Not-for-Profit Organizations discussion 2

In your responses to your peers, identify a situation in which the type of board structure your peers have described would not be effective, and explain why.

Post #1

Don Winn posted Sep 21, 2020 7:14 PMSubscribe

There are several types of governing boards that exist in not for profit organizations; the two that I’ll be taking a closer look at will be the self-perpetuation and hybrid boards.  There are some similarities and differences that I’ll point out during my discussion.  The self-perpetuation board tends to be the most popular among charitable nonprofits, creates a stable environment for both the organization and its CEO.  These types of boards can conduct its operations without external involvement from government or public agencies. The board is allowed to select its new members as they see fit, adding key skill sets in finance, fundraising or other areas where improvements can be made.  New members are added less frequently under this structure of board, steady progression of policies and views help promote a longevity affect with its members. Present board members have the flexibility to seek out and recruit new members in areas that bring new strength’s to the board.  There are challenges with this style; being too stabile may create complacency, not selecting enough new diverse members, and improperly monitoring behavior of its board members (Worth, 2019).  

There are some clear signs that can help potential new members seeking nomination into a nonprofit board position.  First, is the organization highly centralized, keeping most of the critical decisions to be determined by one individual or small group of members or does the organization seek full participation and support from all its board members? Does the organization allows its members to provide feedback or is all the communication funneled downward (Carter, 2015).  The next style of board is the hybrid, it offers a little bit from each of the other types of boards.  By combining responsiveness of the elected board and stability that self-perpetuation offers this provides an advantage. 

On the flip side, members may not share the same commitment towards the organizations mission, some being appointed to this new role because of their previous position they held at another nonprofit.  New members must fully understand how the nonprofit organization operates and what their roles and participation will look like. The benefit with these two boards versus the elected board is it promotes some longevity among its members, with elected boards the CEO can have a degree of uncertainty who will run the organization every calendar year (Worth, 2015).       

Carter, H. R. (2015). Going for the Gold: Organizational Structure. Firehouse, 40 (8), 92-93. 

Worth, M. J. (2019) Nonprofit Management: Principles and practices (5th ed.) Sage publication

Post #2

Eugenia Veney 

Good afternoon,

I have decided to do my final project on Bergen Volunteer Medical Initiative (BVMI). “The BVMI is a volunteer nonprofit organization providing free primary and preventative medical care to low-income working people in Bergen County, New Jersey without insurance or the means to pay for care” (BVMI, 2019).  According to the leadership page on their website, BVMI is governed by a Board of Trustees and they provide strategic oversight and direction for BVMI and ensures adequate resources to provide care to patients (BVMI, 2019).  The BVMI has self-perpetuating board because the new members are selected by the existing members of the board, who identify and enlist individuals according to criteria established by the board itself (Worth, 2019).  I believe this type of board is effective because the culture and foundation stays constant if the existing board member can seek out a member that will follow their strategies, goals, and beliefs.  Another benefit, according to Worth, they can craft a member to gain needed skills and who is willing to help in fundraising (2019).  

The BVMI also has a separate Advisory Board that offer additional guidance to the organization (BVMI, 2019).  They are not governing board, but they play vital role in providing professional guidance and help to evaluate the organization’s program (Worth, 2019).  The Advisory Board also can serve as a vehicle for engaging individuals who may eventually serve on the governing board (Worth, 2019).

References: BVMI (2019). Leadership. Retrieved from https://www.bvmi.org

Worth, M. J. (2019) Nonprofit Management: Principles and practices (5th ed.) Sage publication