Public speaking, record books or leading a meeting — which did you dread most as a 4-H member?
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Beyond our own family businesses or careers, many of us participate in other groups that are part of building a community. The reasons for belonging are varied. But over the years I have seen certain factors that can contribute to the success of these organizations.
The first is a reason for being or statement of purpose. Why does your group exist? If the group does not have this, I’d suggest creating one as a first step. It’s a great idea to have someone read the statement aloud at the beginning of each meeting or gathering.
Clarify what type of governance your board follows. Is it a management board or a policy board? No matter what you select, there are numerous models to follow. Carver’s model is one option for a policy board. The board operates by developing and following policies, and only communicates with the executive director. The executive director then manages the staff. That is not to say that the board does not connect with the staff, but they are not responsible for directing them or operations.
A board I have belonged to for many years follows the Carver model. It has been and continues to be a learning process. We often ask ourselves, “Is this operations? If so, that is not our role.” The phrase frequently used is, “We are in the weeds.” Everyone on the board knows that means we are getting too much involved in the day-to-day operations and it is important to pull back to a higher-level view. There are policies we have developed over the years that help guide us with processes and guidelines.
It is important to note that many non-profit organizations have a fiduciary responsibility. Make sure to clarify exactly what those are. Another helpful step is agreeing to rules of engagement, a team charter or code of conduct about how we would like the group to behave. For example, some believe that the board speaks as one voice. Another point can be around confidentiality. Conflict of interest statements can also be useful. Many groups have members that wear more than one hat and having an open conversation around the meeting table will alleviate many misunderstandings.
Help members get to know each other. Often participants have been together for a while and know each other well. But newcomers to those groups need to feel welcome and that can be as simple as an opening go-round with a bit about yourself and a highlight from the last month.
This leads to onboarding. Does your organization have a process for recruiting, selecting and engaging new participants? We need to look around the table and ask who will fill the seats in the future and how we will get them there, just as we must do in our family businesses.
The same organization I referred to earlier has developed a spreadsheet with skill sets and abilities we feel are important to the makeup of our board. While recruiting, we use it to help select individuals. An area of priority now is fundraising and development, so we are focused on those who have experience and knowledge in that area. We are also mindful of leadership and look to set up the chair and vice-chair roles with an eye to the vice position stepping up. It is important to have seniority and wisdom on the board, but we must also make way for the next ones to lead the organization with fresh ideas and enthusiasm.
We have developed an information package — some call it a board book — which has information about the organization. This includes the statement of purpose, history, financial statements, governance documents, board and staff directory, and strategic plans. A buddy system is another tool to pair new members with existing ones, to help include them and answer questions.
We also use evaluations. We conduct annual evaluations of not only the executive director but also ourselves as a board. This feedback mechanism helps us improve continuously. Technology helps us to simplify the processing and compilation of the data.
Back to leading the 4-H meeting, and the important position of chair. Remember Robert’s Rules of Order. There are simple procedures for making and seconding motions and voting on them. If your group does not use them, I highly recommend starting. It is a fantastic way to run efficient and productive meetings. Strong agendas with timelines are crucial, as are recording action items, the person responsible and timelines. Action items can be summarized in a table at the end of the minutes for easy reference. This is particularly helpful for those like me who have a tough time reading reams of minutes.
And what about the “meeting after the meeting?” There are often many ideas that come up after a meeting and it’s important to capture those and keep the ideas flowing. Be sure to include everyone, so things don’t derail into an exclusive parking lot meeting.
There is great value in being a part of a local or industry organization. It can be a way to create opportunities beyond our immediate operation. It may help us let go during transitions. Also, helping others has been shown to truly help our own personal journey. The relationships built and networks formed can have positive consequences beyond what we first expect.
Time is a limited resource for many of us. The better and more efficient our meetings are, the better our organizations will be. And the better the contributions we’ll make to our communities.
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