Looking for a good instrument for assessing your board’s effectiveness? Consider this board self-assessment tool developed by The Alliance for Board Effectiveness.
ECFA’s Standard 6 calls for members to avoid conflicts of interest. Conflicts can be avoided most easily when the organization has a stated conflict of interest policy and annually canvasses the Board of Directors and key administrative personnel to document potential conflicts. Attached are several sample copies of conflict of interest policies and questionnaires. ECFA does not endorse any particular document. We are providing these samples to help you develop the documents appropriate for your ministry.
Who was your best boss? What did she/he do that stands out? The kind of boss you are (or have) matters. A lot.
The Covid-19 pandemic has powerfully illustrated the extraordinary connectedness of the world in ways and at levels previously considered unimaginable. Notable elements powering this connectedness have been the emergence of the internet and the range of options afforded because of this remarkable, essentially free, global communications system. Beyond that, the drop in the comparative cost per mile of international travel has radically changed the dynamics of business, missions, and trade. To be able to use a credit card at an ATM to download local currency, whether it is Hong Kong or Cape Town, is a graphic example of both extraordinary technical, policy, and economic changes unthinkable even fifty years ago.
Alongside these startling developments there has been the back side of innovation. On the dark side, security has taken on implications that call for completely new forms of diligence. And, with new opportunity, demands for collaboration have escalated.
A change in executive leadership is inevitable for all organizations. It is a time of both risk and opportunity. It is a period in an organization’s history when the Board President must increase his/her level of engagement. It is also a time when some may seek assurance of the organization’s viability and long-term sustainability. A succession policy for the Executive Director position is a routine risk management and sustainability planning tool. The Policy ensures organizational sustainability by providing a proactive, orderly plan for executive leadership transitions.
Faith-anchored and informed leaders usually sense that their roles are a divine calling requiring that they discover and implement a process of planning consistent with God’s will as revealed in scripture. The significance, then, of their roles requires a process that seeks a systematic, responsible, and thorough understanding of God’s mind and will for every aspect of their leadership calling.
Are you an ‘owner-board’ or a ‘steward-board’? A great deal of time and resources are being invested these days helping non-profit boards be more effective. There are a growing number of books, seminars, webinars, training programs, online resources and assessment tools available to boards seeking to better serve the organizations they hold in trust. I am part of a consortium of experienced consultants that focus specifically on board effectiveness, and our numbers are increasing.