Coaching

Board Membership 101 : What are board members actually responsible for according to law? What does “fiduciary responsibility” really mean? What are the agreements that a Board of Directors should make with each other at the onset of their relationship? What is conflict of interest and how do we responsibly act in accordance with it? In this three part training, we guide you through putting your values into action, how those values intersect with your by-laws, and explore what your administrative activism will look like as a board.

Board Fundraising: Many traditional boards propose a “give or get” dollar amount in order to participate in what is considered to be an executive level of governance work as a board member. We have different beliefs; that there should not be monetary barriers to participation, and that relationship building should be centered in board fundraising, so that board members can be the best public-facing stewards of an organization’s mission as possible. Through the lens of community-centric fundraising principals, we guide boards how to build all facets of of an organization’s resources in partnership with the staff of an organization.

Board Finance : Board-level finance doesn’t have to be mysterious, and you do not need to be a CPA to understand the ins and outs of an organization’s financials! We work to create clarity around what board members should consider when making decisions that impact the budget, and can leave your board with customized templates for consistent check-ins around cashflow that will operationalize transparency and trust-building in your organization.

Board/ED Role Clarity : Building a culture of shared understanding in our collaborative work is the cornerstone of operating as responsible leadership. As we like to say around here, clarity is kind. Many boards we work with are in transition from a working board to a governing board, or operate in a hybrid fashion. This set of trainings and tools aims to clarify: what is the sole responsibility of an ED? What are the boundaries and guidance around those responsibilities that are in the hands of a board to create and monitor? What work do EDs and boards (and maybe even staff) collaborate on? What work should a board handle in closed, executive session only? We aim to answer all of these questions, and leave your board with tools and shared agreements to bring into the future of your collaborative work.

Other topics we advise on but do not have trainings for:

• ED evaluation/review systems and set up

• Creation of bylaws and explanation of bylaws

• Equitable board recruitment practices and on-boarding systems

• Creating systems of transparency and collaboration between boards & staffs beyond the traditional board/ED relationship