A strong board team that works with each other is essential for nonprofit organisations to be successful in their mission. However, for many boards working together, it can be a stumbling block to overcome. This article offers tips for building and cultivate a productive collaborative board.
Communication is the key. Make sure to inform new members of their roles and responsibilities. It is crucial to define the roles of each member of the partnership. This will ensure that members actively participate in board meetings, arrive prepared for discussions and fully agree with the organization’s vision and goals. Additionally, it is important to lay out the expectations for financial contributions for current and new members. This will promote a healthy discussion and assist in managing expectations.
Nonprofits have limited resources, staff and skills to accomplish all that they wish to accomplish. Collaborating with other nonprofits can enable them to reach a wider range of people and create a greater impact than they could on their own. However, nonprofits must carefully consider the projects they decide to collaborate Board Portal on and make sure that all parties benefit. This will facilitate positive outcomes and result in win-win-win situations.
In the previous example, Family Focus and CYC were successful in leveraging their individual resources to deliver more services. This enabled both organizations to expand their reach and assist more families without increasing their budgets. It also allowed CYC and Family Focus to refer new clients. This partnership resulted an increase in the number of families served and a bigger social change than either of the organizations could have made on their own.