Resources

Intention in Action: Building a Culture of Leadership on Your Board

Nonprofit associations operate at the intersection of mission and complexity, navigating shifting member expectations, volatile policy landscapes, and the enduring challenge of sustaining strong volunteer leadership. In this environment, the quality of a board’s governance has never mattered more. Yet one of the most consequential dimensions of board effectiveness remains chronically underinvested: culture.

Board culture – the shared values, behavioral norms, and expectations that define how leaders show up together – is not the same as governance structure, strategic intent, or board composition. It is something more foundational. It is the operating environment within which all of those elements either flourish or falter. A board with a well designed culture can navigate hard decisions, weather conflict, and maintain alignment through transition.

Developing Your Board Preparation Checklist

Joining a board can be both exciting and overwhelming. To ensure a smooth transition and effective integration within the board, a checklist of needed preparation is essential. Developing this checklist helps board members understand how they and the organization will invest time and resources to prepare them to start as a knowledgeable and active board member on day one of service. For a complete look at the board preparation checklist, check out Vista Cova’s Board Preparedness resources today!

Consider Your Path to Readiness

Developing your board preparation checklist begins with reflection. Consider how you prepared board members in past cycles. Did the new board members feel adequately prepared and informed? Were there any gaps in their understanding that became apparent later on? Collecting and analyzing feedback from past orientations can provide valuable insights and help shape your designed approach for future board members. As you reflect on what a leader for your organization needs to lead, are there steps that should be part of a first phase of preparation before election – the foundation building – and others that should be specifically for those who will be coming onto the board – orientation?

Keep in mind that each board member brings unique experiences and learning styles. A one-size-fits-all approach might not be effective and tailoring the process of preparation to meet the needs of each individual can enhance their engagement in the process and retention of information. This personalization is made possible by clarifying the experiences each new member has had previously and then modifying the preparation checklist for deeper dives vs. quick reminders based on their background. This personalization can also take the form in how the knowledge and skills are transferred, utilizing different media. For example, some members might be bookworms who truly love to study while others may prefer audio learning on the drive to work – where preparation topics could be recorded much like a podcast.

Collaborating with external experts can be particularly beneficial here. As the checklist of foundational orientation items emerge, careful consideration of whose voice is best aligned for each step can elevate the knowledge shared. An organization may be able to tap into past leaders, long standing staff, or even outside experts to each take on different roles and share wisdom and expertise.

Board Preparation Topics

Developing the checklist your organization needs is a continual effort where shifting strategic priorities, cultural indicators, and the specific leaders may mean the list changes on a regular basis. A recent research effort into the topic assessed how 35 different associations addressed this critical annual process. From these interviews, a number of key areas emerged that organizations prioritized:

Nonprofit Governance Fundamentals: Understanding the principles of nonprofit governance is critical. This includes knowledge of legal responsibilities, fiduciary duties, and the roles of board members in ensuring organizational accountability and transparency.

Programs, Products, & Services: New board members should be familiar with the organization’s programs, products, and services. Providing an extensive outline of the work of the association and the impact it has will help board members make informed decisions and effectively advocate for the organization.

Cultural Integration: Integrating into the organizational culture is vital for new members. This involves understanding the values, norms, and behaviors that define the organization, as well as the values of other board members.

Strategic Priorities: Familiarity with the organization’s strategic priorities enables board members to align their efforts with the broader goals. This ensures that everyone is working towards the same objectives, fostering unity and purpose.

For a comprehensive view of this important topic, check out the Board Preparedness guide on Vista Cova’s resources page.

Developing Your Checklist

Joining a board can be both exciting and overwhelming, and a detailed checklist will help ensure that a preparation pathway is intentional, strategic and the leadership transition is smooth. The demonstration of effort will both provide transparency for those coming onto the board with what to expect alongside a tangible representation of what the organization is willing to invest in their success as a leader.

After the foundation and orientation phases are complete, a leader can then share what pieces were best directed and what can be improved for the future. As an ongoing commitment, this preparation effort will strengthen board leaders before they even sit down for their first board meeting.

Strategic Planning in the Age of Disruption

In this Six Degrees of Association conversation, Vista Cova CEO Lowell Aplebaum unpacks why the classic “3-year strategic plan” is fading—and what should replace it: a strategic framework that stays steady as a true north while tactics shift. He shares practical guidance on right-sizing priorities (often 3–4), building a culture that helps leaders say no, and investing in experimentation and learning so governance stays future-focused.

