When a Nonprofit Board Is Rubber Stamping Decisions: What should we do?

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 discussions.

Would a stay-in retreat help enliven the board? One afternoon once per year to do a deep dive into a single topic can sometimes revive a board’s enthusiasm.

Finally, would a board self-evaluation be beneficial? Board members should regularly reflect on their time available to board service. Oftentimes, Board members feel obligated to stay on the board because they think no one else will join. When this is the case, it is time to strengthen the board recruitment strategy.

Nonprofit boards move beyond rubber-stamp governance by encouraging thoughtful questions, investing in reflection and retreats, and continually renewing board engagement through evaluation and recruitment.