January 2019 – Rick Szilagyi, Principal
Probably no single nonprofit topic has received more advice and commentary than the relationship between the Board of Directors and the Executive Director / CEO. Below, I will share three recent articles, and give my own opinions, as well.
Distinct Roles Are the Answer
One school of thought, presented in Nick Price’s “Role of an Executive Director in Board Management” article, is that the organization benefits most when the board chair and the E.D. each know their distinct roles. Successful governance requires accountability and, therefore, clean lines need to be drawn. This means that written “job” descriptions are in order; however, as Price does clarify in the linked article, there are organization to organization differences.
So, Maybe Distinct Roles Are NOT the Answer
Another school of thought, detailed in Mary Hiland’s “Effective Board Chair-Executive Director Relationships” article, is that strong relationships founded on trust are greater predictors of success for the board, the E.D., and the organization, than clearly defined roles. Hiland summarizes that it is most effective for each party to consider their strengths and interests, and empower each other in productive efforts.
What We Have Found
As both of the authors cited above mention early in their articles, “one size fits all,” seldom holds true. While we agree there are a few basic, over-arching responsibilities on each side, nonprofit organizations are dynamic entities. Boards and committees change, to the extent that Nonprofit A may accomplish its work in 2019 in very different ways than it did just a few short years ago.
Between the board and the E.D., there should be a vast amount of management experience. While my favorite definition of management, is “decision-making,” a more nuts-and-bolts view is that management is the utilization of resources to get things done. Hiland advises us to consider strengths and interests. As the personnel on boards and committees change, so do the strengths and interests of these entities. The skilled E.D. is going to recognize this and help the board’s Chair or President orchestrate actions to best utilize this dynamic.
But Certainly, There Are Some Clear Lines
There are. Leigh McKinney’s article, “Nonprofit Governance: Board and Executive Director Roles,” does a good job of delineating these roles in the areas of mission, money, programs and people, even putting key points into chart form. If I may attempt to sum-up the overall gist, it is that the board is responsible for reviewing and approving work that is presented by the E.D., or doing so in conjunction with the E.D. And the E.D. has the responsibility of seeing that approved plans are executed appropriately. Finally, McKinney echoes Hiland: Trust is key.
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