The timing for a special message about building and more importantly developing a public/non-profit sector Board is really long overdue! Given my career history that required me to work with and for these types of community groups… plus the consultant information requests that have been part of my service mix… this week’s TRIPLE III TIME topic will focus on a: 3 “C’s” Board Growth Chart action plan.

Private non-profit and public sector organizational Boards are traditionally created based on Federal/State/Regional/County policies and thereby built on a special assembly of knowledgeable, caring citizens. Their typical assignment is to oversee the expenditures and performance of public dollars for a specific service/product. The criteria for Board membership is routinely flexible and open in an attempt to recruit and retain the best candidates available in a prescribed geographic region. However, it is noticeable that most Board formation regulations do NOT contain instructions nor a methodology specifying the need and processes for ensuring public sector Boards have a plan for continuous improvement. Boards may participate in strategic planning sessions for the entity they oversee, however the resulting progress issues they discuss do NOT apply to them. Hence in an effort to “share” the responsibility for comprehensive organizational continuous improvement, public sector Boards need to make appropriate changes in this area.

In an effort to fill the continuous improvement action void currently experienced by most public sector Boards, this TRIPLE III TIME proposes the introduction of a 3 “C’s” Board Growth Chart initiative. The 3 “C’s” referenced in the III title stands for creating continuous improvement plans around: Comprehension/Commitment/Challenges. Specifically, these responsibility areas would be components of each Board‘s annual learning Growth Chart.

Proposed implementation components of the 3 “C’s” Board Growth Chart may include, but not be limited to the following:

Comprehension

• Legal understanding of total organizational mission and target service audience.
• Full awareness of all fund sources and allowable cost costs.
• Knowledge of funding and oversight organizations.
• Awareness of fiscal and program reporting requirements and related timing.

Commitment

• Full knowledge of Board attendance responsibilities.
• Understanding of the value Board members provide as a representative of a specific business/community sector.
• Accepts the role/responsibility for supporting the organization’s priorities and public service activities.
• Supports the opportunity for Board members to be quasi-ambassadors for the organization.

Challenges

• Awareness of continuous political, fiscal, performance, and public service challenges.
• Understanding of potential conflict due to legal requirements of different programs.
• Difficult administrative decision regarding personnel levels, program expectations and/or results of monitoring/audit issues.
• Possible deviations from service delivery/operational processes practiced in other regions.

The goal for implementing an annual 3 “C’s” Board Growth Chart would be to expand the overall expertise, intellect and judgment skills with regard to Board responsibilities. Additionally, the progressive outcomes for engaging in an annual 3 “C’s” Board Growth Chart initiative are self-evident:

• Stronger/informed Board
• Greater advocacy
• Increased Board interaction
• Solid regional leadership example
• Avenue for idea–generation

Bottomline: Standardly continuous improvement is an expected requirement of all organization staff… therefore, the Board should also be a “teaming” example.