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Creating engaged boards key to sustaining small, medium-size nonprofits |
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BoardSource, a research and training organization headquartered in Washington DC, is partnering with the Flint area BEST (Building Excellence, Sustainability and Trust) Project, to develop a multi-tiered strategy aimed at generating heightened engagement and leadership among nonprofit boards that serve Flint and Genesee County, Michigan. This is the first of two articles that examine the leadership training needs of small- and medium-sized nonprofits. The second article, an interview with BoardSource CEO Linda Crompton, will appear online at mott.org the week of July 28, 2008. Speaking to an audience of more than 300 board members and staff of local nonprofit organizations, Crompton was in Flint, Michigan recently to kick-off a project that will draw upon BoardSource's national expertise to determine if intensive board training in a single community can invigorate board service and increase the effectiveness of nonprofit boards. Utilizing the knowledge of BoardSource's national consulting pool, as well as the organization's nationally-recognized trainings, BEST will target up to 50 local organizations for board assessment. "The partnership between BoardSource and BEST seemed an ideal way to explore greater learning for BoardSource while addressing a crucial need that has been identified by our local nonprofit community," Acree said. The partnership initiative is expected to leverage stronger, more engaged boards as well as a greater understanding of the stewardship, leadership and training needs of boards of small- and mid-size nonprofits. According to a recent study by the Urban Institute, there has been a major gap in the nonprofit sector's understanding of the unique governance challenges of the boards of mid-sized organizations, which make up one in five of all nonprofits registered with the Internal Revenue Service.
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