Issue No. 11 of Your Weekly Staff Meeting features The Board Bucket and The Budget Bucket. Do your team members understand the role of both non-profit and for-profit boards? Patrick Lencioni, who wrote the foreword to this week's book, quotes the author, "a greeter at Wal-Mart gets more orientation than most board members ever do."
Here Are 7 Disciplines On Board Governance
"Boards do not ask for or accept recommendations—a recommendation is a decision in disguise. Boards DO ask people to bring options with pros and cons so they can make an informed decision," writes Jim Brown in his new book, The Imperfect Board Member: Discovering the Seven Disciplines of Governance Excellence.
With big print, mind-grabbing graphics and a story line in the tradition of Ken Blanchard and Patrick Lencioni books, you'll value the author's seven disciplines in this leadership fable about business boards, nonprofit boards and faith-based boards.
Example: "The best boards keep their noses in the business and their fingers out!" Brown warns, "The only way a board can responsibly do its job without meddling is by monitoring very well." Buy a bunch and give a copy to each board member and senior executive on your team.
Visit Jim Brown’s website and subscribe to One Minute to Better Boards
The Imperfect Board Member: Discovering the Seven Disciplines of Governance Excellence
Your Weekly Staff Meeting Questions:
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1. Yikes! There’s a negative article in the Wall Street Journal (or our local paper) about our ministry. What needs fixing here BEFORE the press finds out?
2. For ECFA Members: Here’s a quick review of what it takes to remain an ECFA member in good standing.
3. For Non-Members: Is it time for us to join ECFA?
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Insights from the Management Buckets Workshop Experience
Should your fundraising costs be calculated as a percentage of total income or contributed income? How do your fundraising costs compare with other organizations? Since many organizations are in their annual budgeting cycle this month, it’s a timely topic for your management team.
Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability (ECFA) has a massive list of articles on financial issues for nonprofit ministries and churches at their member website, www.ecfamembers.org. Read “How Much for Fund-Raising? Myths About Ministry Efficiency” and “ECFA Standards and Best Practices.”
A front page Wall Street Journal article on Oct. 30, 2006, “How Rusty Leonard Watches Over Donors to TV Ministries” described Wall Watchers’ interaction with Joyce Meyers Ministries. Yet the writer failed to identify the core issues around fundraising costs.
Unfortunately, the rating system used by Wall Watchers (in my opinion) is seriously flawed. I agree with ECFA that ministries live in an apples and oranges world. It’s a growing issue. You’ll need to get better at articulating transparency and accountability matters to your donors.
In our Management Buckets Workshop Experience, we hone in on the seven deadly sins to avoid in The Printing Bucket and offer some friendly critiques on your latest newsletters, donor letters and websites
Your Weekly Staff Meeting Questions:
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1. Yikes! There’s a negative article in the Wall Street Journal (or our local paper) about our ministry. What needs fixing here BEFORE the press finds out?
2. For ECFA Members: Here’s a quick review of what it takes to remain an ECFA member in good standing.
3.For Non-Members: Is it time for us to join ECFA?
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Download the Management Buckets brochure
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