October 24 Training with Andy Robinson, Christal M. Cherry, and Dr. Renee Rubin Ross
Guest post by Maryo Gard Ewell
Perhaps your nonprofit governance is working like a charm: you’re finding enough board members who have the time and commitment to consummate the pledge they likely signed at the start of the term.
But, when I worked for the Community Foundation of the Gunnison Valley, I wagered that at least half – and maybe more – of the nonprofits I spoke with raised issues like: The board is too big. The direction has changed but some of the original members have not. Board members just don’t have the time to do what they are expected to do. Some board members would rather be doing programs than governance. It’s hard to find board members in a small valley.
Sound familiar? Well then, the zoom workshop, “Beyond The 501c3” on October 24, 9:00-11:00, is for you!
These three national nonprofit experts have been concerned about these questions for years (well, so has CFGV, but these guys are national experts!). I attended this workshop about two months ago. They began by looking at current realities: increasingly donors would rather give to GoFundMe pages and other such efforts than nonprofits. In two-working-parent-too-much-to-do families, who has the time to serve on boards? They then presented examples of easy tweaks as well as big structural changes (which don’t damage tax-exempt status) for us to consider, being done around the nation.
Some Takeaways
Here are a few takeaways from when I attended the training:
- “What do you get when you cross a worker co-op with a nonprofit? The [W nonprofit] did just that.”
- “The [X nonprofit] tweaked their by-laws so that couples can share a board seat.”
- “The [Y nonprofit] by-laws specify that the board President and Secretary are members of the staff.”
- The [Z nonprofit] divvies up the traditional President tasks among board members. The titular “President” signs things; another person does the agenda and runs meetings; another person coordinates committees.
For another example of how Andy turns conventional wisdom about nonprofits on its head, watch this video for his take on what it means to be a fundraiser.
Intrigued? It’s only $10 (for Gunnison County folks) and $15 (for others in the San Juan region),
More on the Presenters
If you’re curious, here are our presenters:
- Andy Robinson (many of you met him in person a couple years back when he did a highly successful fundraising workshop in Montrose)
- Christal M. Cherry
- Dr. Renee Rubin Ross
Simplified Summary
The article talks about how some nonprofits are facing challenges with their board of directors. For example, some boards are too big, some members don’t have enough time, or the direction of the organization has changed but old members have not. Many people would rather focus on programs instead of governance, and it’s hard to find enough board members in small communities. If these problems sound familiar, there’s a Zoom workshop called “Beyond the 501c(3)” happening on October 24 from 9:00 to 11:00. Experts will talk about solutions like making small changes to board structure or trying new ideas. Some nonprofits are doing creative things, like allowing couples to share a board seat or splitting up the president’s duties. The workshop costs $10 for people in Gunnison County and $15 for others. You can register online, and there will be three expert speakers: Andy Robinson, Christal M. Cherry, and Dr. Renee Rubin Ross.
