Resources
Board Annual Commitment Form
This guide provides a sample form that can be used by a board of directors to affirm their
individual commitments to their collective responsibility.
The form aims to define key governance duties and to help board members articulate
the ways they are most interested in engaging with the organization in the upcoming year. This makes the form serve as both a job description, a collective affirmation, and provides an avenue through which board members may be more easily engaged throughout the year based on thier skills and interests.
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Board Engagement Calendar
This calendar outlines a year-long engagement plan for board members, focusing on activities that enhance their involvement, their ability to provide fiduciary oversight, to foster relationships, and support leadership development. It includes monthly strategies like planning retreats, reviewing commitments, and conducting one-on-one meetings, while encouraging ongoing engagement through creative initiatives and succession planning.
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Decision Tree
When growing leaders, managers often struggle with how much decision-making authority to grant a team member. Many times, there is confusion between supervisor and supervisee around when to make a decision and when to seek approval, and supervisors often find themselves frustrated that they are having to give approval for unimportant details but that they were not consulted on issues that matter. This step-by-step tool will help you assess the decision-making areas for each role you supervise, and to work collaboratively with that team member to define their authority and to identify ways to help them take more and more decisions and details off your plate. This allows you to intentionally grow their capacity, distributing more leadership and decision-making authority throughout the organization.
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Four Corners
This tool creates an intentional way to get to the root cause of a problem by considering different perspectives, especially the perspectives of those most impacted by the problem, as well as those who will be helping to implement solutions. This allows you to design solutions that match the actual problem.
This tool borrows from the “5 Whys” broadly known within continuous improvement and is often used in the education sector.
Define the ideal result you wish to see, and ask it as a question. How might we……..? Ask why
several times to ensure you get to the root reason you are not getting the result you desire. You will likely be surprised by the new information gained when it is more than senior leadership who are offering perspective. You will likely be even more surprised if you are asking your community/customers!
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Succession Plan Template
The nonprofit/social sector has growing leadership gaps as baby boomers retire and as many leaders leave the sector post-pandemic. Additionally, our sector is complex. We solve complex problems and must retain a team that understands and can effectively build impact despite these complexities.
Succession planning is about more than filling a top executive role; it’s about ensuring the continuity of the organization’s mission and maintaining quality, regardless of leadership changes. For example, in nonprofit organizations, specialized roles—such as program directors, operations managers and front line staff—require not only technical expertise but also a deep understanding of the organization’s culture and goals. If these positions are vacated unexpectedly, the organization risks losing momentum, compromising its services, or even failing to fulfill its mission.
Effective succession planning should include preparing individuals at all levels to step into roles that require significant responsibility, even if those roles are not at the executive level. Investing in leadership development for mid-level managers and staff ensures that a well-prepared team is in place to take on the leadership mantle when needed.
What should be included in a written succession plan? This tool is a helpful guide.
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Additional Resources
Blue Avocado – Practical advice and community for small and medium nonprofits
BoardSource– Comprehensive resources for nonprofit boards, including sample policies, assessment tools, and training materials
Candid (formerly Foundation Center and GuideStar)– Research tools for nonprofit information, funding sources, and sector trends
National Council of Nonprofits– Current information on nonprofit management, advocacy, and compliance issues
The Management Center– tangible management tools built for nonprofit organizations