Over the years, as fundraisers and nonprofit executives, we have always understood the value of an engaged and high-powered Board of Directors. If you want to be an impactful organization, you need a board that can and will bring money (or should we say "bring funding") to the table. But is this thinking still relevant and appropriate?
In the face of increasingly pressing systemic inequities, nonprofit boards must change the traditional ways they have worked and instead prioritize an organization's purpose, show respect for the ecosystem in which they operate, commit to equity, and recognize that power must be authorized by the people they're aiming to help. A shift toward purpose-driven board leadership can be transformational, but the initial steps are incremental enough that every board can do it, including yours.
Join this conversation between Scott Schultz, President of Schultz & Williams, Anne Wallestad, President and CEO of BoardSource and author of The Four Principles of Purpose-Drive Board Leadership and Jan Brown, Board Chair of Faces and Voice of Recovery. The uncertain times we live in require new approaches that will power your mission through a purpose-driven focus. If you are looking for ways to navigate the change that surrounds us, think inside-out. It may start with your board.