When Your Board Chair Has It Going On!

by Marie Palacios

Today’s blog is dedicated to all the amazing board chairs who have stepped up and are leading with intent!

Spring is here and rather than bemoan the fact that no one has informed winter that she has overstayed her welcome or gripe about dysfunctional non-profit boards, we are going to celebrate.

That is right. Today we celebrate those dedicated volunteers who have assumed a complex and often thankless position…. community members who understand their neighbors’ needs and have decided to step up and become part of the solution.

Some board chairs honestly deserve an award and should have a claim to fame in a “Who’s Who in Non-Profit Boards” current edition!  

If your board chair goes beyond the call of duty, I challenge you today to acknowledge it and then act on that attitude of gratitude.

Does your board chair:

1. Know his/her role and responsibilities and own it
2. Run a productive board meeting gets everyone out on time
3. Eat, sleep, and drink your organization’s mission
4. Round up family, friends, neighbors, and even strangers to support your events
5. Roll up the sleeves to do grunt work just to save staff time
6. Dig deep into his/her own pocket to make sure financial goals are always met
7. Establish a positive relationship and dialogue with the Executive Director
8. Prod inactive board members into motion
9. Reign in board members who get carried away
10. Keep the ship on track in the midst of the storm

If you answered yes to the questions above, take the time today to pick up the phone to THANK your board chair.

At the end of the day, staff takes home a paycheck, but a board chair just takes home more work.

Treat your board chair to lunch, pamper them with a gift certificate, or write them a hand-written note. Board chairs can make or break an organization, so if you are blessed with a board chair worth celebrating you should do just that!