The Common Thread » Beth W. Palys, CAE, FASAE

Board Service: For-profit versus Not-for-Profit

Beth W. Palys, CAE, FASAE — Wed, 06 Apr 2011 14:06:56 +0000

I spent yesterday afternoon at a dynamic program sponsored by Women in the Boardroom. The two-hour program focused on assisting women who are interested in preparing for board service. While the primary goal of the program is to provide attendees with the tools, resources and networks to serve on for-profit boards, the panel also talked about serving on not-for-profit boards.

The panel included four women who have all served on both for-profit and not-for-profit boards. Their experience included serving on boards of publicly held companies, privately held companies and not-for-profit boards. As they reviewed their own personal stories and the lessons learned, I was struck by the overlap between for-profit board service and not-for-profit board service.

My experience in working with, and serving on, not-for-profit boards dovetailed with all of the points the panel covered.

The discussion included the role of being a director; the differences between non-profit, private and public board service; the board selection process; being an effective board member; and positioning yourself for board service. An important point was matching your skill set and credentials to board service.

All four women talked about the time commitment involved in board service. And, all four also talked about the risks and rewards associated with board service. One panelist also provided insight into exit strategies.

After the program, there was a brief meet and greet. It provided an informative overview of the many talented women who made up the audience and were interested in board service. It left me wishing for more time and looking forward to next year’s program.

Filed under: Boards, Leadership

I Could Have Had a V8! – Board Orientation 101

Beth W. Palys, CAE, FASAE — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 14:30:11 +0000

The other week I was preparing for a Board Orientation session for one of the associations I work with. Thinking about the association, I trotted out all of the usual suspects, i.e. strategic plan, board structure, marketing plan, budgets and financials, conflict of interest policy, antitrust info, strategic versus operational Boards, Board meeting calendar, etc. All of the things that make an association exec’s heart sing. Bob Harris, CAE has a great list of all the important topics to cover on his website.

What I forgot from my stint as a volunteer Board member was that as much as I needed to know all of that info, what also mattered to me was the nitty-gritty of how to navigate the meeting. It took the Board’s president-elect to remind me. He filled in the pieces he found difficult at his first meetings. Which airport should people fly into to get to our office in Rockville? What’s the best way to get from the airport to our office? What social events/dinners are usually planned? Are they dressy or casual? What if they want to bring a guest? Who pays for dinners? Who pays for drinks? How do people dress for the meeting? Will breakfast be served? How much time should they allow to make a flight on the way home, etc.

When he added those items to the agenda, it reminded me that for new Board members it’s as much about navigating the system as knowing all of the background that will make them an informed Board member. Once there’s a comfort level with how to get it ‘right’, a new Board member can then focus on the strategic issues before the Board and feel safe in participating at a fully-engaged level.

Posted in Boards, Leadership Tagged: board orientation