A group of local board and staff leaders met in Brattleboro for Growing Better Boards with Anne Lezak of ADL Consulting. The workshop wrapped up Common Good Vermont’s 2010 Road Show! Anne serves as a grantwriter, consultant and board member to a host of organizations in the Rutland area and participates in an innovative and successful board development program that helps to build the leadership capacity of the region.* Watch the video of this presentation.

Anne started by outlining the key responsibilities of board members:

• Presence - Show up reliably to meetings and board work
• Passion – Set the vision and be an ambassador
• Personal Commitment - Give money and time
• Performance - Be accountable and ethical
• Priorities – Keep eye “on the ball”
• Personality – Bring your “best self”

Anne invited participants to talk about their experience and what “goes wrong”–how do boards lose effectiveness? All agreed that a functional and productive board is an essential “leadership team” that secures the present and future of any viable nonprofit. But how to you get there?

A successful board is prepared for its unique developmental stage and its members :

• Set high expectations
• Make hard decisions
• Hold meaningful and well-run meetings
• Stand by their process for decision making
• Work closely with their Executive Director
• Ask others for money, resources and support, and
• Take their work seriously

See the video for the full discussion and follow up with these helpful resources.

Anne Lezak may be reached at alezak’at’comcast.net 0r (802) 775-1695.

RESOURCES

• Board Source
• Compass Point Nonprofit Services
• The Fundraising Habits of Supremely Successful Boards by Jerold Panas
• Great Boards for Small Groups by Andy Robinson
• * Rutland County Board Development Program Contact Chuck Sharpe at uwrc@aol.com