Upcoming Learning Opportunities
for board members, staff, and volunteers
of nonprofit organizations in South-western Ontario

Executive Directors'
& Nonprofit Leaders' Breakfast

Nathan Garber & Associates and Pillar Nonprofit Network are planning another series of three breakfast sessions in 2010. Aimed at executive directors, managers, and board members, we address current and critical issues in governance and management of nonprofit organizations. More than 40 executive directors and board chairs attended Janet Frood's presentation in February on the board-executive director relationship.

Upcoming sessions are listed below

The Social Change Model of Leadership

Friday, June 4.  7:30-9:30 AM at the Delta Armouries Hotel

"Leadership is a process, not a position. It is accessible and inclusive to all people." What does a nonprofit need from its leader to survive? In a rapidly changing world, there is a need for leaders who are visionaries, innovators and change agents. Balancing the dual action of preserving core values and stimulating progress is key to survival in a culture of continuous change.

This interactive workshop will provide tools to ignite the creation of a high performance climate and a culture of innovation. Learn how to:

• Maximize your team members' leadership capacity;

• Build momentum; and

• Create transformational change.

Presenter: Julie Young-Marcellin, Pillar's new Manager of Consulting Services. She comes to Pillar with an entrepreneurial background and has extensive finance experience through her roles in the corporate and banking world. Her most recent work has been focused on social economy and community development initiatives aimed at building community and reducing poverty. Julie has served as Chair of the London Race Relations and Advisory Council, Chair of the Royal Bank Equity and Diversity Council and Governor with Opportunity International.

See below for information on how to register.

Evaluating Executive Director Performance: The Board's Least Favorite Job

Friday, October 15.  7:30-9:30 AM at the Delta Armouries Hotel

The board's relationship with the executive director is one of the most critical factors in the success of a nonprofit organization yet most boards give it little attention. In many organizations, years go by without any formal review of the CEO's performance. Indeed, if there is one job that boards of directors are most likely to put off, it is conducting a performance appraisal of the executive director.

In this session for board members and executive directors, you will learn about :

• current approaches to CEO evaluation,
• a seven-step process for developing and managing a process for a regular, mutually beneficial performance appraisal.

 This is an ideal workshop for Board Chairs and Executive Directors to attend together.

Presenter: Nathan Garber will draw upon his 40 years of experience in and with nonprofit organization including long service as both a board member and an executive director. He is a consultant and trainer specializing in governance and planning for nonprofit organizations.

Executive Directors' & Nonprofit Leaders' Breakfasts
are sponsored by Citi Cards Canada.

How to register

Cost:  $35 for Pillar members;  $40 for non-members.

To register: Reserve your place by email to education@pillarnonprofit.ca.   Then send payment to: Pillar Nonprofit Network, 251 Dundas St., London, ON N6A 6H9.

Please note: notice of cancellation must be received by seven (7) working days prior to the event date and is subject to a $10 administration fee. After the cancellation date, no further refunds will be available; however a substitute participant will be accepted. No-shows will be invoiced. 

If you are not on my e-mail list and want to be notified about the next breakfast session, send an e-mail to Nathan@GarberConsulting.com

Newest Help Sheets

Strategic Planning Model and Terminology
Strategic planning is notable for the lack of standardized methods and terminology in the field. It is therefore useful to establish operational definitions for terms used in the planning process and to be clear about what elements are included in the strategic plan. This help-sheet describes the strategic planning model developed by Nathan Garber & Associates to help clarify the roles of the board and the management.
Strategic_Planning_Model.pdf

Dealing With a Poorly Performing Executive Director: A Guide for the President
Dealing with the executive director’s performance problems is one of the most difficult jobs for the volunteer president of a nonprofit organization. Although the circumstances will be different for every organization, there are some general steps you can take to prepare yourself to address the problems and come up with solutions. (added April, 2005) Dealing With a Poorly Performing Executive Director

Governance Committee Terms of Reference (revised April 2005)
Many organizations are replacing their once-a-year nominating committee with a governance committee that works year-round to strengthen the board through recruitment, training, and evaluation. I've prepared a sample statement of the terms of reference for a governance committee. Feel free to copy and adapt it to your organization.  Governance Committee Terms of Reference.

