This little book
(91 pages) contains exactly what the sub-title says, 40 short two-page essays
that cover just about everything you need to know about creating an effective
efficient board. This little book
(91 pages) contains exactly what the sub-title says, 40 short two-page essays
that cover just about everything you need to know about creating an effective
efficient board.
The author, Edgar Stoesz, served for years as chair of the Habitat for Humanity International board. His insights come from first-hand experience. A board's primary role, he maintains, is to determine the ends for which an organization exists, and then to make decisions to guide the organization along those lines.
His book follows the Carver model, where the board's role is to set policy that the staff then carry out. In the church setting, he knows many board members are also volunteers teaching children or leading small groups. The point is not to confuse roles. When members sit as a board, they make policy. When they appear as a volunteer, they carry out that policy with the support of the ministry staff.
All too often boards become so involved in what Stoesz calls housekeeping that they neglect their planning and policy making duties. He reminisces: "I enjoyed telling the Habitat board when chairing the meetings, 'My job is not to build houses. It is to build an organization that will build many houses.'"
His definitions of vision and mission are very clear:
Without a clear and compelling sense of purpose, he insists, a congregation wanders, remains tentative and lacking in focus. "When an organization clarifies its purpose and commits to it," he assures us, "its limits will be determined only by the energy it can give to achieving that purpose."
Stoesz recommends planning at two levels - a long-range plan and an annual work plan. The book has helpful chapters on delegating, dealing with board-room bullies, handling that inevitable crisis, and the importance of reporting back to the membership. People want to know what has been accomplished and how effectively their funds are being used by the organization to carry out its mission.
Lastly, says Stoesz, serving on a board should be fun. "Board meetings fun? Yes, fun! Directors should be able to look back on a year of board service and say, 'I liked that! Let's do it again.'" His simple advice: "If it isn't fun, don't do it." Great advice. I say amen to that.
Edgar Stoesz, Common Sense for Board Members. 40 Essays about Board Service. Intercourse, PA: Good Books, 2000. ISBN: 1-56148-319-2. $12.95 CDN. Review by Clair Woodbury.
Congregational News April 2006 Vol. 12 No. 3