JD Coaching & Consulting

  • Welcome
  • About Us
  • What We Do
    • Executive and Career Coaching
    • Nonprofit Consulting
    • Organization Development
    • For Leadership Teams
  • Our Clients
  • Articles
  • Books
  • Contact Us
You are here: Home / High Performance / Why Board Performance Matters

December 1, 2013 by Jodi Davis

Why Board Performance Matters

Why does board performance really matter? Because success starts at the top, and the organization’s leaders—board members and executive management—are there as guardians of the mission and caretakers who ensure service to their distinct community. In a classic servant-leadership model, each tier of an organization serves the level beneath it so that service reaches the ultimate end user. In the nonprofit world, the end users are the people who receive the benefits and services from these critically important agencies.

Some could argue the duties of today’s boards, particularly in the nonprofit sector, are among the most important in all of society’s work. Nonprofit boards shepherd and champion the least-served in the least-funded arenas: human services, social causes, education, health and the arts.

Yet as fluctuating economic and business conditions affect the philanthropic sector, nonprofits are too often spotlighted on the precarious edge.  Articles about financial mismanagement and other struggles are more prevalent than ever. When there is negative publicity, it affects an organization’s ability to raise funds and achieve programmatic and financial goals. It can also inhibit an organization’s ability to strategically prepare for the future or achieve sustainable performance.

While most boards do a solid job, forward-thinking board members are asking how to measure their performance to ensure they meet their responsibilities and limit their liabilities. In these challenging times, evaluating board performance is not just a concern—it’s an essential principle of good governance and legal and fiduciary responsibility.

Individuals on boards are often successful high achievers. If a board is not functioning at peak performance, board members may become disillusioned and detached. When board members disengage or when they resign, the organization loses not only committed volunteers, but also valuable donors and a link to the financial community.

Today’s challenge for many organizations is to secure both funding and committed board members. In a time of economic scarcity and competitive adversity, nonprofit boards, already inherently challenged, have an intensified need to successfully execute their duties and achieve consistently high performance. Organizational success and board performance are inextricably linked. Board members are your visionaries and your champions—take care of them so they will stay and make sure you achieve your potential.

Share this:Email this to someoneShare on FacebookTweet about this on TwitterShare on LinkedInShare on Google+Print this page

Filed Under: High Performance, Nonprofits

Featured Posts:

Achieve Your Potential with a Coach

Achieve Your Potential with a Coach

No sports team has won a championship without a coach. During the NBA playoffs, Stanley Cup finals … [Read More...]

Is Your Board Working?

Is Your Board Working?

JD Coaching & Consulting produced a benchmark study regarding nonprofit board performance. The … [Read More...]

Five Tips for a Fabulous Résumé

Five Tips for a Fabulous Résumé

Today recruiters are speaking out—they want to see a résumé that is clear, concise, comprehensive, … [Read More...]

Categories:

  • Career (13)
  • Coaching (1)
  • Featured (4)
  • High Performance (13)
  • Leadership (4)
  • Nonprofits (7)
  • Organizational Development (2)
  • Strategic Planning (1)
  • Uncategorized (1)

Archives:

  • April 2020
  • January 2020
  • January 2017
  • August 2016
  • February 2016
  • December 2015
  • August 2015
  • March 2015
  • May 2014
  • April 2014
  • March 2014
  • February 2014
  • January 2014
  • December 2013
  • November 2013
  • October 2013
  • September 2013
  • August 2013
  • July 2013
  • May 2013

Company Profile

JD Consulting and Coaching is an organization development firm that helps corporate and nonprofit leaders, their teams and key contributors improve performance.

Contact Us:

JD Coaching & Consulting
49 North 4th Avenue, #103
Minneapolis, MN 55401

(612) 845.6896
Email Us

Follow Us:

  • 
  • 
  • 

Sign up for our Newsletter