Once a decision is made to form an organization to address a perceived societal need, the organization needs to be formed. One piece of formation is to found "the board." Every state requires that every non-profit corporation formed under that state's law must have a board. The number of board members, the title of the board members and the board itself differs from state to state, but for our purposes we will refer to the board members as "trustees" or "board members" and the board as "the board of trustees" or "the board."
The Board--Function. Often, the tendency is to enlist friends as board members.This is probably a mistake. To select trustees it is useful to know the function of the board. Once one knows what the board does it becomes easier to identify who should sit on the board. Here is a short list of some of the board's most important responsibilities.
1. Oversight. The overall purpose of the board is to provide oversight to the organization. This oversight is what I call "macro-management." The board sets the direction of the organization; determines whether the organization should pursue new opportunities; provides guidance and direction for the organization's programs and structure; and provides financial oversight. The board does not run the day-to-day operations of the organization, and does not micro-manage the organization. That is left to the Executive Director/CEO, who is really the board's agent appointed to run the day-to-day operations of the organization.
2. Budget. The Board determines the organization's budget and all that goes along with the budget--financial policies; budgeting policies and procedures; oversight of fundraising and grant writing; investment policies; oversight of cash and bank account management and policies; and so on. A good trustee can read a balance sheet, and income statement, has some expertise and/or experience in financial matters relating to an organization, and is fiscally responsible, aware, and proficient.
3. Policies. The Board adopts policies for the organization. These cover the full spectrum of the organization's front-line and back-office operations, including finance, HR, IT, client relations, planning, structure and governance, community relations, etc.
4. Executive Director/CEO ["ED"]. The Board hires, evaluates, directs and oversees the ED. Typically, the founder of an organization serves on the Board and serves as ED, but this is not the best practice and eventually will give way to separate ED and Board functions (in some cases, as late as when the ED retires). The ED is responsible to run the organization's day-to-day operations; the Board is responsible to oversee and direct the ED.
The Board--Selecting Trustees. From this short list of Board duties, it is clear that the board needs to have members who are proficient in a number of areas--finances, HR, IT, structure and governance, oversight, relationships, etc. It is not unusual to see board members who are bankers, accountants, lawyers, HR experts, IT experts, clergy, teachers/professors, managers, small business owners, and so on, so the duties of the board can be addressed by people who are familiar with those areas in their "day jobs." However, this cannot be the only criteria for recruiting board members.
A second, and just as important, criteria for a trustee is the commitment of the trustee to the purpose, mission, and programs of the organization. An accountant who is proficient at accounting but who does not care about the purpose, mission and programs of the organization will not be a productive board member, and will not contribute to the success of the board.
A "job description" for a trustee may be a useful tool to identify and recruit new board members. That job description should identify the purpose, mission and general programming of the organization as well as the expectations of a trustee. The organization's public relations pieces can also be useful to this end. A possible board member should be vetted not only for his or her familiarity with one or more areas of board function, but also for his/her level of familiarity with, and commitment to, the organization's purpose, mission and programs.
While this discussion is not comprehensive, it will be helpful to a new organization in identifying and recruiting the initial members of the board of trustees.
Sunday, July 24, 2016
Monday, July 18, 2016
Lost Purpose and Violence in America
Where, today, is the politician, or the newscaster, or the social commentator, who is asking, "What is this all about? What is our purpose in America in 2016, on the eve of the presidential election?"
I have been absent a few days, preoccupied with the violence that grips our nation and the war of words between various groups set up to oppose each other. More terrorism in Orlando. More police officers involved in shooting black civilians. Civilians sniping at police. Protesters in Cleveland for the RNC. Donald and Hillary launching word bombs at each other. An ineffective President who seems to only preside at funerals of victims--lots of funerals for victims. On the world stage, a government in Syria apparently intent on eliminating those who are governed. Refugees in Jordan and Greece. Terrorist attacks in France and Turkey. Angry Britians kicking themselves out of the EU. A failed coup in Turkey.
There is little of peace, and little of hope, in the world. There is much anger, and violence, and death. Perhaps it has always been thus, but it does seem to be getting worse. There is plenty of finger-pointing and blame, of accusation and recrimination. Donald and Hillary promise to bring us to a better place by different, and much different, paths. But neither has any credibility; neither can be believed.
When I was a child, in grade school, we were taught that America was a place that was founded on the hope for a better life. "Finding a better life" was the reason people came here. That reason was fueled by recognition of America's purpose--to be a place that provided hope, and a chance. After the great influxes of immigrants through the early part of the the 20th century, the descendants of those immigrants carved out lives that were better than their forebears for the most part. We became comfortable, and "better" became "standard." "Standard" became not good enough and we felt somehow let down that our lives were not as golden as we thought they should be. We became disgruntled, and we looked for those who were responsible, to blame them.
