No board is 100% effective. But the imperfection varies. On a scale of 1 (ineffective) to 10 (effective), what is the degree of your board imperfection? Just like no person is perfect. No board is perfect. When I joined the council of ICGU, the then Chief Executive Officer, Samuel F. Owori, invited the newly appointed members for an orientation meeting. “You need to understand what everything about ICGU so that you are able to perform your oversight role effectively”, he said. For a whole day, he told us about the background of ICGU, gave us copies of key documents about…
Can a founder of a not for profit be on the board
Yes, a founder can be on the board. Should be on the board. The board is composed of members who represent the interests of the owner. If the owner or founder has the time, skills and networks it requires to win, s/he is the best person to be on the board for unprecedented success since they have lots of passion and goodwill than any other person! Unlike public entities where there is need for separation of powers or independence of executive, board and founder, for not for profits (NFPs), the founder involvement is the best. Brac, the leading global NFP…
Why NGOs must diversify to unrestricted funding?
Restricted funds are ones that donors provide for defined programs and specific activities with clear performance indicators. The organization is not required to ‘vire’ or relocate to any other activities other than the ones the donors specified. It this inability to freely apply the funds to new and emerging priorities that make reliance on donor funds difficult. Imagine a not for profit organization like the Red Cross which provides disaster response and crisis management engagements, it must first revert to the donor if it needed to redeploy any available funds to other most pressing needs. By the time such approval…
How much do board members get paid? Part 2
Any candidate worth to become a board member is in high demand. They have special skills for being on the table. As the appointing authority, you must find some form of remuneration for your board members. Generally, organization pay board members as follows: Sitting allowances – members received about the US $50 to US $200 dollars per sitting depending on the size of the organization. Not for profit usually, provide transport refund of about US $50 per sitting. However, as not for profits (NPFs) strive to diversify revenues to increase unrestricted income, board members with business acumen are increasingly being…
Attain high staff productivity through team cohesion and a culture of focus on outcomes
Are your staff working as a Team or Individuals? Are your internal meetings productive or sleepy ones? Study Figures A and B, carefully: Which one best describes your team focus?“It does not matter how much resources you may have if your people don’t know how to use the resources. They still will NOT be enough”, Anonymous. Not money, Not machinery, Not buildings. The single most critical resource that separates great companies from average ones, is staff working as a team focused on a common agenda. Are your staff focusing all efforts towards the same targets (B) or they are pulling…
You too can get on the board position and shine
Board positions are some of the most coveted in the world as being on a board offers wide networks, credibility and a huge leap in reputation which all leads to significant financial benefits. However, board positions are rarely, if ever, advertised. In this book, titled: How to get on the board and become a fantastic board director, Mustapha Barnabas Mugisa who spent about eight years on the board of the Insitute of Corporate Governance (ICGU) gives a candid recollection of his own journey. The book is written in a conversational style as it mixes concepts of modern management with practical…
