One of the key responsibilities of board members is to ask the right questions of the organization they serve. By doing this, and understanding how the answers shape the organization's impact, they can help the organization succeed.
What are the right questions for board members to ask? Let's start with these:
- What is our organization's mission? Ideally, all board members should be able to quote and/or clearly articulate the mission, vision and values of the organization.
- What are our key programs and services, and who do they serve? Understanding and even experiencing what the work of the organization actually is can provide valuable insight to board members.
- What is my role in the sustainability of the organization? Yes, we definitely want board members to understand what their financial commitment is (and, yes, there needs to be a financial commitment), but we also want board members to contribute by being ambassadors of the organization and sharing their enthusiasm with others.
If you as a board member aren't asking these questions, you should be. And if you are a board chair or CEO, you should be encouraging the asking of these questions and providing the answers so that board members are clear about their role on the board.
Please be in touch with me to discuss your board and how board service can have maximum impact.