Regions celebrated National Nonprofit Day in a fitting way: by gathering leaders from community organizations across the bank’s footprint for the latest Important Insights for Community Organizations webinar.
The Regions Making Life Better Institute®, with leadership from Gina Sian, has been hosting this quarterly webinar series for the last five years to leverage the bank’s inhouse knowledge and experience to provide no-cost assistance for nonprofits in areas where they need it most.
The topic for the most recent session was Partnering with Your Board for Success, and it was clearly a subject that nonprofit leaders are interested in. More than 435 people from 275 organizations registered for the virtual seminar – including Atasha Kelly-Harris, founding president and CEO of Family Roots for Life in Richmond, Tex.
“I found the webinar to be super informative and helpful,” said Kelly-Harris. “I appreciated having various presenters offering different perspectives, each sharing beneficial insights on best practices for nonprofit boards. As a newer nonprofit still working to build a strong team, the information shared was very timely.”
Marcie Braswell, Regions Philanthropic Solutions Executive, and Ty Smith, Private Wealth Management Regional Executive, kicked off the meeting with a helpful overview of board structure and responsibilities.
Board Structure
According to Braswell, the ideal board size is between seven and 15 active members depending on the size of the organization. “The key is that the board must be large enough so that members have diverse skills to benefit the nonprofit yet small enough to function efficiently.”
Braswell provided an overview of standard officer positions and recommended assembling committees to help distribute workload and help build an ownership mindset and deepen engagement.
“Term limits really encourage fresh energy and new perspectives,” Braswell added, and she suggested a two-to three-year term for board members that’s renewable, for six to nine years total service.
Characteristics of a Strong Board
Smith explained the importance of having a board that is mission driven and aligned – with members who buy in and believe in the purpose of the organization. “Nonprofits are doing important work that directly impacts the lives of people in the community,” he said. “Having passionate board members who feel personally connected to that mission and vision is key.”
Other important qualities to consider are members with diverse and complementary skills, who are actively engaged and prepared for meetings. Smith recommends sending out meeting materials well in advance and exploring software solutions, such as BoardEffect or Easy Board.
Other qualities of a strong board include members who are committed to fundraising and revenue development, focused on governance and board development, have clear roles and responsibilities and have a strong relationship with nonprofit leadership and directors.
“It’s great to steer and guide – and provide some coaching and counseling – but we need to let the staff do what they’re great at every day and what makes the organization tick,” he said. “Nonprofit executives are dealing with a lot, so trying to be the best resource you can for them is really important.”
Benefits of a Strong Board
Smith maintained that if the structure and board composition are deliberate and well-rounded, the results are transformative. You have access to expertise and diverse perspectives, stronger fundraising capacity, better financial oversight, stronger credibility and trust from the community and, most importantly, greater organizational impact.
“Funders want to support and be associated with strong organizations,” Smith said. “Likewise, board members want to be associated with and affiliated with strong organizations.
Engagement and Retention
The next segment of the webinar featured a discussion led by Regions Community Engagement Manager Kendra Key. Having served on a number of boards, she is currently a loaned executive for the nonprofit Entrepreneurship Center for Growth and Excellence – and has recently formed her own board of directors.
Key and guest speaker Amanda Storey, executive director of Jones Valley Teaching Farm, began the conversation by acknowledging that boards evolve over time, as the organization changes. Storey encouraged leaders, especially those new to their organizations, to invest time in relationship building and gaining trust with the board members. “Then you can bring them along with you as you look toward the future and begin implementing new ideas and programs,” she said.
Another successful tactic for board engagement for Storey and Key has been board retreats.
“That forum allowed us to start dreaming together and have productive dialog about the impact of the work we’re doing,” Storey said.
Best Practices from a Nonprofit Veteran
Storey shared some important lessons learned in her 10 years leading a nonprofit. She cautioned leaders to avoid a one-size-fits-all approach. Different points of view help you stay centered on mission. “Nonprofit leaders are passionate – that’s our magic – but you need people around you asking honest questions.”
That led to her next piece of advice: Be willing to have tough conversations and admit when you’re wrong.
Storey noted it can be difficult to determine how to involve your board. Her solution has been to tailor reliance on the board members’ areas of expertise and their availability. “As I’ve gotten to know them better and understand their individual roles in the organization, I can pick up the phone and ask for their guidance and support.”
In closing, Storey recommended that nonprofit leaders consider joining the board of another organization.
“Nonprofits can often be competitors for funding, but in practical applications, they can be helpful sources of information. It’s a great way to share best practices.”
Sian was pleased to wrap up another successful Insights webinar, which once again sparked tremendous audience engagement. “Knowledge sharing and learning from each other’s experiences are the most important objectives of our webinars,” she said. “What a gift it was to have our Regions executives and community leaders like Amanda come together to discuss an important topic. It is our hope that this inspires reflection and dialog at the nonprofits who participated so they will continue to partner with their board members for success and growth.”
Find more information about the Regions Making Life Better Institute® at Regions.com.
Regions Philanthropic Solutions delivers customized investment strategies for nonprofits, aligning with their distinct goals and values. See how the team serves nonprofits, endowments and foundations at Regions.com.
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