Serving as a board member is one of the most challenging and rewarding of volunteer assignments. While appointment or election to a board is an honor, board members have important legal and fiduciary responsibilities that require a commitment of time, skill, and resources. Prospective board members do themselves a service, and show that they are serious about the commitments they make, by asking some basic questions before joining an organization's board.

Ask the following questions about the organization's programs:

• What is the organization's mission?
• How do its current programs relate to the mission?
• Can I visit the organization to observe a program firsthand?
• Does the organization have a strategic plan that is reviewed and evaluated on a regular basis?

Ask the following questions about the organization's financial status

• Is the financial condition of the organization sound?
• Does the board discuss and approve the annual budget?
• How often do board members receive financial reports?

Ask the following questions about the structure of the board:

• How is the board structured?
• Are there descriptions of the responsibilities of the board as a whole and of individual board members?
• Who are the other board members?
• Is there a system of checks and balances to prevent conflicts of interest between board members and the organization?
• Does the organization have directors and officers liability coverage?

Ask the following questions about individual board members' responsibilities:

• What are the ways that you think I can contribute as a board member?
• How much of my time will be required for meetings and special events? •How are committee assignments made?
• What orientation will I receive to the organization and to the responsibilities of board service?
• Does the organization provide opportunities for board development and education?
• What is the board's role in fund-raising? Will I be expected to make a specific annual financial contribution? What role will I play in soliciting donors?

Evaluate Your Interest in Serving on the Board

Once you are satisfied with the information you have received, it is time to evaluate your own interest in serving on the board. Ask yourself the following questions:

• Am I committed to the mission of the organization?
• Can I contribute the time necessary to be an effective board member?
• Am I comfortable with the approach and tone of the organization's fund-raising efforts?
• Can I contribute financial support consistent with the organization's expectations of board members and with my own means and priorities?
• Can I place the organization's purposes and interests above my own professional and personal interests when making decisions as a board member?

Background Material

Selected background information can provide a useful overview of the organization, the board's work, and the responsibilities of board members. Helpful material includes:

• The organization's annual report
• The most recent audited financial statement
• The long-range program and financial plan
• A list of current board members, titles, and all affiliations
• A description of board members' responsibilities
• A board organization chart
• A staff organization chart
• The organization's newsletter, brochure, or other publications
• Newspaper or magazine articles about the organization
• A brief biography of the executive director

(From the National Center for Nonprofit Boards)

Building Positive Board Relationships

Building positive board relationships will enhance the team and contribute to the board's success. WSSDA guidelines for developing positive board-colleague relationships include:

1. Bring personal concerns to the attention of the board chair and superintendent.
2. Demonstrate a willingness to listen to others.
3. Keep an open mind.
4. Disclose yourself to others in an open fashion.
5. Publicly support your colleagues.
6. Publicly support decisions of the board.
7. Adhere to a code of ethics that guides your behavior.
8. Base recommended action on the board’s agreed-upon mission, as opposed to special interest.

Effective Board Leadership

Four essential roles of effective board leadership include:

Vision (attendant skill: planning)

• The board, on behalf of and with extensive participation by the community, envisions the community’s education.

Structure (attendant skill: policy making)

• To achieve its vision, the board establishes a structure and creates an environment designed to ensure that all students have the opportunity to attain their maximum potential through a sound organizational framework.

Accountability (attendant skill: evaluate the implementation of policy)

• Because the board is accountable to the local community, it causes the continuous assessment of all conditions affecting education.

Advocacy (attendant skill: communication)

• The board serves as education’s key advocate on behalf of students and their schools in the community in order to advance the community’s vision for its schools, pursue its goals, encourage progress, energize systemic change, and deal with children as whole persons in a diversified society.

School board decision-making model

• Define the problem
• Gather information (superintendent, school administrators, specialized staff, board and citizen committees, associations, education agencies, and you, yourself)
• Get the superintendent's recommendation; consider alternative.
• Get a second opinion - depending on the issue you are addressing, there may be another person (parent, principal, teacher) or group (committee, task force, PTSA, union) that would like to give an opinion.
• Forecast consequences - what will be the consequences of each alternative?
• Check proposed decisions against mission, values, goals and the districts' strategic plan.
• Decide, determine, settle, conclude and resolve.

Basic problem solving at its best

• Gather the facts
• Define the problem (90% of the solution of any problem lies in its
• proper definition)
• Get the options
• Get the superintendent's preferred alternative
• Get community input
• Do you own thinking
• Weigh each other's viewpoints
• Keep the children's welfare number one
• Retain you sense of humor
• Never lose your cool

In this Module:

In the Toolkit: