Board/Executive Director Tensions This article was originally published on July 27, 2015, and has been updated. In any traditional workplace, some level of conflict or tension is bound to arise at some point. Often, this workplace conflict occurs between the board of directors and the executive director. It should be no surprise that when power is shared there is tension - and the board of directors’ oversight role brings a level of tension to the board/executive director relationship because of the fundamental sharing of power at…

An interesting theme ran through several conversations I had over the past few weeks … people were frustrated in volunteer roles, or non-profit leaders couldn’t figure out how to engage volunteers. Oddly, the frustrated volunteers were exactly the type of people the other group was looking for. After spending a significant amount of time in the non-profit sector and working with military reservists and cadets, I saw several very comprehensive programs established to effectively lead volunteers. Quite frankly those efforts kept those who didn’t know how…

Boards of Directors have been the subjects of many conversations lately. A close friend working with an agency that funds & supports not-for-profits told me that Board of Directors/Executive Director relationships are at an all-time low. Simultaneously I am hearing from more and more people who are disappointed with their involvement as Board members. Why? In my opinion, there are a couple of reasons for this: Recent Federal legislation impacting Charities have raised the legal & fiduciary responsibilities of Boards and individual Directors. Therefore, people on Boards…