The Rundown - March 25, 2022
The latest news and notes from the philanthropic and nonprofit sectors
The Rundown - The Celebration Edition!
Well, excuse me for one moment of self-indulgence but today is my birthday. It’s been a good year and I am looking forward to what the next year will bring. As for today, I am looking forward to a nice evening with the family as my twelve year daughter will make her first birthday cake.
This also, by pure coincidence is the six-month anniversary of “The Rundown”. This little side project has taught me quite a bit and I have enjoyed working on this newsletter. It makes my heart sing to see more and more people finding value here and telling their friends and colleagues about this little project.
Adding a new office in the C-suite….Do you need a Chief Governance Officer?
Ask any nonprofit Executive Director what the most complicated part of the job is and they will, without fail, talk about the Board of Directors. The relationships Executive Directors have with the Board of Directors is probably one of the most unique relationships out there. It’s a didactic relationship, but it’s one with many. It’s an individual accountable to multiple bosses that are sometimes people we have outside relationships with and many times, those people have no clue what we do on a day to day basis. To the outsider, no one would think this is a recipe for a healthy organization. Yet, given the parameters of good practice, state laws and federal regulations, nonprofit organizations are governed by a Board of Directors.
And it’s that word “governed” that is the topic of this piece by the Stanford Social Innovation Review. The article goes into a discussion of whether boards and organization need a “Chief Governing Officer”. On one hand it makes sense, we have chief officers for finance, operations, communication, human resources. Shouldn’t governing, which is a core component of our jobs, be a part of that conversation?
But before we get too excited, the SSIR piece talks about one of the struggles of implementing this vision; there is no consistent definition of what good governance is. From the article:
Few of the directors we spoke with defined “governance” the same way. Whether due to the lack of a universally accepted definition of governance, or the lack of standardized training when joining a nonprofit board, too many directors bring only a partial sense of the commitments they have accepted upon taking a board seat. If held at all, nonprofit board orientation programs are often created and driven by staff members to introduce new directors to the organization, but rarely include a director-driven discussion of the board’s role, governance responsibilities, and how the board organizes itself to fulfill those responsibilities. Poor initial training and a lack of continuing director education perpetuates an under-emphasis on governance and handicaps the board’s ability to be effective partners in driving organizational performance. One of our interviewees concluded: “We fail from the very beginning.”
Truer words are rarely spoken and it reminded of an event a recently spoke out about boards, executive directors and their relationships.
I was part of a panel discussion with some new executive directors. A fellow executive director, sitting next to me (who is an amazing director in her own right), stated that her goal was to have her board be a place that attracts the best and brightest board members.
As I thought about her answer, I quickly realized that isn’t my board. Don’t get me wrong, I have great people on my board and wouldn’t trade them in for the world. But I also know that board members are made through hard work, not just created. I put my board through meetings with painstakingly detailed agendas, with a plethora of reports, periodic and routine emails, charts and figures, you name it.
Why?
Because I want my board members to leave and be better board members for other organizations. Nothing would mean more to me than have an executive director of another shop come to me and say, “Hey, your former board member is on our board and he has been a great contributor!” That my friend, is confirmation of a job well done.
All this to say that while good governance can be taught, good governance is something that has more value being experienced. Going through the processes and the disciplines of well run meetings, reviewing important reports and asking the right questions helps make a great nonprofit board members - it’s stuff that’s “caught” more than “taught”.
The Nonprofit World - Is this where Democracy is in Action?
This is a great piece in the Twin Cities Business Magazine by nonprofit consultant Sarah Lutman. Her article challenges nonprofit organizations to be more democratic in three arenas; in hiring, in planning and in evaluation. All three are great ways to start to involve more people in increasing the effectiveness of nonprofit organizations.
Earlier in my career, I worked in local government running a host of programs that were designed to help people in poverty with housing concerns. I’ll be the first to admit that the programs I ran were nothing more than expensive band-aids on gaping wounds. Sure, a person in poverty may have a new roof over their head; but they were still in poverty.
I can’t tell you how many times I was in meetings to talk about “people in poverty” usually in unflattering tones about the problems this subsection of society brought. But hey, I was in government, the smart people around the table could cajole better behavior through laws, regulations or grant programs, or so we thought.
As you could imagine, the individuals that we were purportedly trying to serve were never around the table. How could we effectively work to solve the problems facing our community if we weren’t asking those people we were trying to help what their problems were and what they thought the solutions could be?
Moving into the nonprofit world a few years ago and seeing poverty on a daily basis changed my outlook and changed my attitude. People in poverty do have legitimate concerns and legitimate ideas on how to improve their lot in life. And here at the nonprofit I work at, we try to put those things in action.
We have hired former clients that often end up being some of our most valuable employees. These individuals understand those that are they are trying to serve and they often have good ideas on how to change our processes to make our work more accessible and effective to those that we are serving.
We also survey the individuals we serve continually. One of the earliest lessons I learned being a nonprofit executive director is how valuable asking for input truly is. Individuals that we are serving are often wanting to have a way to give input into how they are being served and provide their own thoughts and ideas in the ways they can be served.
By giving the individuals we serve a stake in the outcome and a voice in the process, we are creating a more valuable nonprofit for our entire community. More nonprofits would be better served if they take a more collaborative approach when it comes with working with those that they are serving.
An Excerpt from Pinnacle Strategies on Video
Pinnacle Strategies on Video comes out every Tuesday and is available for a paid subscription for as little as $7/month.
This week’s edition is about one of the absolute hardest concepts I had to learn in graduate school (other than derivatives used in calculus). One of the biggest struggles our sector faces is to understand the difference between outputs and outcomes. The 20 minute video this week hopes to give you some insights on how to think about the differences between the two.
If you haven’t signed up for the paid version of the newsletter…what are you waiting for? Especially when each subscription receives a free gift!
What Can We Work on Together?
Did you know that Pinnacle Strategies works individually with nonprofit and public sector leaders to help them solve problems, achieve goals and gain confidence in their roles?
Why?
Because, this work is hard and it’s often a lonely road. Our nonprofit and public sector leaders need people that they can talk to to get solid advice and encouragement to do the work that is in front of them. If you feel that this can be of value to you, or a member of your team, please reach out to pinnaclestrategiesltd@gmail.com and let’s talk.
A Quick Note of Thanks!
Thank you all for subscribing to this newsletter. The subscription numbers continue to grow and from what I am learning, this side job seems like it has “sticking power”; six months in and this is still going strong. By this point, many newsletters have faded away. This is only possible through your support - thank you!
I know many of you have shared this with your friends and colleagues and I am very grateful. Thank you! If you haven’t share it yet…..well, here is your chance….
Now Hiring!
The Springfield (OH) Foundation is looking for a new executive director! Take a look at the job posting on LinkedIn here!
If you have a position you are hiring for, please feel free to email pinnaclestrategiesltd@gmail.com and we will run an announcement for three weeks!
Ready to Learn Something New?
Spring is a wonderful time to visit Indianapolis and it opens a perfect opportunity to sharpen your skills and meet new professionals in the field. I would encourage you to look at some of the offerings of The Fund Raising School at the Lilly School of Philanthropy at Indiana University’s campus in Indianapolis. The professional development school has great programming both on-line and in-person both in Indianapolis and at other sites across the country. Take a look at their course offerings here!
Other Ways to Connect
Our coaching practice has openings starting here in 2022. If you are interested in working with me to get your nonprofit organization on a track to achieve the big missions you have for your organization, please reach out to me at pinnaclestrategiesltd@gmail.com.
Here are some other ways you can keep in contact with Pinnacle Strategies!
Check us out on our LinkedIn Page