By Guest Blogger Robert Meiksins, Forward Steps Consulting LLC

Governance expert Rob Meiksins answers your questions about nonprofit Boards, executive leadership, fund development, strategic planning, and other nonprofit consulting issues. Today’s topic: Role of the Executive Committee.

To start this blog about nonprofit governance, I would like to extend my thanks to those of you serving as Board Directors.  You probably don’t hear that very often, so let me say it again:  thank you.

Every day we are touched by nonprofits:  schools, hospitals, soccer clubs, even the place where we drop off our unneeded clothes and furniture.  Many of us enjoy the entertainment provided by nonprofits arts groups.  Too many have to rely on the safety net social service nonprofits provide. 

In Milwaukee County there are more than 5,500 nonprofits with combined revenue of more than $15 billion.  This is not a small portion of our economy, and the Board Directors in those 5,500 organizations are the ones who assume the legal and fiscal responsibility:  they are the bottom line.  Unfortunately we spend far too little time talking to and about these wonderful people.  We spend even less time helping them.

So, thank you again to all Board Directors.  You are doing the single most philanthropic thing possible in our society.  You are choosing to give of your time, talent, and treasure to make sure that nonprofits are working effectively and efficiently, and using our investments well.

To support you in your service, I offer this blog as an advice column for Board Directors.  I’ll discuss trends and issues that I see.  But feel free to send me questions at [email protected].  I’ll try to answer them, and if a question might resonate for other people, I’ll post the answer in this blog.

Here is an example of the kind of topic we can cover.  Recently I was asked about the role an Executive Committee should play.  The answer I gave was not popular:  consider not having one at all. 

Executive Committees, the most common committee, are intended to meet between Board meetings, and authorized to take action on behalf of the Board.  This can help because a small committee of 5 people (usually the Board Officers) is easier to call together than a large Board (average size is 16 Directors).  In an emergency, or when an opportunity arises, the Executive Committee can meet and make a decision quickly and easily.

The negative, however, is that a small group of people have now made a decision that has an impact on every Board Director.  As we noted, the Executive Committee often has 5 members, the Officers of the Board, so quorum is 3.  To approve a decision and take action, a simple majority is required, which means that only 2 people attending need to agree.  Two people have taken action that all 16 Board Directors are now responsible for.  That does not seem fair.

In Wisconsin, the state statutes allow a Board to take action outside of a meeting by voting with email.  Since this is so easy and allows all Directors to have their say, why have an Executive Committee? 

The most common cause for a disengaged Board is the Executive Committee has been given too much power and has become the main decision-making body.  Some Executive Directors like it because it is easier to get a decision made.  But the other Board Directors correctly feel that decisions are being made without their input and wonder why they are there at all and they stop showing up or paying attention.

So, consider not having an Executive Committee. 

Thanks for reading.  I hope you have enjoyed this blog and look forward to hearing from you with your questions.  Remember to register for my governance workshop series at the Nonprofit Center this summer.

"To realize the old practices of just simply warehousing people, putting them in jail without any opportunity to improve themselves while they're in custody, simply doesn't work, and the results are where we are today." - Michael Hafemann, superintendent of the Milwaukee County House of Corrections.

On Tuesday, May 20th I attended the WUWM Town Hall on black male incarceration in Milwaukee.  You may be aware that a study has recently come out naming Wisconsin as incarcerating the most black males in the entire United States. A black male stands a 1 in 3 chance of being incarcerated in his lifetime and 1 in 8 black men of working age are currently behind bars, double the national average. The prison population in Wisconsin has tripled since 1990.

This high imprisonment rate means that we are spending a lot of money on corrections, to the tune of 1.2 billion per year.

The event consisted of 2 sets of panelists, moderated by Mitch Teich of WUWM and Joanne Williams of MPTV. Notable contributions in the first set of panelists came from: Lois Quinn a senior scientist with UWM’s Employment and Training Institute, and co-author of the study that showed Wisconsin has the nation’s highest rate of black male incarceration. Lois had a particular ability to place the problem in perspective and gave an attainable first step, of returning driver’s education to public schools. Trouble with the law, for many young black men, she said, starts with driving without a license or traffic violations.