Listen to the episode to hear Lowell’s takeaways on strategy, board culture, and making innovation intentional—and then share it with a leader who’s stuck in the weeds.

Leadership Insights: Silence is not Affirmation

The room was silent. He could hear the hotel staff vacuuming in the hall as he paused. He’d just presented the Big Idea to the board, and they  weren’t  saying  anything. He looked to the Chair who shrugged, looked around the room, and said “Anyone got any questions?” Silence. “Ok then, looks like a ‘go’,” the Chair said, and the group moved on to the next order of business. 

Six months later, there are problems, big problems with the Big Idea. In a heated discussion among the Board, the Chair Elect says “I never agreed to that…”

Uggh. How many Executives and Board members take silence as agreement in moments just like these?

What if we flip our narrative and acknowledge silence as the absence of any indication of whether or not a group is on the same page; that interaction and response are necessary for there to be a partnership and common understanding on an issue. Dialogue can be an uncomfortable thing to ask for, especially if a group is not used to providing it, yet it is critical to fulfilling the board’s duty of care. With each issue presented, the board can articulate a variety of responses, each of which can help inspire additive learning and engagement with the issue under consideration. Having a vocabulary to use for these responses can help Board members articulate where they are on an issue in a neutral way. We suggest asking board members to articulate where they stand using one of the following terms:

Reservation is an indication of deep concern. The person responding with reservation should be encouraged to articulate, with specificity, the concerns they have so the Board can engage in further exploration of the issue.

Clarification is an indication more information is needed. The person responding with clarification may be unsure of the path forward or need more information to feel confident the path is the correct one for the organization.

Confirmation is an indication of support for the decision. The person responding with confirmation is supportive of the direction being proposed.

Affirmation is an indication of strong support for the decision. The person responding with affirmation is an advocate of the issue and can be relied upon to be an ambassador for communicating in support of the issue outside of the boardroom.

As your board uses this language to express their stance on an issue, the presenter of the issue can respond with inquiry and further information, or know they have the full support of the board to move forward.

There is an additional fifth dimension that should remain be used with some frequency – Celebration. Too often, we withhold positive affirmation on accomplishments until the ‘end’ of an initiative. By encouraging leadership to recognize and celebrate iterative accomplishments – steps along the way – you establish a positive mindset of progress. These small, regular celebrations also make the hard conversation when an item goes off track easier since a baseline of recognition has been built.

Some organizations put these response options on their board agenda – and other laminate them onto a card for use at each meeting. No matter the methodology, structuring response options clarifies the key responsibility of partnership in input and resource commitment that a Board needs to fulfill. Without their voice, without their input, silence serves not as an affirmation of direction but as an abandonment of governance responsibility. 

Beyond Board Orientation

Article Co-Authored by Lowell Aplebaum & Trevor Mitchell

Our organizations are incredibly lucky. Year after year we have caring, committed members who are willing to give up a significant piece of their life to serve at the highest levels of leadership. These leaders are entrusted with the highest levels of responsibility – and the ultimate ability for an organization to advance its mission by evolving in a meaningful direction while ensuring fiscal and legal stability has a high correlation to the organizational fluency these leaders possess.

It is not surprising that many Board members come to service with gaps in knowledge and understanding – whether it is organizational background, current governance structure and flow, their capacity as a strategic thinker, or even their own responsibilities. These dedicated volunteers may be experts in their respective field, have dynamic backgrounds that can provide the range in perspective that can help a Board make better decisions – but it is rare that they come with the kind of depth of executive-nonprofit-volunteer knowledge that they need to succeed. The ubiquitous solution is Board Orientation – and though it is a step in the right direction, it is all too rare to find the Board leader who emerges running at full steam.

In part, a contributing factor is likely that we solely focus on orienting NEW Board members without also embracing that every time new volunteers join a board, it is a whole new Board – and that this new group as a whole could benefit from connection/learning/team building activities.

