301| Member-only resource. After interviewing several hundred boards and chief executives and surveying over 1,000 more, researchers Thomas Holland, Barbara Taylor, and Richard Chait discovered six specific characteristics and behaviors that distinguish strong boards from weak boards
Board Chair
The role that you play as a nonprofit board chair is critically important.
You set the tone for the relationship between the board and your executive (executive director or CEO). You ensure that board meetings are well-planned and facilitated. And you bring leadership and focus to the board’s work.
A board chair is typically a very busy professional, which can make it challenging to find the time to invest in strengthening the board and its work, whether that’s thinking long-term about important board conversations, reflecting on board performance, or navigating sticky issues or dynamics.
BoardSource can help.
We have tried and tested resources and guidance, educational programs and coaching, and an active and engaged community that can provide peer-to-peer support. We’re here to support you in your role, and to ensure that you have the tools and resources you need to succeed. The following key resources are among many on our website that apply to board chairs; please visit the Topics and Resources and Solutions areas of the site, as well as our Store, to discover more.
Resources for Board Chairs
The Board Chair Handbook
This widely read resource is designed for new and seasoned board chairs and will help you prepare for the role, optimize the work of the board through the application of strong leadership and sound governance practices, improve board processes and tasks, and, when the time comes, prepare for the end of your term and a transition to a new chair.
101| Community resource. When an organization faces a chief executive transition, the first step the board must take is to identify what type of transition the organization is facing.
101| Community resource. Even the most organized, responsible, and amiable board needs to document its activities, internal rules, and processes. Here are the various documents to which your board needs to pay attention.
101| Community resource. Basic board roles and responsibilities are the foundation for a successful board. BoardSource has designed this checklist so you can quickly remind yourself of your key responsibilities.
201| Members-only resource. How should a nonprofit react when a regular donor sends a gift of stock instead of the traditional generous check? Should a nonprofit accept a contribution to fund a new program that only marginally relates to its mission? Without adequate gift acceptance policies, a nonprofit may be forced to make quick decisions it may regret later.
Assessing the chief executive is one of the board’s primary governance responsibilities. The ACE benefits both the chief executive and the board by providing you with the opportunity to clarify expectations, set organizational goals, and improve weaknesses or build on past success.
The BSA is a valuable resource for any nonprofit chief executive looking to motivate board members and lay the foundation for setting board development priorities — individually and collectively — to strengthen the full board’s governance performance and practices.
101| Community resource. Every board must verify that numerous activities get performed regularly or on schedule. An action calendar can help the board ensure that its legal, financial, and other tasks get accomplished in a timely manner.
BoardSource’s Board Support Program provides self-guided, ongoing board development for your organization.