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Many nonprofit board members generously volunteer their time beyond governance responsibilities. While this support is invaluable, it can sometimes blur an important line — especially when board members begin offering guidance or direction to the Executive Director while volunteering. So where should the line be drawn, and where are the boundaries? The key is clarity: board members may wear multiple hats, but they should only wear one at a time . Understanding these distinct

Nonprofit boards often wrestle with an important question: Should board members communicate directly with donors and clients? The short answer is yes — thoughtfully and strategically. Effective boards build meaningful connections with all of their constituencies, including donors, clients, partners, and the broader community. While every organization defines these relationships differently, successful boards recognize that communication and representation are essential parts

Our nonprofit’s board is rubber stamping everything the committees and Executive Director say. What should we do? This is a common problem in legacy organizations. A great way to address this is have board members each pose a question each meeting for the board to answer, rather than the Executive Director to answer, and listen to see if your fellow board members are engaged. The board’s role is not only to provide financial oversight, but strategic direction and generative d

We have a board member that is trying to micromanage the Executive Director. Help! This is common for board members who’s past experience has been in grassroots organizations with no staff. This is an issue for the Chair to address. The Chair should make sure that there are no operational issues in the discussion portion of the agenda. The Chair is also responsible for steering the board member back towards the topic at hand. Consider if using a consent agenda would be useful