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Board of Directors Articles
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6 essential skills board members should master
If you have chosen to dedicate valuable time serving as a board member, given your job, your best effort may require you to refine specific skills or learn a new one. But between your limited time, big buzzwords, and best practices, it can take effort to figure out exactly which skills you should cultivate to impact your community.
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Blueprint for board member success
Every community association is unique. However, the path to becoming the best possible volunteer board member is always the same. Use this workbook as a companion piece to our in-depth whitepaper, The 6 Most Important Elements for Running Your Board Like a Pro, to improve the operation of your community association proactively. Inside, you’ll find three essential resources you need to develop a forward-looking plan for your community:
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Your Board Recruitment Package
Here are some tips on what to include in your board’s recruitment package that you give to prospective board members. The decision to join a board is an important one. You want candidates to be well-informed about the organization and have given their commitment.
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Board Orientation
Identifying a new board member is only the first step in what you hope will be a mutually rewarding relationship. Whether the orientation of your new board member is approached informally or formally, be sure to include the basics needed for new board members to become engaged in the work of the board right away and to serve as a committed ambassador and advocate for your nonprofit’s mission for a long time to come.
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BOARD SELF-ASSESSMENT TOOL
The Nonprofit Board Self-Assessment Tool is designed to help nonprofit organizations assess their board's performance and identify priorities for board activities going forward. We believe this combination of performance assessment and priority-setting is the foundation of superior nonprofit board performance over time. The tool should be used with our framework for nonprofit board responsibilities, which describes in detail the key elements of effective nonprofit board governance. The output of the assessment is intended to focus discussion among board members around the governance activities that will result in the greatest benefit for the organization. The tool may be used by nonprofit managers and board members:
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Board member Job Description
EXPECTATIONS OF THE BOARD - AS A WHOLE The mission of ABC Organization is [mission]. As the highest leadership body of the organization and to satisfy its fiduciary duties, the board is responsible for
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Developing a Board Recruitment Process
This article is intended for the volunteers and staff of small membership organizations new to board recruitment or looking to refresh an existing process. We’re not board experts, but we’ve gathered some advice and tips from others in the field that are - to develop an overview of a basic 4-step board recruitment process to get you started.
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How to Find a Rewarding Board Position
Becoming a member of a nonprofit organization's board can be a meaningful way to explore how an individual's experience and expertise can be applied in the nonprofit sector at the governance level and, ultimately, how one's experience and expertise can help advance a nonprofit organization's social impact. It also can be a rewarding, high-impact way for for-profit executives can do community service while learning new skills that can enhance their careers.
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Role of the Board
The role of a cooperative board is to ensure the long-term success of the enterprise following the International Co-operative Alliance Statement on Co-operative Identity1. The Board is appointed by and accountable to the members who own and control the cooperative. The Board represents the membership, making business decisions in members’ interests. The Board acts as the custodian of the cooperative’s assets to safeguard the enterprise for the future.
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Leadership “Rules of Engagement”
The responsibilities of volunteer leaders are generally stated in the governing documents: bylaws, articles of incorporation, and policies. The rules of engagement have been developed to communicate cultural expectations and preferred behavior for governance. (Every organization has leadership expectations set over time; this is a sample.)
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Terms new board members need to know.
Whether you are a new member of your community association’s board of directors, you are served for years. Being familiar with the basic terms is essential to the success of your role. Knowing these terms will help you get up to speed as the refresher you need to improve as a community leader.
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The secret to being the most intelligent member of your association board.
Whether you’ve led your community for years or served your first term as a board member, being well-versed in many aspects of running a community is an ongoing process. The most competent board member makes continued learning and development a priority.