Quiz: How Engaged is Your Board?

Whether or not your board is engaged is critical to the sustainability of your nonprofit, church or school as well as the impact it makes on the community it serves.   Why?  Because an engaged board that provides direction, inspiration and support to your committees, maximizes their contribution to truly support your organization. At my most recent seminar, we reflected on this.  Talking to the audience prior, many were even wondering what is too much to expect from a board.  Really though, it’s the role of every member of the board to be actively engaged, which shouldn’t be pulling teeth.  

So how engaged is your board?  Get out a piece of paper, take this quiz and let's see what level of engagement your board is at.  

Test Time!

On a scale of 1 to 6,  1 being strongly disagree and 6 being strongly agree, rate the following statements:

1.     Our board members are confident in and actively 
        sharing our story.

2.     Most of our board members actively connect new
        people to our organization.

3.     100% of our board members have toured our
        organization.

4.     Our board members know exactly how they can help.

5.     100% of board members make some kind of financial 
        contribution.

How does your board measure up?

Total up your score and see which range you fit in, below, to find your board's engagement level.  (Drum-roll please)

6-13:   Congratulations! You have a completely functional and engaged board! Your organization is benefiting by the true talents of the board members and they likely feel energized in that they are making meaningful contributions and a positive difference in the world. 

14-21:  Your board is under-achieving. You have half the formula but most likely are not fully benefiting by all the talent and connections that your board members offer.  You may need a little more clarity, and specific direction to get on track.  

22-33:  You have a completely dysfunctional board – but its not the board, it’s the organization.  The board members do not have the direction because they don’t know how to contribute.  They often feel guilty for not doing enough and tired because of a lack of progress.  The organization is not benefiting from the talents and the connections that the board could offer.  And the director is probably overwhelmed and frustrated. 

I hope your board fits into the most engaged category, but if not, there are plenty of simple things you can to do to get your board and committees fired up and fully engaged. Here are some ideas:

3 Ways to Engage Your Board

#1 – Your board needs to feel inspired, and they are only going to get inspired by experiencing the mission through a meaningful and compelling tour where they understand the magic of your organization's work.   Find a time for all of your board members to tour your organization and they can once again be inspired by the hard work your organization is doing so they feel they are contributing in a meaningful way. 

#2 – Provide direction and clear expectations of their role. That means they need to understand the three top priorities of the organization and specifically what they can do to contribute.  Without the direction they need, they will resort to their habits, and chances are that it is simply just reporting.  I’m sure everyone at the table understands the organization needs to raise money, but what are the top priorities and what needs to happen to reach them?

#3 – They need tools that build their confidence in sharing the story.  Don’t assume that they know what to say to people.  Always assume that some of your board members don’t feel confident sharing the story.  When standing in a room of board members, on average I find that maybe only 10% feel confident in clearly articulating their organizations story.  A consistent elevator pitch or case statement will be greatly appreciated by them so they may confidently tell the story.  

Now while those are the 3 things will definitely help, I must stress that it is always important to celebrate the successes as a group in order to build everyone’s confidence and keep momentum strong.  Seriously, pat each other on the back, do a little dance, really celebrate with your board members.   

When your board members are inspired and empowered to contribute, and have confidence, tools and direction to maximize their contribution, they will be effective ambassadors for your organization.

Please share some of your stories and let me know how these strategies work for you.  I’m confident that if you practice these three things and celebrate, you will discover a completely inspired, effective board!