Fourteen Basic Responsibilities of Nonprofit Boards 1. Lay the Foundation - Determine the organization’s mission and purpose. It is the board’s responsibility to create and review a statement of mission and purpose that articulates the organization’s goals, means, and primary constituents served. 2. Choose a Leader - Select the chief executive. Boards must reach consensus on the chief executive’s responsibilities and undertake a careful search to find the most qualified individual for the position. 3. Watch the Money - Provide proper financial oversight. The board must assist in developing the annual budget and ensuring that proper financial controls are in place. 4. Lead the Fund Raising Program - Ensure adequate resources. One of the board’s foremost responsibilities is to provide adequate resources for the organization to fulfill its mission. 5. Develop a Financial Foundation for the Future 6. Provide the Legal Structure - Be the Stewards, Represent the Community as stewards of a public trust - - Ensure legal and ethical integrity and maintain accountability. The board is ultimately responsible for ensuring adherence to legal standards and ethical norms. 7. Lead in Strategic Planning - Ensure effective organizational planning. Boards must actively participate in an overall planning process and assist in implementing and monitoring the plan’s goals. 8. Perpetuate the organization - Recruit and orient new board members and assess board performance. All boards have a responsibility to articulate prerequisites for candidates, orient new members, and periodically and comprehensively evaluate its own performance. 9. Act as Ambassadors - Enhance the organization’s public standing. The board should clearly articulate the organization’s mission, accomplishments, and goals to the public and garner support from the community. 10. Advocate for the Interests of the Organization. 11. Set the Course and Maintain the Course - Determine, monitor, and strengthen the organization’s programs and services. The board’s responsibility is to determine which programs are consistent with the organization’s mission and to monitor their effectiveness. 12. Support the chief executive and assess his or her performance. The board should ensure that the chief executive has the moral and professional support he or she needs to further the goals of the organization. 13. Develop a Succession Plan for Leadership. 14. Help the Executive create and perpetuate the culture Based on the Ten Responsibilities of Board members - Used with permission from Ten Basic Responsibilities of Nonprofit Boards, Second Edition by Richard T. Ingram, a publication of BoardSource. For more information about BoardSource, call 800-883-6262 or visit www.boardsource.org. BoardSource © 2008. Content may not be reproduced or used for any purpose other than that which is specifically requested without written permission from BoardSource. FacebookTwitterShare