As we reflect on what it could take to help Board members function at excellence from their first day of service, here are just a few options to consider:

Current common approaches to Board preparation and management mastery:

  • Provide a Board Reference Guide – a manual or book or set of resources that have documents, definitions, and templates to aid a Board member coming into service. If a guide is meant to serve as an ongoing reference tool, they should be indexed so that the relevant section to any situation that arises can be easily referenced. Finally, expectations should be clear what parts need to be read as a Board member starts, which are for future reference, and which – if any – parts should be re-read annually by Board members for reminder/reinforcement.
  • New Board Member Orientation – Usually a workshop -type session or retreat that will orient a Board member further to an organization and, more specifically, what the duties of a Board member are. Depending on what additional components, as outlined below, are included in helping a Board succeed, the orientation goals and agenda will vary to some extent from organization to organization. 
  • Position Mentorship – Many organizations will connect incoming/outgoing officers, assuming that by assigning mentor/mentees that there is clarity in the knowledge to transfer. The power of these relationships comes to play not just in what is shared before a new Board member is in office, but in the mentor serving as an ongoing resource and sounding board during service. When these mentor matches transition from information transfer to co-leadership development, this can be a truly meaningful approach.

Governance excellence includes the above, while also possibly including:

  1. Pre-Election Organization & Board Responsibility Orientation – Ideally, anyone running for the Board should go through a two-part preparation series. One is an in-depth orientation to the pieces of the association that any Board member should know, making sure they can talk about most aspects of the organization with some fluency. Some pieces may include:
    • In-depth review of the governance flow chart – which entities exist and how they are connected.
    • Comprehensive review of programmatic investments and priorities of the organization – while Board members don’t need to DO everything in the organization, they should be aware of what is being done so that they can make the proper resource investment decisions.
    The second is a greater, in-depth understanding of what it means to serve as a Board member for this organization – from tactical responsibilities (meetings, appearances, thought leader contributions, etc.) to board culture definitions and commitments. At the end of this, every candidate can sign an agreement to fulfill these commitments as part of their service to the organization – setting a minimum threshold standard for Board service.
  2.  Full Board Orientation – Though new board members may need a greater orientation to service, every time boards rotate members, there should be a full board orientation to the team, leader perspectives, and the direction ahead. Full board orientation can include a review of the current state of the union of the organization, what strategic vision, plan, and guidelines are in place, key factors of disruption or opportunity in the environment, and any places of Board input for strategy needed to guide the organization at the start of a new term.
  3. Clarity in Board Listening – Board members serve to represent a full membership – not just single segments that may speak to their own background. A clear line of approaches available where Board member can (and should) throughout the year connect with varied member perspectives to enhance and expand their own will broaden the voice they can bring to key organizational discussions and decisions.
  4. Ongoing Learning in Nonprofit Governance Excellence – Orientations of any variety should be the start and not the end of how we help board members succeed. A monthly sharing of resources for their review, inclusion of a few minutes on regular board agendas to share a key insight, even mentorship of leadership to those in pipeline, can all provide further depth of knowledge to those who need to be the governance Jedi’s for their organization.
  5. Practice Having a Strategic Mindset – Board members are charged with setting the direction and monitoring the environment to keep the organization moving forward. We spend time educating ourselves and boards to be strategic thinkers during strategy-setting processes. We expect these board members to carry this knowledge through their term but tend to fall short in this area. It is more comfortable and more natural for individuals to fall into operational mode. Being strategic, even when you know how to do something, can be a challenge. Providing a quick reference guide that board members use regularly, can continue to reinforce the strategic mindset. This may include:
    • A reminder that questions generally beginning with what or why can lead to strategic discussions while questions beginning with who, how, when, where are more focused on the implementation.
    • Providing them with sample questions to ask of themselves and others can aid being strategic focused. An example might be are you looking to understand or solve the issue? Looking to understand will provide a deeper understanding to discuss future impact whereas looking to solve is focused on the short term.
  6. Focus on Future Succession – Board members are responsible for the long-term stability of the organization. Many times, this is manifested in revenue and members. We often forget about the future leadership of the organization until the next election cycle rolls around. Successful board members begin looking for potential successors from the very beginning, engaging them in various processes, and finding a way to bring them on when they are ready. 

Remember Gratitude

In the best of circumstances, moments of change can cause stress and anxiety as we face unforeseen circumstances and build a new normal. In this moment of societal shift, when it feels like change is emerging multiple times a day, organization after organization has shifted into rapid response mode – adapting how they work, how they organize, how they create solutions their members and industries need for the world today. In the midst of all the just-in-time action being taken, an important element will add sustainability to heightened-need times – gratitude.

