Nonprofits – Why Boards Struggle to Govern
Why do many nonprofit organizations struggle with governance issues?
First, there are simply too many nonprofit organizations in the United States. The Third Sector continues to proliferate at an outstanding rate. It seems that anytime someone has a noble idea, with merit, there is an opportunity to create a new organization.
There is nothing inherently wrong with creating a new nonprofit. The problem is a lack of qualified individuals to effectively govern each new entity.
The most common question asked by new and existing board members of each other is: “Who do you know that would be a good board member?” We can all list names of qualified people who would serve well but they are all over-committed as it is.
Second, no two nonprofit organizations are governed alike. There is any number of publications, guidebooks, or state nonprofit organizations to tell you what is the proper role of a board member or which “best practices” your organization should have in place.