Nonprofit Governance: Building an Effective Board of Directors

The role and function of individual board members is examined in this larger context. Participants interact with peers from a wide range of nonprofit organizations to discuss common misunderstandings about nonprofit boards and explore strategies for increasing board effectiveness.

Acknowledging that every nonprofit organization is different, so too is every board of directors, and rightly so. Participants will discuss the particular roles of board officers, committees, stakeholder representation and diversity in the context of a given organization's needs.

This intensive five-week course explores the following:

• The board as a governing unit I: Roles and responsibilities
• The board as a governing unit II: The distinctive roles of governance and management
• Customizing board composition and committee structure to meet the needs of your organization
• Increasing board effectiveness

Special features of this course include:

• Links to useful web content from leading organizations in the governance of nonprofit boards such as BoardSource, Compass Point - Board Café, and The Minnesota Council of Nonprofits.
  
  
• A web-based audio presentation on the legal responsibilities of nonprofit boards
  
  
• Small group projects that will give you hands-on experience.
  
  
• In-depth weekly discussions with peers around the world.
  
  
• Small class size of 25 participants.

Learning Objectives

What you and your organization will gain from this course:

• A clear understanding of the roles and responsibilities of the board of directors
  
  
• The ability to assess a nonprofit organization's board and ommittee composition in order to facilitate a given organization's ability to achieve its mission
  
  
• Insight into how to develop and implement strategies leading to increased board effectivenes