The Role of the Board: 7 Basic Responsibilities

There’s a meaningful difference between sitting on a board and serving on one. Sitting implies attendance while serving implies stewardship. The most effective board members understand that their role is not ceremonial. Board members are the backbone of nonprofit...

Evaluating the Nonprofit Chief Executive

A Guide for Nonprofit Boards A strong chief executive can take your mission further, faster—but only if your board is actively supporting, assessing, and guiding their leadership. One of the most important (and often overlooked) responsibilities of a nonprofit board...

3 Board Assessments That Strengthen Governance

Strong nonprofit boards don’t just check boxes. They reflect, learn, and adapt. One of the most effective ways to improve board performance isn’t a new policy or a retreat, but pausing to ask a few simple questions: How are we doing as individual board members? How am...

How to Strengthen Nonprofit Board Engagement

In BVU’s pulse survey, 76% of nonprofit leaders in Northeast Ohio describe their boards as effective. While 76% is a solid score, it’s average — a “C” grade. Yet many nonprofits still call BVU looking for ways to improve board engagement. Times are...

Get the Governance Right

One key element of a healthy nonprofit organization is a strong board. A strong board: Can clearly identify its work and its role for a particular nonprofit at any point in time. Is comprised of people who bring the relevant skills, expertise, diversity, networks and...