Have you noticed that no one in America seems to be responsible for anything they do? There is always someone, or something, else to blame. The parents, or that there were no parents. The government. The employer. The "system." Lack of money. Lack of opportunity. Lack of resources. Lack of faith. Lack of support.
We have forgotten the purpose for the founding of America. "Hope" is based on a recognition that there is something bigger and better, and that bigger and better can be achieved with effort and work and perseverance. It is not based on a wish or a whim that someone will take care of me, or that I will win a lottery (real or figurative) and not have to worry the rest of my life. "A chance" is an opportunity, not a guarantee. Chances must be taken; they do not automatically deliver whatever it is that is being sought.
There is a great deal of noise in America today. People are shouting at each other so loudly they cannot hear one another. We would each be much better off to find a quiet place and ask ourselves, "What is my purpose?" in the context of being an American. Do not ask what it is owed to me, or why I have been cheated out of my dreams, or what can I get out of this. Do not ask what another's purpose is. If we were silent, and asked ourselves and then thought to answer honestly, each of us can contribute to re-establishing America as a place of hope and a chance.
I have been absent a few days, preoccupied with the violence that grips our nation and the war of words between various groups set up to oppose each other. More terrorism in Orlando. More police officers involved in shooting black civilians. Civilians sniping at police. Protesters in Cleveland for the RNC. Donald and Hillary launching word bombs at each other. An ineffective President who seems to only preside at funerals of victims--lots of funerals for victims. On the world stage, a government in Syria apparently intent on eliminating those who are governed. Refugees in Jordan and Greece. Terrorist attacks in France and Turkey. Angry Britians kicking themselves out of the EU. A failed coup in Turkey.
There is little of peace, and little of hope, in the world. There is much anger, and violence, and death. Perhaps it has always been thus, but it does seem to be getting worse. There is plenty of finger-pointing and blame, of accusation and recrimination. Donald and Hillary promise to bring us to a better place by different, and much different, paths. But neither has any credibility; neither can be believed.
When I was a child, in grade school, we were taught that America was a place that was founded on the hope for a better life. "Finding a better life" was the reason people came here. That reason was fueled by recognition of America's purpose--to be a place that provided hope, and a chance. After the great influxes of immigrants through the early part of the the 20th century, the descendants of those immigrants carved out lives that were better than their forebears for the most part. We became comfortable, and "better" became "standard." "Standard" became not good enough and we felt somehow let down that our lives were not as golden as we thought they should be. We became disgruntled, and we looked for those who were responsible, to blame them.
Have you noticed that no one in America seems to be responsible for anything they do? There is always someone, or something, else to blame. The parents, or that there were no parents. The government. The employer. The "system." Lack of money. Lack of opportunity. Lack of resources. Lack of faith. Lack of support.
We have forgotten the purpose for the founding of America. "Hope" is based on a recognition that there is something bigger and better, and that bigger and better can be achieved with effort and work and perseverance. It is not based on a wish or a whim that someone will take care of me, or that I will win a lottery (real or figurative) and not have to worry the rest of my life. "A chance" is an opportunity, not a guarantee. Chances must be taken; they do not automatically deliver whatever it is that is being sought.
There is a great deal of noise in America today. People are shouting at each other so loudly they cannot hear one another. We would each be much better off to find a quiet place and ask ourselves, "What is my purpose?" in the context of being an American. Do not ask what it is owed to me, or why I have been cheated out of my dreams, or what can I get out of this. Do not ask what another's purpose is. If we were silent, and asked ourselves and then thought to answer honestly, each of us can contribute to re-establishing America as a place of hope and a chance.
Tuesday, July 12, 2016
Purpose Leads to Mission
Once purpose is determined, mission can be identified. Purpose is an umbrella; mission is what the umbrella is to cover. Mission must flow from purpose or it cannot be sustained. There must be congruence between the two. When one gives up on a mission and says, "My heart was not in it," that person speaks greater truth than they realize.
Mission is related, also, to addressing the environment--social, physical, geographic, economic, etc. If the purpose of a fictional organization, "Teaching Life Skills, Inc." is to help children improve their lives by teaching them life skills, the mission should be determined by considering the world around the organization and asking questions like: "What identifies children who can best benefit from being taught life skills?" "What life skills education is lacking among children?" "Why do some children lack knowledge of life skills?" "What number of children can we effectively teach life skills to?" "Do these children think they lack life skills and, if so, what life skills do these children believe they lack?" In other words, identify an actual need in the target market. No organization is large enough to meet every need of every person. Limiting the organization's mission is a good way to manage the size, focus, and programming of the organization. This organization's mission might be, "To teach household management skills to adolescent boys ages 11 through 14 in the ___ neighborhood of [our town]."