Staff – If you had a snapshot of your staff 3-4 weeks ago and your staff this week – how many things would look different? Have they had to transition work space and environment to create an ‘office’ in their home? The daily strength they drew from their colleagues – are they adapting to try and find it virtually? Has need shifted such that they are working early mornings? Late nights? Weekends? How many of them are wondering about job security? Perhaps this isn’t a moment where Starbucks gift cards are the best answer (though Krispy Kreme is still delivering!). How are you structuring genuine, regular gratitude? Some examples:

  • Message from the Chair – Have your Chair record or write messages to the membership about the efforts of the organization, acknowledging and expressing gratitude to the staff as they do so.
  • Meaningful member stories – If your organization has pivoted to provide solutions your members need to survive/thrive today, try to find at least one such example of impact each week and invite the member to a video staff meeting to tell their story for a few minutes. Hearing how their efforts are making impact is priceless for raising morale and reminding staff of their value.
  • Thank you notes – Old school, it’s true. Yet, the C-suite writing hand written notes of thanks (sent via postal mail in a time of physical distancing) to staff for what they have been doing shows their efforts are seen and appreciated.

Volunteer Leaders – If volunteers are normally the backbone of our organization, they have become the exoskeleton in these times. More than ever, our organizations are relying on them to feed real-time insight into what is happening on the ground floor while concurrently serving as the voices of organizational direction and stability to the membership, to the industry, and to the public. On top of that, many are stepping up to take on additional volunteer responsibilities to adapt association offerings in this moment of high-disruption. Some examples of recognition:

  • Recognition of the individual – As new efforts emerge, whether they are fully developed actions, initiatives under development, or insight inquiries, organizations can directly tie recognition  to the volunteer(s) who are contributing. Acknowledge names and roles instead of just subsuming volunteer effort and labeling it as the efforts of the organization.
  • Board as Chief Recognition Officers – Acknowledging peer to peer recognition is powerful. Organizations can tally which volunteers/volunteer groups are making far-reaching efforts each week, and assign gratitude lists to each Board member. Each Board member is asked to send a brief note/video/message to say thank you to the individuals on his/her list.
  • Space to recognize and process – Knowing that volunteers have taken a larger share of the burden these past few weeks, create an every-other-week Zoom-check-in just for volunteer leaders. It is a way to say thank you, and for volunteers to feel that they are part of a unique and meaningful community while continuing to share important insights about what they are seeing with each other and the association.

Members – In these extraordinary times, we know it is not business as usual. Within our very membership, there are those members or member companies who may be going above and beyond to contribute to the community or to society. This is a key moment to highlight those making efforts to help and aid others. The story of the organization is the story of its members – individual narratives of dedication and helping others further expands the perception of the association as a place of strength in trying times.

Solution Partners – We know with the shift of our meetings, conferences, and trade shows, the very nature of how solution providers have been able to connect with potential customers through the organization has shifted. As associations pilot new approaches to create these meaningful connections, solution providers contributing during these rocky times – sponsoring learning, providing knowledge from the field, etc. – can be recognized for stepping up and encourage others to do the same.

To close – a peek behind the curtain – my inspiration for this article has come from my conversations and observations with dozens of associations over the past week. The awe I feel at how each is rallying their strength to embody the purpose of associating. Together, there is power to overcome, succeed, and thrive. And in that observation, the gratitude I feel for the mission and work of our industry.

Associations Creating Community

In this podcast Lowell says it is essential for association members to feel like they belong and have the space to talk with one another in micro-communities. Many association leaders forget what it was like to be a new member and feel the need to identify association volunteers to emulate. When volunteers spend time working on problems together, that can be a powerful force toward building community. Lowell says members also need to develop a competency in listening to be able to be productive together. He says a critical distinction is whether your organization is creating things for your members or with your members. Lowell says he also has learned how important it is to have the right volunteer leaders who can create community, especially through diversity and inclusion. Another important point is to recognize that community is not just about bringing in new members, but also recognizing the members who have been loyal to the association for decades, and to mix new and long-time members. Lowell says the bottom line is that people join associations to meet and connect with other people to help solve problems.