Blogs

Some rules are meant to be broken to protect your personal space.  In this regard I have learned from teachers who assume Avatar identities to communicate with friend in social media.  

I have done the opposite.  At this time tweets from @FreemanWPAATV are mine and I do 99% of the Outreach communication from the organization I manage under this pseudonym. I also wear the costume at community events to increase our awareness with the next generation.

Freeman Penny Quinn,1st AMBASSADOR of FREE SPEECH

Public Art/Percent for Art Coordinator -P/T on Project Basis

The City of New Haven Department of Arts, Culture and Tourism/New Haven Festivals, Inc. seeks individual with public art background to coordinate upcoming Percent for Art project. Temporary P/T with flexible hours. Send resume/letter of interest and salary requirements to Kim Futrell, City of New Haven, Department of Arts, Culture and Tourism, 165 Church Street, New Haven, CT 06510.  Or email to kfutrell@newhavenct.net.

Work Life balance is even more challenging if you work in a non-profit that you are passionate about: And work-life balance is a personal responsibility --- right?  In my paying day job I was totally out of balance and the old habits are not easy to shed in my encore choices. 

So I will travel to #NHV from #w06492 to stretch my mind today at The Writer's Circle. 

Before doing so let me share a good read on What is Productivity:  http://intentionalworkplace.com/2014/04/17/how-many-hours-do-we-need-to-work-to-be-productive-reprise/  

$100 million from the Gates Foundation, InBloom has faded into the night. In brief terms, InBloom was designed to wharehouse and store student data for public school systems which in turn can streamline how teachers and administrators accessed student records. The system was meant to extract student data from disparate school grading and attendance databases, store it in the cloud and funnel it to dashboards where teachers might more effectively track the progress of individual students.

According to the New York Times story, the environment, particularly regarding privacy and security, isn't ready for what InBloom had to offer. I recognize that the message grantmakers have been giving in recent years is that there is much to be learned from failure (so it's ok -- especially if the source of the money has really deep pockets) but $100 million to learn this lesson? And which should come first: the investment in figuring out the solution, or figuring out the demand?

This of course raises the question, did the InBloom board really fulfill its fiduciary responsibility using the process it used? And yes, I know, I'm the armchair quarterback offering my own opinion on what InBloom has done (or not) but this of course is the job of a blogger. What's your opinion: good investment; good board; good learning?

FREE class~ Join a team of licensed Zumba Kids instructors ready to party with your precious little ones with age-appropriate music and moves. This program is geared for kids ages 4-11 years old. Parents/guardians can also join the fun. Feel free to spread the love. Further info contact (Ivette) at 203-285-5393 or email at info@beyondfitnessct.com.    

www.beyondfitnessct.com

I often hear board members I'm working with say: we need to add a lawyer. And indeed, lawyers are popular additions to nonprofit boards but I'm not quite certain as to what exactly is expected with the addition of one. True, lawyers have a way of thinking, a process or discipline, that can be helpful to a board when fiduciary and sometimes strategic matters are up for discussion (which should be every meeting). True, lawyers know particular legal disciplines. For example, real estate lawyers know real estate law and this knowledge could be useful to a community development organization. But of course, the board member attorney could not be engaged in the actual transaction representing the nonprofit, that would be a conflict of interest (and of course, any one who represents themselves would have a fool for an attorney).

So what is the reasoning behind this perceived need? Alas, I believe that many nonprofits do believe that "possession" of a particular skill set embodied in the likes of an attorney or an accountant or even a banker as examples of professionals, will ensure the availability of "free" labor. Reality: it may and it may not. For sure, these and other professionals all can add value to a board but not necessarily as defined by their category (like attorney). When they bring value it is because they are a) passionate about the nonprofit's business caring about outcomes; b) willing to participate equally with the rest of the board in any conversation and/or task that is needed; and, c) likely have networks that can help support the work of the nonprofit if asked by this member. And, I'm sure there are additional benefits that may relate to but are not specific to their "job".

