Board and Staff Responsibilities
To help convey who does what regarding board and staff, the following activities are suggested to be done by board, staff or jointly. Ultimately, the responsibility for the various activities depends very much on the life-cycle of the organization -- young organizations often have working Boards that are involved in day-to-day activities, while older organizations have Boards that attend exclusively to top-level policies and plans. This document should be reviewed by board members to finalize who they would like to do what among board and staff members.
The original author of this document is unknown.
Also see Additional
Perspectives at the end of this document.
| Activity |
sibility |
| Direct the process of planning | Board |
| Provide input to long range goals | Joint |
| Approve long range goals | Board |
| Formulate annual objectives | Staff |
| Approve annual objectives | Board |
| Prepare performance reports on achievement of goals and objectives | Staff |
| Monitor achievement of goals and objectives | Joint |
PROGRAMMING:
| Assess stakeholder (customers, community) needs | Staff |
| Train volunteer leaders (nonprofits only) | Staff |
| Oversee evaluation of products, services and programs | Board |
| Maintain program records; prepare program reports | Staff |
| Prepare preliminary budget | Staff |
| Finalize and approve budget | Board |
| See that expenditures are within budget during the year | Staff |
| Solicit contributions in fundraising campaigns (nonprofits) | Board |
| Organize fundraising campaigns (nonprofits) | Staff |
| Approve expenditures outside authorized budget | Board |
| Insure annual audit of organization accounts | Board |
PERSONNEL:
| Employ Chief Executive | Board |
| Direct work of the staff | Staff |
| Hire and discharge staff member | Staff |
| Decision to add staff (nonprofit) | Board |
| Settle discord among staff | Staff |
COMMUNITY RELATIONS:
| Interpret organization to community | Board |
| Write news stories | Staff |
| Provide organization linkage with other organizations | Joint |
BOARD COMMITTEES:
| Appoint committee members | Board |
| Call Committee Chair to urge him/her into action | Board |
| Promote attendance at Board/Committee meetings | Joint |
| Recruit new Board members | Board |
| Plan agenda for Board meetings | Joint |
| Take minutes at Board meetings | Joint |
| Plan and propose committee organization | Joint |
| Prepare exhibits, material and proposals for Board and Committees | Staff |
| Sign legal documents | Board |
| Follow-up to insure implementation of Board and Committee decisions | Staff |
| Settle clash between Committees | Board |
Additional Perspectives
Examination of the Relationship Between CEOs and DirectorsShould Staff Contact with the Board Be Restricted?
Return to Overview of Board
Roles and Responsibilities
For the Category of Boards of Directors:
Related Library Topics
Recommended Books
For-Profit ("Corporate") Boards of Directors
For-Profit ("Corporate") Boards of Directors
The following books are recommended because of their highly practical nature and often because they include a wide range of information about this Library topic. To get more information about each book, just hover your cursor over the image of the book. A "bubble" of information will be displayed. You can click on the title of the book in that bubble to get more information, too.
Nonprofit Boards of Directors
Field Guide to Developing and Operating Your Nonprofit Board of Directors
- by Carter McNamara, published by Authenticity Consulting, LLC. Provides step-by-step, highly practical guidelines to organize, operate and sustain high-quality nonprofit Boards. Includes roles and responsibilities, how to get the best members and also how to train and organize them, ensuring high-quality meetings, evaluating Boards, and much more! Includes guidelines to improve a Board that is struggling and also guidelines to evaluate and/or replace the Executive Director. Many materials in this Library's topic about Boards are adapted from this book.
Field
Guide to Leadership and Supervision With Nonprofit Staff
- by Carter McNamara, published by Authenticity Consulting, LLC. Provides step-by-step, highly practical guidelines to recruit, utilize and evaluate the best staff members for your nonprofit. Includes guidelines to effectively lead yourself (as Board member or staff member), other individuals, groups and organizations. Includes guidelines to avoid burnout -- a very common problem among nonprofit staff. Many materials in this Library's topic about staffing are adapted from this book.
Field
Guide to Consulting and Organizational Development With Noprofits
- by Carter McNamara, published by Authenticity Consulting, LLC. Provides complete, step-by-step guidelines to identify complex issues in nonprofit organizations and successfully resolve each of them. This book is also helpful to organizations that are doing fine now, but want to evolve to the next level of performance. This is one of the truly comprehensive, yet practical, books about this complex subject! Includes online forms that can be downloaded. Many materials in this Library's topic about guiding change are adapted from this comprehensive book.
Field
Guide to Nonprofit Strategic Planning and Facilitation
- by Carter McNamara, published by Authenticity Consulting, LLC. Step-by-step guidelines to customize and facilitate planners to implement the best strategic planning process to suit the particular nature and needs of their nonprofit. This is one of the few books, if any, that explains how to actually facilitate planning. Includes many online forms that can be downloaded and used by planners. Many materials in this Library's topic about strategic planning are adapted from this book.
