I recently attended a board professional development session with board members from an association that we manage and I found it a very worthwhile session for both myself and for the board members. It very clearly outlined the roles of, and the relationship between, the board members versus the [...]
Professional associations spend a lot of time strategizing about who they are, where they are going in the future, and creating mission and vision statements for the profession that defines the members that they serve. As a professional association; are you doing all that you can do to protect [...]
How would you know if you are in a conflict of interest? What determines if you are in a conflict of interest? Does it matter if it is a direct and obvious conflict of interest or simply the perception of a conflict of interest? When should you or are [...]
When you look around the meeting room table, you should ask yourself a few questions to assess whether your board size is appropriate for your association. Considering the work the board does, are there enough people to accomplish it all? [styled_list marker="dot"] Are there enough leaders around the table [...]
Why do associations need to budget each year? What is the importance of the budget and tracking it throughout the year? As an association management company we ensure that all of our clients run the business of their associations based on a previously established budget – basically a “best [...]
Self-evaluation is one way to continuously improve board performance. As mentioned in a previous article self-evaluation gives board members the opportunity to reflect on their understanding of the association, their roles and duties, the roles and responsibilities of staff, their preparation for meetings, and how satisfied each are with [...]
I live with an educator and listen to my wife talk about continually assessing students to ensure they are learning and performing the way they need to in order to grow. As in education, assessment and evaluation are important tools to evaluate how effectively a board is performing and [...]
Successful conferences rely on speakers delivering content that is relevant to the conference theme. The conference committee and/or board of directors works very hard to determine the theme that will attract and be meaningful to conference attendees. The program committee is then tasked with coming up with speakers that [...]
Board orientation is critical to ensure new board members focus on their true role, providing organizational direction and governance to your association. The orientation process should begin even before a member becomes a board leader and attends their first formal board meeting. Many associations pull future board leaders from [...]
Clearly defined board policy statements take the guesswork out of conducting the affairs of the association for volunteer leaders and staff. All boards operate based on the member approved by-laws of the organization. Although the by-laws define the do’s and don’ts of how the organization is structured, policy statements [...]
