Signs of a Disengaged Board

As I addressed in previous posts, a nonprofit’s board of directors fulfills a unique and pivotal role in shaping the mission, strategy, and overall success of the organization. Sadly, though, CEOs and board chairs may have to deal with disengagement, which can have far-reaching consequences on the organization's impact and sustainability. 𝐖𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐝𝐮𝐚𝐥 𝐦𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐨𝐫 𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐫𝐞 𝐛𝐨𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐬 𝐛𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐝, 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐥𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐮𝐩 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐥𝐞𝐠𝐚𝐥 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐩𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐨𝐫𝐠𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐳𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐢𝐬 𝐬𝐮𝐬𝐜𝐞𝐩𝐭𝐢𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐫𝐮𝐢𝐧.

How do you know if your board is disengaged? Here are some signs to look for and how they impact governance.

• 𝐋𝐨𝐰 𝐌𝐞𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐀𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞. Board members who consistently miss meetings are missing out on crucial discussions and decision-making processes.

• 𝐋𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐨𝐟 𝐏𝐫𝐞𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧. When directors are not prepared for meetings, read materials in advance etc., they cannot meaningfully contribute to discussions. This hampers sound, responsible decision-making.

• 𝐌𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐦𝐚𝐥 𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐩𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧. Board membership requires 100% participation. If members sit silent during meetings or feel as though they cannot speak up, then they are not fulfilling their duty of care and are allowing those who do speak up to dominate.

• 𝐅𝐚𝐢𝐥𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐅𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐬𝐞. Fundraising is a core responsibility of nonprofit board members. Avoidance of this responsibility can hurt the organization's financial health.

• 𝐋𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐨𝐟 𝐈𝐧𝐯𝐨𝐥𝐯𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐢𝐧 𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐠𝐢𝐜 𝐏𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠. Engaged boards are proactive in shaping the organization's strategic direction. Disengaged boards often abdicate this responsibility and make it a staff-only process.

• 𝐎𝐯𝐞𝐫-𝐫𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐨𝐧 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐟𝐟. If the board abdicates its responsibilities to staff, it can lead to a lack of accountability.

• 𝐌𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐦𝐚𝐥 𝐎𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭. Disengaged boards may not diligently scrutinize financial reports, audit results, or program evaluations, abandoning their fiduciary responsibilities.

• 𝐔𝐧𝐚𝐝𝐝𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐟𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐭. Disengaged boards allow tensions to fester and potentially harm the organization.

• 𝐋𝐢𝐦𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐌𝐢𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧. Board members should be passionate advocates for the organization's mission. Disengaged members may lose sight of or fail to connect with the organization's core purpose.

• 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐟𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐃𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐩𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭. Nonprofit boards should continuously seek opportunities for growth and education. Not doing so leads to the board being out of touch with best practices for sound governance.

If you think your board is starting to disengage, let’s talk about strategies you can employ to reverse the situation.