A more commonly seen approach is backwards from this one. Will, Bill and Phil, local business owners, perceive that many neighborhood children seem to be hanging out and doing nothing productive. The children do not demonstrate [what our trio consider to be] proper respect for adults or for property of others, or to possess proper manners, or to be motivated to make themselves "better" people. They decide these children lack these kinds of life skills, it is important that they should possess them, and that Will, Bill and Phil can and should develop a program and begin an organization to teach these life skills to these children. They adopt a mission statement, "Making youth better through life skill training." They develop a "life skills for boys" program, advertise it, and open the doors at the appointed time and place. A few young people show up, but fewer each week. After the fourth week the program closes and our trio say, "We gave up. Our hearts were just not in it."
The failure of this trio's project may have a hundred different causes, but one thing is clear: Will and company did not ask the right questions before developing the program. The first of those "right questions" would have been, "What is our purpose?" It is not clear, from the facts given, what their purpose might have been. It could have just been that, as business owners, they wanted to reduce loitering. It could have been that they believed every person should conform to some minimal standard in public settings; because these children did not, there must be some deficit that needed to be fixed. It could have been they were filling some need they had to feel superior to the neighborhood kids. It could be they did not like children at but felt societal pressure to "try to help these kids."
This story would be much different if Will and company had compassion for these children and, in interacting with them, learned that the children themselves felt a need to learn particular things about life so they could better manage their own lives. The Will and company purpose would have been to help these children for whom they had compassion. They would then have asked what these children needed, and fashioned a mission in response.
Mission follows purpose. If no purpose is identified, then there is nothing to which the mission is tied and it can drift, be ineffective, and ultimately fail.
Mission is related, also, to addressing the environment--social, physical, geographic, economic, etc. If the purpose of a fictional organization, "Teaching Life Skills, Inc." is to help children improve their lives by teaching them life skills, the mission should be determined by considering the world around the organization and asking questions like: "What identifies children who can best benefit from being taught life skills?" "What life skills education is lacking among children?" "Why do some children lack knowledge of life skills?" "What number of children can we effectively teach life skills to?" "Do these children think they lack life skills and, if so, what life skills do these children believe they lack?" In other words, identify an actual need in the target market. No organization is large enough to meet every need of every person. Limiting the organization's mission is a good way to manage the size, focus, and programming of the organization. This organization's mission might be, "To teach household management skills to adolescent boys ages 11 through 14 in the ___ neighborhood of [our town]."
A more commonly seen approach is backwards from this one. Will, Bill and Phil, local business owners, perceive that many neighborhood children seem to be hanging out and doing nothing productive. The children do not demonstrate [what our trio consider to be] proper respect for adults or for property of others, or to possess proper manners, or to be motivated to make themselves "better" people. They decide these children lack these kinds of life skills, it is important that they should possess them, and that Will, Bill and Phil can and should develop a program and begin an organization to teach these life skills to these children. They adopt a mission statement, "Making youth better through life skill training." They develop a "life skills for boys" program, advertise it, and open the doors at the appointed time and place. A few young people show up, but fewer each week. After the fourth week the program closes and our trio say, "We gave up. Our hearts were just not in it."
The failure of this trio's project may have a hundred different causes, but one thing is clear: Will and company did not ask the right questions before developing the program. The first of those "right questions" would have been, "What is our purpose?" It is not clear, from the facts given, what their purpose might have been. It could have just been that, as business owners, they wanted to reduce loitering. It could have been that they believed every person should conform to some minimal standard in public settings; because these children did not, there must be some deficit that needed to be fixed. It could have been they were filling some need they had to feel superior to the neighborhood kids. It could be they did not like children at but felt societal pressure to "try to help these kids."
This story would be much different if Will and company had compassion for these children and, in interacting with them, learned that the children themselves felt a need to learn particular things about life so they could better manage their own lives. The Will and company purpose would have been to help these children for whom they had compassion. They would then have asked what these children needed, and fashioned a mission in response.
Mission follows purpose. If no purpose is identified, then there is nothing to which the mission is tied and it can drift, be ineffective, and ultimately fail.
Sunday, July 10, 2016
A Question Entertained
A friend, who has been reading these posts, asked me, "Okay. But how do I create a personal purpose statement for myself?"
Here, at the beginning, I am confronted with a choice. Does the blog include "how-to" bits? If not, then what should I do with the "how-to" requests? My initial intent was that the blog should be a forum to spark questions, but not to answer them. I thought to provide another forum for the "how-to" pieces. That forum does not yet exist.
I will continue with my original intent unless it becomes untenable (i.e., I am overwhelmed by "how-to" requests). Yet, because the "how-to" forum does not yet exist, I will pay attention to the "how-to" questions but not treat them at any length.
