Posted on 8/25/2019 By Theresa Griffith
Effective board orientation is valuable for new trustees and veteran board members alike. Fitting orientation into already-full board meetings can be difficult, but it is important to take time each year to do so.
Posted on 3/22/2019 By Theresa Griffith
With the right resources, it is possible to run successful social media campaigns without hiring a full-time social media marketer.
Posted on 3/14/2019 By Amy Kardash
What are the top concerns for the future of higher education as identified by board members serving at private, nonprofit colleges and universities across the United States?
Posted on 2/17/2019 By anonymous
The fiscal responsibilities of seminary boards, presidents, and administrators are vast and complex. And for those who want to maintain or improve their school’s financial health, it's sometimes hard to know where to start. Here are resources that may offer some guidance in tending to institutional financial health.
Posted on 2/15/2019 By Amy Kardash
As the diversity of students entering theological schools continues to grow, many school leaders are challenged with mirroring that diversity within their administration, faculty, and board.
Posted on 6/15/2018 By Nikesha Mason
Do you have new (or existing) board members that require orientation? Interested in conducting an assessment of your board's efficacy? Feel as if your board could be communicating or collaborating better?
Posted on 4/26/2018 By Amy Kardash
Executive sessions should be a regular agenda item for every board meeting. Are they at yours? If your board is like many others, perhaps your honest answer is no. Why have an executive session if no pressing issues need to be addressed?
Posted on 11/21/2017 By Signe Bell
At the recent BoardSource Leadership Forum in Seattle, there was a lot of discussion about the results of a recent report, Leading with Intent: 2017 National Index of Nonprofit Board Practices. The report highlights findings related to the composition, culture, responsibilities, and impact of nonprofit boards. BoardSource collects data from chief executives and board chairs and breaks the data down to reveal the differences in responses.
Posted on 8/9/2017 By Emilie Babcox
You may stumble onto a good, or even great, board chair by luck, but it’s not likely. Schools and other nonprofits typically get the chairs they have “grown,” but when there is no advance development, schools tend to get board chairs who are unprepared, untested, and weak.
Posted on 7/10/2017 By Amy Kardash
Who understands your school's finances? The answer should not be "just the CFO." Or even just the CFO, the president, and the finance committee chair. Ideally all board members and senior administrators should have a solid understanding of a school's finances -- and perhaps the faculty and staff as well.
Posted on 4/20/2017 By Amy Kardash
"People act shocked when the usual crises occur and they have no adequate plan."
Why? Perhaps it's because of where we as leaders invest our time. Many of us are so focused on deadlines and day-to-day obligations that we never take the time to plan for crises that may or may not take place.
Posted on 2/23/2017 By Nikesha Mason
Does your school have a strategic plan? Or have you chosen a less formal planning strategy? BoardSource has recently released an infographic that explains the differences between strategic plans and strategic frameworks -- and why boards are increasingly moving towards the more flexible framework model.
Posted on 2/20/2017 By Nikesha Mason
Is your board planning a presidential evaluation soon? In any evaluation process, it is important to consider what you hope to gain -- including the board's (and the president's) priorities and plans. Are you unsure of where to start? The In Trust Center can help!
Posted on 10/6/2016 By anonymous
If a school’s chief executive departs, the board, administration, and staff will know well in advance, right? And they'll prepare for a smooth leadership change, and everyone will remark on how well the transition went, and the next year will be the institution's best year ever. Right?