Yes, lawyers as well as all kinds of professions can add value to a nonprofit board. The governance committee however can best begin the conversation about need not with what profession box do we need to check-off but what networks, skills, knowledge, experience and passions, but first, always, passion, will help the board best fulfill its fiduciary duties of care, loyalty and obedience. Recruit accordingly. What incoming members don't know, they can be supported through ongoing training.

http://nonprofitboardcrisis.typepad.com/mbblog/2014/04/nonprofit-board-composition.html

Nonprofit community engagement governance "is a new framework in which governance responsibility is shared across the organizational system, distributing the work of governance among the key stakeholders of an organization: its constituents and community, staff and board. The Community Engagement Governance Framework is based upon the established principles of participatory democracy, self-determination, genuine partnership, and on community-level decision-making. The Framework goes beyond the Board of Directors as the sole locus of governance, and helps organizations to become more responsive to their constituent and community needs, and more adaptive to the changing environment." (see http://bloch.umkc.edu/mwcnl/resources/documents/conferences-2011/firwirth.pdf).

To do this "well" a nonprofit and its board must make a commitment and act intentionaly providing guidancs and structure. I doubt that the 60 plus person board of the San Diego Opera has community engagement governance in mind (ever) although with this large of a board, it likely sometimes feels at board members that there are few community members who love opera who have been left out. This point aside, the Opera board voted to close its doors -- basically citing the lack of resources as the driver. But the opera lovers of San Diego are incensed and are holding onto the stage rigging and saying "no". They've even got a board member to offer $1 million for the board to reverse its decision (I believe this a violation of the duty of obedience, you know, once the board has made a decision) but this point not withstanding, the community is saying no to the board's saying "close".

Is this community engagement governance at its best? Perhaps not given the board's apparent lack of intention to actually solicit the community's opion about the Opera's future but isn't that the point?

Spring is Upon Us!!!

Just a quick note about Grove Street Cemetery in the Spring.....it is beginning to burgeon with fragrant trees and with the planting of flowers in various areas. There is wisteria at certain graves and trees blossoming across the cemetery. It has been a wonder through the efforts of Bill and Joan Cameron with his family with the hard-working ground-keeping staff.

It is very has well-kept for over 40 years and it is to the Cameron we owe a big tribute and thank you for them keeping the cemetery lush and beautiful. The first ground-keep was Gerald Snow - I go to visit him on occasion. It was through his efforts the cemetery had a wonderful record-keeping system without use of technology....surprising Mr. Snow was ahead of his time in record keeping.

Please come visit even with April showers....it is beautiful!!!!

If there are any questions about visits, please call me at 203.389.5403, or email p.b.i.newhaven@att.net.

All the best to everyone,

Patricia Illingworth

Chief Docent

Just how much communication and in what form should be conducted between the nonprofit CEO and the board and the chair of the board?

I think the answer to this question is predicated by the questions: how much does communication and what communication matters to the CEO and respectively, the board and board chair? I further think the answers to these questions is predicated on an understanding about what is meant by "partnership" - the popular description of what should be the relationship between the two entities.

Whether the relationship is indeed a partnership, I believe there to be at least two dimensions to what goes on between the nonprofit CEO and the board: relational and transactional. The transactional nature is fairly obvious. There's a job to be done and the success in doing this job is measured in a number of ways (please take a look at my newly released article on the subject). The relational is not so measureable -- definitely more art than science and often described as "fit" or aluded to as feelings. In my experience, BOTH relational and transactional matter. CEOs can be and are fired for failure in their relational efforts.

And with this acknowledgement, that CEOs can be fired for failing in the relational aspects of their partnership, one should acknowledge then that communcations plays a key role. And, when accepting that communications plays a key role, frequency as well as the nature of the relationship matters. Dr. Fram then enters the scene with his own thoughts about communications in this article. Dr. Fram suggests that communication with the Chair (I particularly agree and think that weekly and at least by phone is correct as this is the "supervisor" and more importantly, volunteer leader of the volunteer board members) should be relatively frequent and direct. He also suggests that additional contact with each board member should be initiated on a regular basis.

I concur thinking that once a quarter or at least twice a year with each member can do wonders to enhance the relational nature of the partnership. During this meeting, the CEO should use the opportunity to better understand the needs of the member and learn goals, interests and levels of satisfaction. I believe that, unless a board member says otherwise, this contact, preferably in person, can enhance the CEO/member relationship and help raise the full level great governance for the whole organization.