Nonprofit Boards

Some notes about working at a nonprofit with a budget smaller than $100,000

I recently polled subscribers of the Small Nonprofits newsletter about the nonprofits they work for. More than 70% of the respondents said they worked for

Boards should strive to be resilient, not efficient

If you’re like a lot of Executive Directors I know, it’s very like that you are at least a little frustrated with your board. “They always

Let’s have some Real Talk about board terms and term limits

At some point, all boards will struggle with the question of terms and term limits. These are incredibly important questions, but they are often fraught

What does a new board member need to know before joining your board?

Many nonprofits have calendar years that start July 1. That means that you might have some new board members who will be joining the board

Board Member No-Nos

I’ve spent a lot of time on this blog and in my book The Little Book of Boards talking about how board members should act,

The Ten Commandments for working for a board

In my most recent book, “The Little Book of Boards: A Board Member’s Handbook for Small (and Very Small) Nonprofits,” I spend a good deal of

Some notes about disagreement during board meetings

Groups are smarter than individuals. Diversity within a group makes it even stronger. For example, a board with all college graduates is not as smart

The Cheat Sheet for Roberts Rules of Order

Robert’s Rules of Order is the standard manual used during a “parliamentary” meeting such as a board meeting. It is designed so that in every

How to Revise Your Bylaws

Bylaws are often several pages long, and densely packed with minutiae about elections, terms, and more. They’re daunting to tackle, but going through an official

How to be Board President

This post was adapted from Chapter 7 of The Little Book of Boards: A Board Member’s Handbook for Small (and Very Small) Nonprofits. The role

I read The Little Book of Gold and thought it was so awesome, I’m having the rest of my non-profit’s board read it. I feel like reading this has saved me time in not pursuing stuff you think of as non-profit money making. The book is short and concise and worth the read.

~ Michaela Eaves

Board Member, Washington State Animal Response Team