Going Behind Closed Doors

Even when the leadership of an organization has vowed to engage transparently in everything the organization does, occasionally circumstances will require that a discussion be held behind closed doors. Because Creating the Future is doing its best to engage openly in all its decisions and actions, this is a very real issue for us! At … Read more

Giving Boards What They Need to Lead

What does a board need in order to lead? No, I’m not talking about what boards are supposed to DO. Leading is not about “doing” but about “being” and “thinking.” What do board members need in order to BE leaders? This is not just an academic question for us, as we are right now in … Read more

Conflict of Interest & Transparency

The post on Conflict of Interest earlier this week has led to some of the most interesting discussion about organizational leadership issues I’ve seen in a while. To all who participated, thank you! (And to all who missed it, read through the comments here.) Of the many issues that arose in that discussion, some have led … Read more

What Do You Wish Your Board Would Learn?

We’re excited to be launching a new program – a program that readers here, and colleagues at Facebook and LinkedIn all said would be a huge help. Board education in digestible chunks.  20-30 minute audio classes for listening in your car or with your board. Going deep into a narrow topic, with thought-starters to move … Read more

Having Fun Building Organizational Infrastructure (Really!)

It’s official: Creating the Future is building its infrastructure and becoming a real live organization! Not that our efforts haven’t been “real” so far. It’s just that we have always felt like we’ve lived in two worlds. On the one side, we have always believed in our hearts that the Community Benefit Sector holds the … Read more

Recruiting OUR Board!

It’s time for us to do one of the most exciting things I can think of – recruit the founding board for Creating the Future! Yes, exciting. It’s exciting because a board means this organization is real (not that we don’t already have programs that are extremely real, and all the other stuff that says, … Read more

Boards – No Wonder!

The other day, I got this tip from a group that specializes in boards and governance. (I’ve redacted the name of the high-profile organization from whence this VERY long paragraph came. I suggest skimming it – don’t read every word or you won’t get to the good stuff!) “Addressing noncompliant board members can be a … Read more

Nonprofit Board 101 – Accountability

“My board shows all the signs of NOT being ready to recruit. So what do we do?” That question came from a reader of my Board Recruitment & Orientation workbook.  She was responding to a chapter that lists indicators for whether or not a board is ready to recruit.  (There is a similar article at … Read more