Powerhouse Boards

Powerhouse boards bring energy to their work. They make good decisions on behalf of their mission. They are nimble, influential, effective, and connected. You may have seen such a board in your community—maybe you serve on one. If so, you know the joy when a group of people comes together and makes a difference.

Powerhouse Boards is a 2-part online class designed to leave you ready to serve with more joy, confidence, and results. By the end of our four hours together, you will have:

• A strategy for recruiting diverse, mission-aligned people to your board
• A clear sense of what the job is (and an excitement to do it!)
• A deeper understanding of legal responsibilities
• A recipe for committees and meetings centered on purpose and results
• Practical ways to involve board members in fundraising

You will feel more confident, connected, and joyful about how your board can best achieve your mission. 

Here’s a summary of the two sessions:

JANUARY 8 - PART 1: Build a powerhouse board of members who know the job

Let’s start at the beginning to understand the core purpose of your organization and how you can assemble the right people to achieve your goals. When you have a clear sense of what you do and why, you can explain this purpose to people outside your organization—like potential funders, policymakers, and board members. You will understand how a diverse board sets you up for success and how to achieve greater diversity on your board. You will have a compass in hand to make decisions that will sustain your organization over time.

The right people will be ready to serve if they know the job and basic skills needed to do it. This includes the roles and responsibilities of any board member, as well as ways to customize the role to the people ready to serve. We will discuss risk and ways to think about the risks most threatening your organization. Board members who stand with two feet on the job are better able to achieve a mission.

JANUARY 15 - PART 2: Work well together

Boards have a lot on their plate, so let’s talk about tips and tools to help your board work well together. The number one barrier cited by board members is time, so let’s unpack how to be more effective, efficient, and expansive with the time you have! Since so much work happens at meetings, we’ll unpack the core elements of an effective meeting. You’ll learn how to use committees to make good decisions. And our favorite topic of all: how to get every board member involved in raising money for your organization. You’ll leave with “ready to go” ideas on how to bring in more money to better achieve your mission.

ABOUT THE SERIES

Powerhouse Boards was designed for board members and those who work closely with them, like Executive Directors and staff leaders. You will have opportunities to connect with your peers through breakout conversations. If you complete the course wishing your whole board were there, you will learn how to access the on-demand version of this course, the Nonprofit Board Certificate Program, at www.nonprofitlearning.center.

All participants will receive a digital copy of the 24-page Powerhouse Boards Workbook to use throughout the session and to keep as a planning tool. The workbook is available in English and Spanish.

The series is scheduled to be at a time when busy board members are able to attend. You are welcome to bring your dinner, a glass of wine, or a cup of tea. It is interactive, so be ready to participate between bites.