State Sen. Nikiya Harris (D) Milwaukee, elected to the Senate in 2012. She represents the 6th District on the city’s north side, which has some of the state’s highest rates of black male incarceration and black male unemployment. Nikiya made a point of talking about the work that’s already happening in the state senate, in the form of committees, potential bills and community work. 

Picture: First panel, Mitch Teich, Joanne Williams, Lois Quinn, Andre Brown, Michael Hafemann, Rep. Rob Hutton, Sen. Nikiya Harris, Nathan Holton,

by Margaret Thom
Membership Manager, Nonprofit Center of Milwaukee 

Leadership development includes influence, integrity, accountability, achievement, delegation, decisiveness, and much more. Leadership is the theme for our May e-newsletter and our new member-only events this year for several reasons:

1. Everyone can develop their capacity to lead, helping not only an individual but a whole team be more effective.
   
2. Nonprofit professionals who are passionate about their missions and careers want to keep developing to do good better. As JFK said, “Leadership and learning are indispensable to each other.”
   
3. Nonprofits constantly face "do more with less." It’s an ongoing challenge that requires continuous learning, new technologies and fresh perspectives. “Successful leaders see the opportunities in every difficulty rather than the difficulty in every opportunity.”- Reed Markham
   
4. As the huge generation of baby boomers begins to retire, cultivating the next generation of leaders and transitioning to new leadership styles are timely topics.
   
5. The work of nonprofits improves communities so all residents benefit from them, which helps the business community attract, engage and retain talent.

Members-Only Networking Events
All staff, board members, and volunteers of NPC member organizations are invited to network with a leader who’ll share a few remarks on the topic of leadership and with their nonprofit colleagues. Advance registration is required for these free events. Arrive by 5:15 pm for a complimentary drink ticket. Enjoy light refreshments.

1. Developing Leadership and Collective Impact in Milwaukee is the theme for our event with Alderman Michael J. Murphy, on Wed., May 21, 4:30-6:30 p.m. at Best Place at the historic Pabst Brewery, Milwaukee.

Alderman Michael J. Murphy, first elected in 1989 and now serving his seventh term for the 10th District, is the longest-serving member of the current Common Council. On February 11, 2014, he was elected by his peers to serve as the 47th President of the Milwaukee Common Council. We’ve asked him to address the following questions and answer some of your questions.

1. When Ald. Murphy was elected in 1989, he entered into a system led by an older generation. During his long tenure, the City of Milwaukee has changed its leadership style. How did he survive and thrive as a “next-generation” leader in an earlier-generation system?
   
2. What advice would he offer the current next generation of leaders? What leadership lessons has he learned?
3. Looking forward, how does Ald. Murphy see nonprofits partnering with the City to address the major issues currently facing Milwaukee? 
4. How can nonprofits best bring their ideas to the City? 
5. How can we make collective impact together?

If you work or volunteer for a nonprofit who’s a current member of the Nonprofit Center of Milwaukee, we hope to see you there! It's free. Space is limited. Advance registration required. Register by May 16 (please log in if you already have an account)

2. Everyone Leaves: Cultivating the Next Generation of Leaders is the theme for Public Allies CEO Paul Schmitz on Wed., July 23, 4:30-6:30 p.m. at Best Place at the historic Pabst Brewery, Milwaukee.

Paul Schmitz is CEO of Public Allies, which advances leadership to strengthen communities, nonprofits, and civic participation across the country; founder of Public Allies Milwaukee; and author of Everyone Leads: Building Leadership from the Community Up. He is stepping down from Public Allies in August.

1. Hear Schmitz share his reflections on how nonprofits can attract, prepare and retain the next generation of leaders, including building capacities, lessons learned, and new trends. The baby boom generation that came of age fighting for civil rights and protesting the Vietnam War is looking for the next generation of leaders as they prepare to retire from leadership positions across the nonprofit sector.
2. Public Allies has trained thousands of diverse community members across the country in leadership skills. What has Public Allies learned about the transference of skills and knowledge to the next generation? How can we develop leadership potential in ourselves and in others?
   
3. Get your own signed copy of Everyone Leads. Paul will sign copies of his book.
   

Register by July 18. It's free. Advance registration required.

More to Come
We’ll have another members-only event in the fall. Stay tuned for details. We hope to see you at one or more of our upcoming networking events! 

To close, here's a quote to ponder: “To lead people, walk behind them.” – Lao Tzu