The process (yes, process) to craft a personal purpose statement is not about the statement itself so much as it is about self-discovery. The process, briefly, is outlined below.
INVENTORY
The first step in the process is to identify myself. That means I examine myself--who do I believe I am? What do I think I believe? What do I think is important to me? What do I think I value? Who do I think I value? These are "what" questions. It is, in a sense, the taking of an inventory of what comprises me. Paper and pen (or digital format and keyboard) are in order. There are plenty of sources to assist in this process--none that I will mention specifically lest it be taken as either an endorsement or as the only available and worthwhile resources. This step needs to be thorough, and the list created complete.
REDUCTION
The second step is reduce myself to my core self. I do that by asking "why" questions and making adjustments based on the answers. If I believe the moon is made of green cheese, why do I believe that? This step requires complete honesty. It can be uncomfortable, unsettling, even brutal. In truth I may not be able to state why I believe the moon is made of green cheese, or if I can then the "why" may be embarrassing to admit (even to myself). In this process I may find discomfort so intense that it forces me to make some change on the spot. I may abandon some things I thought I believed or valued once I understand why I believed or valued the particular thing. Other things may be adjusted. The face-to-face realization that some things that I hold dear do not survive scrutiny, and/or the process of letting go, can be unsettling or even painful.
The object of this reduction step is to reduce who I am to my core. When I peel away the things that do not survive scrutiny, I am left with the things I cannot peel away--my core. Again, I should make note of who my core is.
IS MY CORE WHO I WANT TO BE?
When I reduce myself to my core, I need to ask whether that person I am is the person I want to be. This means, of course, I should know who I want to be. The "who I want to be" is the basis for my personal purpose statement. Unfortunately, I find I cannot articulate "who I want to be" until I get a clear picture of who I actually am.
CHANGE
Finally, I need to make changes to become the person I want to be.
Speaking for myself only, when I go through this process (and I do periodically) I always see that my perception of myself is often wrong, and sometimes significantly wrong in very significant areas of my life. The process is never easy and is often unpleasant, and sometimes painful. It is comfortable to be self-unaware.
Here, at the beginning, I am confronted with a choice. Does the blog include "how-to" bits? If not, then what should I do with the "how-to" requests? My initial intent was that the blog should be a forum to spark questions, but not to answer them. I thought to provide another forum for the "how-to" pieces. That forum does not yet exist.
I will continue with my original intent unless it becomes untenable (i.e., I am overwhelmed by "how-to" requests). Yet, because the "how-to" forum does not yet exist, I will pay attention to the "how-to" questions but not treat them at any length.
The process (yes, process) to craft a personal purpose statement is not about the statement itself so much as it is about self-discovery. The process, briefly, is outlined below.
INVENTORY
The first step in the process is to identify myself. That means I examine myself--who do I believe I am? What do I think I believe? What do I think is important to me? What do I think I value? Who do I think I value? These are "what" questions. It is, in a sense, the taking of an inventory of what comprises me. Paper and pen (or digital format and keyboard) are in order. There are plenty of sources to assist in this process--none that I will mention specifically lest it be taken as either an endorsement or as the only available and worthwhile resources. This step needs to be thorough, and the list created complete.
REDUCTION
The second step is reduce myself to my core self. I do that by asking "why" questions and making adjustments based on the answers. If I believe the moon is made of green cheese, why do I believe that? This step requires complete honesty. It can be uncomfortable, unsettling, even brutal. In truth I may not be able to state why I believe the moon is made of green cheese, or if I can then the "why" may be embarrassing to admit (even to myself). In this process I may find discomfort so intense that it forces me to make some change on the spot. I may abandon some things I thought I believed or valued once I understand why I believed or valued the particular thing. Other things may be adjusted. The face-to-face realization that some things that I hold dear do not survive scrutiny, and/or the process of letting go, can be unsettling or even painful.
The object of this reduction step is to reduce who I am to my core. When I peel away the things that do not survive scrutiny, I am left with the things I cannot peel away--my core. Again, I should make note of who my core is.
IS MY CORE WHO I WANT TO BE?
When I reduce myself to my core, I need to ask whether that person I am is the person I want to be. This means, of course, I should know who I want to be. The "who I want to be" is the basis for my personal purpose statement. Unfortunately, I find I cannot articulate "who I want to be" until I get a clear picture of who I actually am.
CHANGE
Finally, I need to make changes to become the person I want to be.
Speaking for myself only, when I go through this process (and I do periodically) I always see that my perception of myself is often wrong, and sometimes significantly wrong in very significant areas of my life. The process is never easy and is often unpleasant, and sometimes painful. It is comfortable to be self-unaware.
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