Board members are an important and vital part of nonprofit work. Most board members bring value to nonprofit organizations. They serve on committees, donate money, advocate for the mission on behalf of the organization.
However, there is a dark side to nonprofit work. For too many nonprofit organizations, there is first a challenge dealing with rogue board members who are toxic and self-serving. Then there are also board members who do not make a commitment to financially support the organization.
A rogue board member is one who uses their authority outside of the jurisdiction of the board as a whole board. Often their actions do not serve the better good of the organization, but instead are based on a personal agenda.
More: Guest column: Why donors choose the Cape Coral Community Foundation
The Nonprofit Training Center, a program of the Cape Coral Community Foundation, surveyed leaders of nonprofit organizations. Out of the 100 surveyed, 88 reported having to deal with a rogue board member.
According to nonprofit staff members, rogue board members hurt the credibility of charities because they are no longer fulfilling the mission. They have become self-serving and toxic individuals who micro-manage staff, display adversarial behavior, nitpick the executive director's decisions and try to bully staff and other board members.
How do you fix the first problem of dealing with rogue board members? There are three ways to help nonprofit organizations deal with rogue board members.
1. Directly communicate with the board member.
2. Hold a special committee session to discuss behavior.
3. Remove the board member, even if it is the Board Chair. No board member is above the mission. Be sure your by-laws are up to date and followed to the letter.
For the challenge of board members who do not financially support the organization, the board must make achieving 100 percent giving a major priority. The entire topic of board giving is sometimes awkward for board members and staff alike. Every board sets its own giving policies. Awkward or not, board giving must be discussed and not swept under the rug.
At the Cape Coral Community Foundation, our board members accepted and met the challenge. We are proud of our board members for their 100 percent participation in board giving. There are five reasons why nonprofit organizations should adopt a 100 percent board giving policy.
1. 100 percent board giving adds integrity to the fundraising process.
2. Board members are taking a firm stand behind the organization.
3. Board members should lead by example.
4. Board members are legal custodians of the organization.
5. Many donors and funders insist on 100 percent board giving.
I would like to publicly thank the Cape Coral Community Foundations board members for their generosity. Our board members include: Terry Frith, Juan Gonzalez, Paul Lodato, Bryan Blackwell, Joe Cerino, Phil Deems, Tami Cindrich, Earnest Wilks and Kati Calvo. Our board members are really making a difference for all of us who live and work in Southwest Florida. Thank you for setting an example for our donors, event sponsors, program funders and nonprofit organizations.
Michael Chatman is president & CEO of the Cape Coral Community Foundation, the global center for generosity, and can be reached at michael@capecoralcf.org, on Twitter @michaelchatman. The foundation is located at 1405 SE 47th Terrace, Unit 2, Cape Coral. For information, call 239-542-5594 or go to www.capecoralcf.org
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