charities

Dexterity Consulting is just going through its annual strategic planning review and stakeholder engagement.  As a reader of this blog your ideas, suggestions, input is welcome so that we can provide even better service to our clients.

It has been a busy few weeks - tax season means people are starting to look at their overall wealth plans and laying out their charitable giving plan.  On the upside of this busy-ness is the fact that it looks like philanthropic activities are going up.

Guest Blogger: Amy Lewis is currently completing her Bachelor of Management, with a major in Marketing and minor in Corporate Social Responsibility from University of Lethbridge. Amy has a diverse range communication experience, including marketing, media relations and, event planning. Amy enjoys exploring the variety of options that Marketing and Public Relationspresents.  

Recently I was approached on the street by a well-known charity and was asked to give. The street educators filled in the gaps of my understanding, clarified a few details and answered my questions. They improved my understanding of what the charity did and whom they served.  After their spiel they asked me if I was interested in becoming a regular donor - I wasn’t comfortable leaving financial information with somebody on the street, regardless if they wok for awell-known cause or not, and agreed that a representative could call me.

I just got back from having coffee with a dear friend, Andrea Silverstone, the Executive Director of Peer Support Services for Abused Women.  We were talking about the challenges facing the system that we call the Non-Profit and Charitable Sector.  One of the issues that we discussed was accountabilities (or lack thereof) between non-profit Boards and the Executive Directors. 

I sit on several boards providing services locally and internationally.  Over the years I have come to observe the following:

1. Good Executive Directors leave organizations when there is not a symbiotic relationship between the ED and Board
2. Bad Executive Directors stay when they cannot count on the Board for strategy development, committing to a vision, or when the Board does not hold them accountable for decisions and actions

So how do we solve this dilemma?  It boils down to expectations and communication.  Bill Ryan, one of the authors of Governance as Leadership, states that effective Boards are ones that not only ensure that the organization's mission is being followed, but that they understand how to articulate and direct strategies to fulfill the VISION of the organization.  In essence, good governance is not just about making sure that your by-laws are in order and you have an AGM, but also that you as a volunteer are strategically leading an organization.  "Organization[s] seek to align internal strengths and weaknesses with external opportunities and threats, all in pursuit of organizational impact."

What has your experience been on non-profit boards?  What have you learned about leadership through your Board experience?  How are you aligning your organization to the internal and external pressures of society?

For those who are interested in becoming more effective Board Members, or for Executive Directors who are looking for how to work more effectively with your Board there are several Centres for Non-Profit Management around North America.  Here are a few for you to check out:

• CentrePoint Non-Profit Management - Calgary, Alberta, Canada
• CompassPoint Non-Profit Services - San Francisco, California, USA
• The Dallas Centre for Non-Profit Management - Dallas, Texas, US
• Altruvest Charitable Services - Toronto, Ontario, Canada