BUSI 409 Week 2 Discussion Board Forum 1 Replies Example

Discussion Board Forum 1 Replies: Nonprofit Governance

BUSI 409 Nonprofit Management and Governance, Discussion Board Forum 1 Replies

Thread by [Student Name]

The two classmates and their threads are composites; the textbook, research and Scripture cited are real, and textbook locations are given by chapter because page numbers differ between printings.

Reply to Victoria

Victoria, your essay argued that a nonprofit should recruit board members mainly for their ability to give or raise money, and you are right that many organizations depend on board giving. Worth (2017), in Chapter 4, notes that resource development is one of the board's core responsibilities. I would suggest, though, that money is only part of what a board needs.

Brown (2005) found that board competencies such as contributing to strategy and understanding the organization's environment were associated with stronger organizational performance. A board made up only of generous donors may lack people who can read a budget critically, understand the community the nonprofit serves or ask whether programs achieve their mission. A food bank, for example, benefits from a donor, but also from someone who knows logistics and someone who has experienced food insecurity and can speak to the clients' needs.

Paul pictures the church as a single body whose many members each serve a different purpose (English Standard Version Bible, 2001/2016, Romans 12:4-5). A board works the same way: its strength comes from members whose different gifts serve one mission. A recruitment plan that lists the skills the board lacks, and then seeks candidates who bring them, follows that principle. Givers remain essential, but they are one gift among several, and a board that values only money may discourage capable people who cannot give large sums from serving at all. Would your organization consider creating a board matrix that lists needed skills alongside giving expectations, so that both are visible when the nominating committee meets?

Reply to Isaac

Isaac, your essay described a nonprofit where the board chair and the executive director disagree about almost everything, and you concluded that one of them should leave. Worth (2017), in Chapter 5, describes the board-executive relationship as a partnership in which tension is normal, because the board represents the public interest while the executive manages day to day. Some disagreement means the board is doing its job, and an executive who never hears a challenge from the board may be leading without real oversight.

The problem in your example may be structure rather than people. When roles are unclear, a chair can drift into managing staff and an executive can feel second-guessed at every turn. Writing down who decides what, holding regular one-on-one meetings and bringing unresolved issues to the full board rather than fighting them out privately can turn conflict into better decisions. Many boards also adopt a simple rule that the chair speaks for the board only on matters the full board has decided, which keeps one strong personality from substituting for the group. Herman and Renz (2008) also note that boards and executives often judge effectiveness differently, so agreeing on a few shared measures of success can reduce disputes.

Paul urged believers to bear with one another in love, working hard to keep the Spirit's unity through peace (English Standard Version Bible, 2001/2016, Ephesians 4:2-3). Unity in a nonprofit does not mean the absence of disagreement; it means disagreeing in ways that serve the mission. Before recommending that someone leave, would it help to try a facilitated retreat where the chair and executive clarify their roles together?

References

Brown, W. A. (2005). Exploring the association between board and organizational performance in nonprofit organizations. Nonprofit Management and Leadership, 15(3), 317-339. https://doi.org/10.1002/nml.71

English Standard Version Bible. (2016). Crossway. (Original work published 2001)

Herman, R. D., & Renz, D. O. (2008). Advancing nonprofit organizational effectiveness research and theory: Nine theses. Nonprofit Management and Leadership, 18(4), 399-415. https://doi.org/10.1002/nml.195

Worth, M. J. (2017). Nonprofit management: Principles and practice (4th ed.). SAGE Publications.