Habitat for Humanity — Learning and Organizational Development – Learning Catalogue

Board/Staff

Roles and Responsibilities

HFH OR/WA/HI Conference

Oct 23, 2015

Frank Gorman

Field Operations Manager

State Support Organizations

HFHI

Habitat for Humanity — Learning and Organizational Development – Learning Catalogue

Overview

• Four Principles Related to Policy Development

• Governance versus Management

• Guidelines for Successful Relationships

• Practical Exercise

• Your Issues

Habitat for Humanity — Learning and Organizational Development – Learning Catalogue

Four Principles to Differentiate Tasks of Board and Staff

• Policy determination Decision-making is the legal responsibility of boards alone—not

staff. These become guidelines for staff work.

• Policy formulation Is the responsibility of both boards and staff. This is a

cooperative effort in that the board should seek input from staff in order to shape the best actionable policy.

Habitat for Humanity — Learning and Organizational Development – Learning Catalogue

Four Principles to Differentiate Tasks of Board and Staff

• Policy implementation Acting on decisions made is the responsibility of staff alone

although staff may ask board members to help and assume major responsibilities.

• Policy administration Is the task of staff alone (i.e., board members do not supervise

other staff or tell administrative assistants how to do their jobs).

Habitat for Humanity — Learning and Organizational Development – Learning Catalogue

Governance versus Management

X-Chart—The Big Picture

Habitat for Humanity — Learning and Organizational Development – Learning Catalogue

Chair Management

Money

Mission

LEGISLATIVE

GOVERNANCE VERSUS MANAGEMENT (aka Board vs. Staff)

Partially Extracted from Doing Good Even Better, How to be an Effective Board Member Of a Nonprofit Organization by Edgar Stoesz, Good Books Inc, 2007

EXECUTIVE

Habitat for Humanity — Learning and Organizational Development – Learning Catalogue

Mission

• Establishing the Organization’s Mission

• Engaging in Strategic Planning

• Overseeing Programs

• Helping the Organization Communicate Effectively

Habitat for Humanity — Learning and Organizational Development – Learning Catalogue

Money

• Overseeing the Organization’s Finances

• Developing Funds

• Ensuring Sound Risk Management Policies

Habitat for Humanity — Learning and Organizational Development – Learning Catalogue

Management

• Selecting and Supporting the Chief Executive Officer

• Selecting and Educating the Board

• Managing the Work of the Board

Habitat for Humanity — Learning and Organizational Development – Learning Catalogue

Chair Management

Money

Mission

LEGISLATIVE

GOVERNANCE VERSUS MANAGEMENT (aka Board vs. Staff)

Partially Extracted from Doing Good Even Better, How to be an Effective Board Member Of a Nonprofit Organization by Edgar Stoesz, Good Books Inc, 2007

ED/CEO Oversees Daily Operations

Hires staff & Delegates Responsibility

Leads Operational Planning

Staff Performance Reviews

Main Face to Community

Daily Financial Execution

EXECUTIVE Staff—Daily Program Implementation

Habitat for Humanity — Learning and Organizational Development – Learning Catalogue

Guidelines for Successful Relationships

• Good governance requires that the parties agree on how to share responsibility for organizational leadership Board Chair and ED/CEO need to be on the same page

• As an organization moves through stages in its development, there will be changes in expectations about what the board and chief executive will handle Affiliate with small staff may require more board support

(committee work) for day-to-day operations

Habitat for Humanity — Learning and Organizational Development – Learning Catalogue

Staff Guidelines for Successful Board Relationships

• Recognize board members are vital to staff and organizational success

• Believe board volunteers join to assist, not to take over

• Be dependable, accurate and prompt in the relationship

• Do not use a board relationship to air organizational complaints

• Do not expect board members to take initiative in a vacuum Do your homework and get them prepared

Habitat for Humanity — Learning and Organizational Development – Learning Catalogue

Practical Application

Habitat for Humanity — Learning and Organizational Development – Learning Catalogue

Practical Application Some Additional Points to Ponder

• What role does the ED/CEO play in board education? Input to Nominating Committee?

• Is it healthy to have some tension between board and ED/CEO?

• Is it appropriate for the ED/CEO to be a voting member of the board?

• What does our board do to avoid the problems of either micromanagement or detachment?

• What does our board do to make it safe for the chief executive to share bad news?

Habitat for Humanity — Learning and Organizational Development – Learning Catalogue

Your Issues

Habitat for Humanity — Learning and Organizational Development – Learning Catalogue

Summary

• Successful relationships depends on understanding the principles of differentiation – Determination, formulation, implementation and

administration

• Governance and Management are distinct functions but the relationship between board and staff can evolve as the organization matures

• Practical application exercise hopefully puts it all into perspective