Back in the day, nonprofit boards had a Secretary. This person, often the actual personal assistant of the Board Chair from his work life, completed all the administrative duties needed for the board. She (because traditionally this was a woman) would take minutes, keep records, and perform all the necessary administrative functions of the board.
Fast forward a few decades and the role of the Secretary of the Board has definitely changed. Since the Secretary typically sits on the Executive Committee, he or she is likely a person with special skills, expertise, and judgement that the organization wants in these high-level meetings. In some cases, “Secretary” really just means “Member at Large” on the Executive Committee. The Chair may not want to ask the Board Secretary to perform administrative tasks. However, for your board to run effectively, these administrative duties still need doing.
In some organizations, I find that the Executive Director has taken on some of these administrative roles him- or herself. To always “be available” to the board, some EDs will drop everything to field board member phone calls or provide special favors such as resending documents or providing Zoom links and technical instructions for upcoming meetings. Although well-intentioned, this creates a mountain of effort—not to mention unhealthy dependency—that may not be the best use of the ED’s time.
In cases like this, I often suggest that the organization designate a Staff-Board Liaison (SBL). The SBL can fulfill the administrative duties needed by the board which the modern Board Secretary is unable or unwilling to do. Plus, the SBL can assume additional duties promoting board engagement and communication.
In this model, a person from the nonprofit’s staff, often the Executive Director’s Administrative Assistant or even someone from the Development staff, serves as the officially appointed liaison to board members. All communication with board members is centralized with the SBL and he or she coordinates meetings, retreats, events, appreciations, notifications, and all things Board of Directors. The SBL maintains historical records (minutes, emails, etc.) going back well beyond the average board member’s term, serves as the go-to for Robert’s Rules of Order and by-law questions, and can even administer a board wish-list or thank you note program for the Development Department. Your SBL could also provide special benefits (board-only updates, personal RSVPs for fundraisers, reminders, first-hand pre-notifications of upcoming events) that make board members feel appreciated for their volunteer service. The SBL should also attend Committee on Trustee meetings and maintain confidential files on discussions of new board members.
The Staff-Board Liaison can be a simple and elegant fix to an age-old issue of board management and engagement. If you are interested in exploring this option more for your nonprofit, shoot me an email, mwalker@leafspringconsulting.com, and I will send you a .pdf describing the role in more detail. (It’s free.)
