Remodeling Nonprofits
Chris Fuller, President, Performance Writing & Public Relations, just wrote about a situation in a discussion in a group we share. In his last job, one of his responsibilities was to serve as Executive Director of a foundation. It had outlived its usefulness. He was to either make something of it or shut it down.
He reconstituted it and spun it off as an independent entity.
The following was his learning:
If I had it to do over, I think the first thing I’d do would be to completely dissolve the Board of Directors and start over from scratch. During the transition, I gave Board members the opportunity to “opt-out” of service on the Board of the new organization. We had a lot of deadwood, and while the “opt-out” weeded out some of it, there’s still a bit of it remaining even today.
For any effort like this, a Board which is committed and willing to WORK on building the organization is essential. It seems that some prominent individuals collect Board memberships as though they were charms on a bracelet, enjoying a free lunch once a month, looking fabulous and saying all the right things, but unwilling to actually expend effort on organizational activities. Avoid these people like the plague!
Remodeling a nonprofit is hard. Chris was in the right position to remodel. When the leadership is from the executive director or the president of the board, it is easier to determine what changes need to be made and to guide the changes.
It is when you are a board member or a volunteer who is trying to affect change that the frustration can burn you out.
What do you do to enlist the participation of the leadership?
Photo credit:Remodeling, originally uploaded by Carlos Porto.
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