1. Ignoring the top fiduciary role: personal giving at a leadership level in both annual and capital campaigns. 

Here is the best way to avoid this: The board job description must define what leadership level giving is – and when potential board members are recruited it must be made clear at the outset. You can read more about this in our post, “Leadership Level Giving for Board Members: Who gets a pass?”.

2. Not enforcing term limits. People get tired and burned out. This is an opportunity to refresh the board, bring in new individuals with diverse perspectives and enrich the expertise of the board.

Here are the best ways to avoid this: 

• Update your bylaws with realistic term limits.
• Have an active board development committee that is planning for future vacancies and board gaps.
• Create an advisory council for board members who rotate off.

3. The board chair (chief visionary officer) isn’t a partner with the CEO. One key role of the CVO is to serve as a sounding board for the CEO. As the saying goes, it is lonely at the top – and this relationship is critical for emotional and strategic support.

The best way to avoid this is the monthly one-to-one meeting between the two to discuss upcoming board agendas, successes and challenges.

4. Not using appropriate performance standards for the CEO. This is one board responsibility that causes major anxiety for both boards and CEOs simply because most volunteers don’t have experience conducting CEO performance assessments.

Understanding that CEO performance is quite different from other types of positions as CEOs rely on the organization structure for their success, here are the recommended big-picture performance areas: 

• Promoting the vision of the organization internally and externally.
• Strategic plan metrics.
• Growing the asset base.
• Funding the mission.
• Positive culture.

Always remember that the CEO operates in a dynamic internal/external environment and should participate in creating customized focus areas along with the board – and the board should also have its unique performance plan and assessment!

5. Conducting meetings without the CEO’s knowledge. No exceptions unless there has been a major performance breach that needs to be discussed! Board meetings (or board member side meetings) – except for the time when the CEO appraisal committee has its meeting – usually are a major red flag indicating chaos in the organization.

6. Getting involved in operations. The CEO is responsible for the staff of the organization who have been hired because of their expertise. Boards have the fiduciary role (the balance sheet) of the organization and delegate operations and programs to the CEO, who works with the staff. The board’s role includes policy, working with the CEO on strategy and funding the mission of the organization.