# Presentation: 374586

## Wisconsin Rural Partners, Inc.

- Overview of
- Board Development Training NRDP Meeting, November 2003Kansas City, MO

## WRP Board of Directors and Staff Profile

- 16 members
- Officers:  President, Vice President, Secretary/Treasurer (elected by membership)
- 6 Partner Group Representatives (federal, state, tribal, local, non-profit, for-profit) chosen by caucus of partner group for 3-year terms
- 6 At-Large Representatives chosen by sitting board
- Immediate Past President
- Staff: executive director currently .8 FTE

## Board of Directors Meetings

- Quarterly meetings, usually 3 in-person, one by conference call (Quarter 3)
- Quarter 2 meeting is one day, 10 am – 3 pm
- Quarter 4 meeting is held in conjunction with Annual meeting and/or Rural Summit and includes work plan development
- Quarter 1 meeting (usually December) is an overnight retreat from Noon to Noon with time devoted to a focus area that the Board has priority.
- Also includes informal dinner and networking time

## Elements of Training Process

- Clearly defined objective
- What you need to know and what you are going to do with the new information and skills
- Preparation
- Gather all the pertinent information you will need to put your training to practical use
- Talent
- Find a skilled trainer or facilitator with knowledge of the focus area
- Result
- A process, policy or tool the Board uses to work better

## 1996  - Focus on Board Roles & Responsibilities

- Objective:  As a new 501©3, to ensure widespread commitment and follow-through on Board responsibilities
- Preparation: each member brought materials and experiences they thought relevant to how the Board should work
- Talent:  Nonprofit attorney and advisor assisted Board in framing roles and responsibilities
- Results:  Consensus on roles; orientation materials and policies adopted for regular use

## Orientation Materials

- “Orientation & Job Description” document
- Structure of board and decision-making process
- Meeting attendance and expectations
- Individual Roles & Expectations
- Philosophy of the “Working Board”
- Leadership commitments
- Communications and Processes

## Determining & Understanding Roles: The Progress Triangle

- Lead and Supporting Roles of Board
- Lead and Supporting Roles of Exec Dir
- Lead and Supporting Roles of Members

## Communications

- Agreement on frequency and type of communications
- Development of “Monday Check-Up” faxed news update with calendar, reports, notes, reminders, requests, proposals, “to do” lists.
- Set Board participation policy and remedies for non-participation
- Agreement to include board training annually

## 1996-97Focus on Membership

- Objective:  to determine if our organization was serving the membership well
- Preparation: Conducted a survey of our membership about WRP’s structure, membership, benefits
- Preparation: Polled other SRDCs about structure
- Talent: Hired a facilitator to guide our discussion
- Result: “New and Improved” structure

## 1997-98 Focus on Resource Development 

- Objective:  Develop skills and processes for diversifying revenue sources
- Preparation: 3 Board members and executive director attended “Effective Fundraising” training with intent to bring process back to entire Board
- Talent: Engaged fundraising professional to facilitate and assist with revenue analysis and goal-setting
- Result:  “Integrated Strategy” that tied together revenue goals with membership goals and public relations materials

## 1998-99Focus on Partnership Building

- Objective: Build partnerships with other organizations to avoid duplication of services
- Preparation: Board member and executive director attended Partnering for Results Institute at Johns Hopkins University - NRDP supported
- Talent: Board Member and Executive Director led training exercises using current opportunities specific to WRP
- Result: “Guidelines for Determining Co-Sponsorships” policy adopted by the Board

## 1999-2000 Focus on Team Building

- Objective: to learn more about how to develop effective working groups
- Preparation: Executive Director attended training on developing self-directed work teams
- Talent: Executive Director led “personality profiling” fun exercises for identifying characteristics of self and others to work together
- Result:  Inclusion of “identifying diverse stakeholders” element to Task Group process; adoption of “Collaborative Learning” approach

## 2000-2001 Focus on Future

- Objective: to conduct a thorough review of WRP’s vision, mission, and operations
- Preparation: Board homework - review of WRP’s organizational documents, policies and publications
- Talent:  Invited all previous Board presidents to participate
- Results: Added clause to mission statement; set $ diversification goals; new membership structure

## 2001-2003 Focus on Survival

- Objective: to find a way to keep WRP afloat
- Preparation: An open meeting where WRP members contributed their ideas to develop a “survival strategy”
- Talent: WRP’s members, Board Members and staff.
- Results: A fully integrated work plan and resource development strategy that presents WRP as “The Resource Network for Rural Communities”

## The Resource Network for Rural Communities

- Preserved all functions that are interconnected and that meet our strategic goals of building partnerships across the state
- Standard language and organization chart that is used a basis for grant proposals and talking points
- “Triaged” programs and tasks
- Maintained core and income-producing
- Produced incremental strategies according to resources available
- Dropped or spun-off non-core and non-incremental

## The Resource Network for Rural Communities

- Administrative commitments
- Full-board diversified fundraising campaign
- Reduced staff contract to .6 FTE
- Reconfigured bookkeeping according to revenue streams
- Applied for recognition as “Federally Recognized State Rural Development Council”
- Instituted administrative fees for some programs and services previously gratis
- Reduced outreach and extracurricular activities

## 2003-2004 Focus on Sustaining

- Objective:  to stabilize and augment financial and staffing resources
- Preparation: undetermined
- Talent:  Facilitator skilled in nonprofit development; board member proposals
- Results: ???

## Ongoing Learning

- Board members receive 3-ring binder for materials – agendas, minutes, reports, etc.
- Membership in Society for Nonprofit Organizations nets practical, “how-to” articles that are shared at meetings
- Each year we ask the question ‘what do we need to know?’ and that guides our training

## Board Training Tips

- Make board training a strategic part of your annual plan
- Plan ahead – preparation time may include attending other training to bring back info
- Always connect it to a practical use so your Board can see the results right away
- Make it fun!  Include unstructured social time
- See my binder of exhibits for more info

## The End

- Kelly Haverkampf, Executive Director
- Wisconsin Rural Partners, Inc.
- _[www.](http://www.wirural.org/)__[wirural](http://www.wirural.org/)__[.org](http://www.wirural.org/)_