How Can Staff Enhance and Contribute to Board Meetings

The role between staff and volunteer board members is not always clearly defined in nonprofit organizations. In fact, for very small organizations, or all-volunteer organizations, the individuals who sit on the board may do the bulk of the work in order to accomplish the services or programs. Creating healthy boundaries and providing for good working structures can make it challenging to know how best to include or incorporate staff into the board meetings, even though staff input may be very important.

For mid-size and larger nonprofit organizations, the only staff participation at board meetings may come from the executive staff (an executive director and/or chief financial officer.) While this IS important and the staff does help to keep the board informed, the board might benefit from interaction with other direct or program staff as well. Additionally, it can be important for the board to remember that while they are ultimately responsible for the organization, they do not actually have staff governance responsibilities (except, in most cases, in the hiring and oversight of the executive staff member.)

Consider that the executive staff can help by providing necessary information in terms of finances, overall program reports and letting the board of directors know what sort of "business" needs to be tended to at each board meeting. The executive staff should not really be charged with taking notes or providing minutes (this is what the board secretary is for) but they can help with disseminating information and making sure that everyone gets the same information.

Board meetings and board performance can be enhanced by other staff involvement as well, but care should be taken to make sure that proper avenues are established. For example, there is a difference between a program director being invited to give a report to the board at a meeting about program particulars and a staff member going around the executive staff to complain to a board member about policy. Invite and include direct line and program staff in the job of keeping the board informed and interested. By providing avenues for reports and program information, it can help the board members feel more connected and take ownership in the realities of the organization's work.