Who does what in your nonprofit organization?

Established nonprofits typically have a clear understanding of where the duties of their staffers end and those of their board members begin. However, smaller or newer organizations may not always recognize these distinctions. To prevent confusion and misunderstandings - and help ensure efficient operations - it is essential for both employees and board members to have clear guidelines about their roles and responsibilities.

A place to start

Start educating staff and board members during the onboarding process. A thorough orientation process helps them understand their role within the organization. Provide individuals in each group with written descriptions of their responsibilities and offer specific examples that illustrate the scope of their duties. 

For example, board members generally provide financial oversight and ensure resources are used responsibly to further the organization's mission. In practical terms, this means your board should regularly review financial statements for accuracy and approve budgets, ensuring the align with your nonprofit's strategic objectives. 

Staff responsibilities vary according to their positions. But in general, nonprofit employees carry out the mission with programs and projects, communication with stakeholders, and raise funds. They might, for example, be responsible for preparing financial statements and budgets for the board, but they can't approve them, or put them into action without board input.

Reporting structure

Board members should remember that they do not have the authority to direct staff. Staff members are partners with board members and report to their nonprofit's executive director.

If, for instance, a board member wants an employee to compile a report, the request should go through the executive director. The executive director ultimately manages staff workflow and usually is aware of any competing priorities - or can communicate with the employee's manager to assess workload. Similarly, board members with employee-related suggestions or complaints should direct them to the executive director, not the staff.

Walking in their shoes

Board members should not avoid contacting staff members. To the contrary, they should actively seek to understand staff members' activities. For example, they can temporarily shadow employees as they go about their duties. (Just make sure staff and their managers approve any "shadowing" plan first.)

Program managers and other senior staff can enhance their understanding of the board's role by attending board meetings. There, they can discuss developments in their areas and answer board questions. Such different interaction helps board members get to know employees and gain insight into the challenges they face and opportunities that might merit future board action.

Act before an incident

Sometimes nonprofits don't realize they have a roles and responsibilities problem until there's an incident - such as an executive director making a unilateral strategic decision or a board member assuming a staff member "won't mind" helping on a board project. Before that happens, clearly establish boundaries between these two critical groups. Contact us with questions about the financial aspects of nonprofit governance and management. 

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