Welcome to the Board: Your Guide to Effective Participation
As board member or trustee often you receive little or no instruction as to your role and responsibilities. Your lack of knowledge can lead to misunderstandings, frustration, and ineffectiveness. Unfortunately, most of the publications on the topic are centered on the organization of boards rather than addressing the concerns of you the member. That is, until now.Welcome to the Board is the first book of its kind written with you, the board member, as the focus. If you are a prospective or an active board member, Fisher Howe's book provides you with expert guidance and basic nuts-and-bolts information about board membership. In easy-to-understand, jargon-free language the author answers the most common questions and concerns of prospective board members, outlines the key areas of responsibilities, and details the rights, obligations, and liabilities of nonprofit board members.Howe summarizes the key legal technicalities that you, as a board member, need to know. He details the seven key responsibilities of a nonprofit board member--including how to go about the process of approving the mission, assisting in long-range planning, participating in fundraising, and selecting and evaluating a chief executive. Additionally, Howe dispels the commonly believed notion that running a nonprofit organization is the same as running a business.Drawing on a lifetime of experience on nonprofit boards, the author describes how you, the individual board member, can become active in the various aspects of board governance--evaluating the board's composition, recruiting new members, appointing officers, and participating in meetings--to help your board achieve maximum effectiveness. And he outlines what you have the right to expect from the organization you are serving. The book also explores the leadership role each board member must assume if their organization is to excel. A useful resource section containing information that all board members should know is included.