:

• Clearly articulating what the organization should accomplish and who should benefit on behalf of its members or moral ownership. More than just the activities and busyness, this result will make a difference in the world outside the walls of the organization.
• Developing accountability as an organizational characteristic. The board provides assurance that the expected results were produced and unacceptable situations were avoided; and the cost was worth the result.
• Understanding their trustee function and acting on behalf of its membership.

These job outputs are the unique contributions of a board of directors, and no other person or group can fill these roles. Once these job outputs are understood, the board is responsible to hold itself accountable and to accomplish its duty of care, loyalty and obedience.

On Thursday, June 12, we will discuss the unique value that a board brings to an organization. Ideally, the executive director and board chairperson will participate in this workshop together to determine if adopting a comprehensive set of governance principles will help the board more effectively do its work.

Good Governance is Leadership Excellence
Thursday, June 12, 2008
1:30 p.m. - 4:30 p.m. (Half Day)
Special Fee: $200 (Covers Executive and 1 Board Member)

Registration Information Here.

Policy Governance® is the registered trademark of John Carver and Carver Governance, Inc.

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Technology Strategies for your Nonprofit

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Presenters: Thomas Hsieh, Splinterrock; Marcos Ramirez, Idealistics; Glen Peterson, Capacity Partnership Group


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Technology Planning Workshop at UYWI 08 on May 16

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Friday, May 16, 2008
Time: 1:30 PM- 3:00 PM
Technology Planning Workshop
For Executive Directors

Presenters: Thomas Hsieh, Slinterrock; Marcos Ramirez, Idealistics; Glen Peterson, Capacity Partnership Group

Youth ministries and nonprofits have limited resources while the expanding available new technology is limitless. How can you as the organizational leader decide what is needed and how to put into place technology that will really produce results? A strategic technology plan can help you budget your time and resources to best meet your needs. This session will introduce a good planning outline and process: (1) establish technology leadership group,
(2) define your needs (what problems technology can solve for your organization), (3) assess current situation and resources, (4) explore solutions, (5) put your plan in writing including a timeline, (6) develop a funding strategy, (7) implement, evaluate, and revise the plan.

Room: Duke 603

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Board Governance: Capacity Building Workshop at UYWI08

This Week!

If you are going to the Urban Youth Workers Institute at Azusa this week, it'd be great to meet you. Workshop 1:

Thursday, May 15, 2008
Time: 1:30 PM- 3:00 PM
Leadership Excellence—Good Governance
For Executive Directors and Board Members

How can you attract and retain good board members? Give them the right job and the right tools. Governance is the highest level of organizational leadership. The job of governance needs to emphasize values, vision, empowerment of both board and staff, and the strategic ability to lead leaders. Workshop participants (board members and staff leaders) will (1) gain appreciation of leadership through governance, (2) define roles of management and board distinct from one another, (3) identify the unique job outputs of the board, (4) avoid meddling and “rubber-stamping.”

Room: Duke 106; Azusa Pacific University

For a complete list of workshops, here.

Your ideas matter here! Please leave a comment.

Good Governance is Leadership Excellence

Welcome back!

Governance Matters

In a workshop at the Southern California Center for Nonprofit Management on June 12, 2008, 1:30 we will discuss the unique value that a board brings to an organization that no other group of volunteers can produce. Ideally, the executive director and the board chairperson will experience this workshop together to determine if adopting a comprehensive set of governance principles will help the board do its work.

In an environment where community organizations struggle to find the resources to do their work and larger national nonprofits have been in the news with misused resources there is much talk about what governance really is. The board of any organization is to add value with job outputs that are specific to the role of the board and for which the board holds itself accountable.

• Clearly articulating what the organization is to accomplish for its membership or other moral-ownership—more than what is keeping the organization busy but what will make a difference in the world because the organization does what it says it should.
• Develop accountability as an organizational characteristic initiated at the board level. Further, the board is to provide assurance that the expected results were produced and unacceptable situations and circumstances were avoided, and the cost was worth the result.
• As the board understands its trustee function, it develops a strategy of linkage to and understanding of the ownership or membership to act on its behalf.

These job outputs are the unique contribution of a board of directors that no other person or group can accomplish. It is further the board’s responsibility, once these job outputs are understood, to hold itself accountable for their work. It is through this that the board can accomplish its duty of care, duty of loyalty and duty of obedience.

Your ideas matter here! Please leave a comment.

Leadership Excellence—Good Governance

Welcome back!

I am teaching an elective for executive directors at the Urban Youth Workers Institute (UYWI08) on Thursday, May 15, 2008 at Azusa Pacific University. If you are going to the conference, I hope you will check out this workshop. Time: 1:30 PM- 3:00 PM Room: Duke 106

How can you attract and retain good board members? Give them the right job and the right tools. Governance is the highest level of organizational leadership. The job of governance needs to emphasize values, vision, empowerment of both board and staff, and the strategic ability to lead leaders. Workshop participants (board members and staff leaders) will (1) gain appreciation of leadership through
governance, (2) define roles of management and board distinct from one another,
(3) identify the unique job outputs of the board, (4) avoid meddling and “rubber-stamping.”

Your ideas matter here! Please leave a comment.