Get Ready For Strategic Planning: A Help Sheet
In a rapidly changing world, it is important to have clear goals for our organizations and to regularly review our progress. The steps in strategic planning provide a framework for the board to clarify organizational goals and evaluate different strategies for achieving those goals. This Help-Sheet lists the major steps in strategic planning, focusing on the role of the Board of Directors. Get Ready For Strategic Planning

Board of Directors Application Form
To build a strong and effective board, you must recruit and select volunteer board members with the same diligence you would apply to any other important position. If you have never had an application form for directors, you can use this as a template. Identify the skills you need for your board and modify the form as needed.
Sample Board Application Form.
 

Checklist for the Chairperson:
The chair can make the difference between a successful, productive, stimulating meeting and a frustrating, disappointing, waste of time. Chairing a meeting effectively does not come naturally, but it can be learned through practice and effort. Use this checklist to help your board or committee work more efficiently and effectively.
      Checklist for Chair - html format       Checklist for Chair - pdf format

360 Degree Performance Appraisal
Questionnaire Template:
(revised 2004) A template for creating questionnaires to obtain feedback from board members, sister agencies, funders, and employees. The results can be part of the performance appraisal of the CEO. Applies some principles of John Carver's Policy Governance model.  (Adobe Acrobat format only)  360_degree_questionnaire.pdf

Your feedback on these help sheets and my website is always welcome. Please reply to feedback

Newest FAQ

What is a "Consent Agenda" and how will it make our meetings go faster?

What is the difference between a constitution and bylaws?

How much money should an organization have in a reserve fund?

What is the procedure for handling confidential matters?

Visit our  Frequently Asked Questions Page
for answers to your questions about nonprofit boards and governance.

Presidents' Club

The aim of the Club is that members will be able to effect positive change in the practices of the boards and committees that they chair. Through presentations, reviews of articles and tools, discussions, and e-mail communication with peers and experts, members will be better able to have better meetings, mentor their successors, develop stronger recruitment practices, improve accountability and planning, and create more effective boards.

Membership is open to volunteer presidents, vice-presidents, committee chairpersons and prospective presidents of nonprofit organizations.

The club addresses some of the difficult issues faced by volunteer officers, including

• Improving meeting management
• Strategies for recruiting new board members with the skills your board needs
• Dealing with board or committee members who are not fulfilling their responsibilities
• Recruiting and training your successor
• Evaluating governance models
• Evaluating the Executive Director
• Protecting your organization from liability
• Ethical and legal issues
• Supervising staff members
• Creating financial reports that everyone can understand
• Planning a board retreat Who is it for?

Meeting Format

The club provides face-to-face meetings for people within traveling distance as well as  telephone conference call supported by e-mail for members from other locations.

The format is informal, with topics to be decided by the group. We use case studies, and guest speakers, and collectively consider issues brought by participants. You will receive worksheets, articles and other valuable resources to supplement the sessions.

In order to facilitate discussion, group size is kept to a maximum of 10 to enable you to address the issues most important to you.

When and Where

to allow time for discussion and problem-solving, the face-to-face sessions are approx. 2 hours in the evening, held in London, Ontario.

Exact time, dates and location are set by members. If members wish, we can begin the meeting with dinner (see questions below).

Telephone conference calls are approx. 90 minutes in length.

Cost

 $180 (plus tax) for a six-month membership. Meetings and conference calls are held every two weeks.

For more information

For more information, click here to send me an e-mail. Let me know your name and location. I'll keep you informed of progress.

This Website Chosen for the
Nonprofit Good Practice Guide

I'm pleased to report that this website has been judged by The Dorothy A. Johnson Center for Philanthropy & Nonprofit Leadership  as as one of the most helpful resources on Governance for nonprofits and has been profiled in the Nonprofit Good Practice Guide. The Guide is a project of the Philanthropic and Nonprofit Knowledge Management (PNKM) Initiative, which seeks to capture, organize, disseminate, and promote the use of good practices in the nonprofit sector.