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25 Things You Can Do !
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Get the best people on the board - recruit effectively, defining your expectations with a written board job description.
- Orient and train all board members about their roles and responsibilities...more than once.
- Hold regular strategic planning sessions to guide the annual plan of work for board and staff.
- Develop only those committees required to carry out the annual plan of work.
- Ensure mission-driven decision-making to prevent mission drift.
- Participate in annual best practices check-ups for management, fiscal policies, human resources, resource development, messages and marketing, programs and services.
- Ensure sustainability through diversified revenue sources, including earned income.
- Be current with the importance of social media for resource development, messaging and programming.
- Apply business management principles such as market research, costing analyses, sales and business planning to strengthen your tax-exempt business skills.
- Invest in training for board and staff to keep your organization on a growth track.
- Aggressively seek opportunities to collaborate with other organizations to enhance your ability to serve your mission.
- Review IRS 990 requirements and disclosures with all board and key staff.
- Be visible! Join appropriate professional organizations and be an active member.
- Perform year-end reviews of all policies and procedures to ensure they are current with best practices and legal requirements.
- Review bylaws. Follow them or amend them.
- Review progress on strategic plan and set date for 2011 update.
- Houseclean! Rotate and archive files (paper and computer).
- Perform a cost:benefit analysis on every fundraising activity. Strongly consider replacing those that are too costly to continue.
- Make a reading list of organizational improvement books for key staff and board.
- Perform a board self-evaluation and identify ways to improve.
- Set up a Face Book page, a LinkIn page...and actively use them.
- Investigate potential cost-saving programs by through shared purchasing with other nonprofits.
- Get to know your legislators, municipal officials and other influential elected officials. Lobby them. Educate them.
- Reduce your training budget by investing in webinars and collaborative training opportunities.
- Take a well-earned vacation!
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Diversify and Build Your Capacity
Now more than ever, most nonprofits must learn how to diversify their revenue through earned income. While social enterprise may not be the magic bullet (but it just might be) it is a critical tool in the tool box of successful and independent nonprofits. Want to learn more about how to become a successful social entrepreneurial organization? Contact me today to take advantage of a free information webinar. You will learn what social enterprise is - and isn't - the 7 critical skills to develop a business plan for earned income, and how to take advantage of the training in social enterprise from Social Enterprise Ventures LLC - my other training and consulting company. Visit SEV to learn more or contact Jean at SEV today to get started on social enterprise.
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The ABCs of Building Better Boards