I 501(c) You - The Podcast for NonProfit Board Members

Join us as we sit down with Amy Alexander, Co-Founder and CEO of The Refuge Center for Counseling in Franklin, TN. Over the past 18 years, Amy's vision and leadership have transformed The Refuge Center from a gap-analysis inspired idea into a vital part of the Franklin community, providing over 37,000 counseling sessions to over 4,300 clients each year. Hear how Amy's unwavering commitment to accessible care, through the use of a sliding-fee scale based on income, has made a lasting impact on those in need.

Amy speaks about the role the board played in the organization's growth, her board member recruitment process, and how she views her board members as family.

We are grateful for Amy's time and applaud the transformative services The Refuge Center provides to those in need.

Visit The Refuge Center for Counseling's Website:

refugecenter.org/lunch

Hope Grows 2023 - An amazing night of fellowship, encouragement and hope!

Timestamps:

00:48 - Interview starts

01:15 - Amy introduces herself and The Refuge Center

04:40 - Starting The Refuge Center

05:50 - Amy describes her board in the early days of The Refuge Center

07:05 - The role of the board in the growth of the organization

09:20 - What makes an effective board member?

11:45 - What makes an ineffective board member?

13:15 - Providing great support to the Executive Director

13:40 - Communication with the board

14:35 - Interaction with the Board Chair

16:25 - The culture at The Refuge Center

17:45 - What advice would you give to an Executive Director about managing the board?

18:40 - Can you explain the role of the Partnership Council?

20:15 - How did you implement the Partnership Council?

21:55 - How have you strategically used the board to help you accomplish your mission?

23:20 - How do you interact with the board committees?

24:55 - You have to get to know your board members as people

25:45 - The process of identifying and nominating new board members

27:29 - Board orientation process

29:05 - A few of Amy’s biggest mistakes when recruiting board members

31:14 - What are your visions for your board?

32:58 - What have been some of the biggest challenges in growing The Refuge Center?

34:45 - How do people get in touch with you or The Refuge Center?

37:03 - Recapping with Read

Join us every week as we release a new podcast with information about how you can be the best board member and provide great service to your organization.

Listen to the podcast on any of the following platforms:

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High performers want to be evaluated. We have heard in previous podcast episodes and it could not be more true for today's episode. Michael covers why and how a nonprofit board might go about evaluating the CEO.

Having a formal evaluation process is important for many reasons, the CEO needs feedback and wants to know how to improve, the process allows the board to measure progress, and it shows as a board that you are invested in the success of the organization.

Timestamps:

00:00 - The lack of performance evaluation on the CEO/ED

02:17 - Who should provide feedback?

02:34 - Why would we perform an evaluation of the CEO?

04:00 - How might you perform an evaluation of the CEO?

Join us every week as we release a new podcast with information about how you can be the best board member and provide great service to your organization.

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With a wealth of knowledge and a lifetime of experience, Cheryl Taylor of Taylor Leadership elegantly shares with us thoughtful and actionable steps to create a high-performing nonprofit board of directors. Cheryl has immense experience in the nonprofit sector, having been the President and CEO of the Foellinger Foundation for 20 years. She has cultivated and engaged with hundreds of high-performing boards and is here today to share her wisdom with us. In this episode, Cheryl speaks from two perspectives: the board recruiting a new member and the new member being recruited by the board.

Cheryl is now a leadership coach and consultant, helping nonprofit leaders develop their leadership strengths and talent in a respectful, empathetic, and honest style.

Referenced Resource- BoardSource: The Guide to Board Member Roles and Responsibilities 

Timestamps:

00:50 - Interview starts/Cheryl introduces herself

03:00 - Cheryl’s experience with high performing boards

04:15 - How does a board identify future board members?

05:55 - How do you invite someone onto the board?

07:00 - Best practices in vetting potential board members?

10:00 - Whose responsibility is it to recruit board members?

12:20 - What should someone think about when being approached to join a board?

15:10 - What questions should someone ask when being approached to join a board?

21:45 - Why is it important for every board member to contribute financially to the organization?

23:45 - The best boards keep track of board engagement

26:25 - Is it important to have some involvement with the organization before joining the board?

28:05 - Reflect on your interest and ability to be involved in the board before joining

32:40 - Recapping with Read

Join us every week as we release a new podcast with information about how you can be the best board member and provide great service to your organization.

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A friend of mine reached out to me recently. She is stepping into the role of Board Chair and is wondering how she can recruit new board members.

I have received this question a lot. Having experience as a board chair, I know the struggles that come with recruiting new board members. 

Listen to this episode to get my answers to the question, "how do I recruit new board members?"

Timestamps:

01:08 - Identify the skills you want on your board

01:40 - Identify the current skills you have on your board

02:40 - Have a board member recruitment process

03:30 - Have an advisory council or committees that non-board members can serve on

Join us every week as we release a new podcast with information about how you can be the best board member and provide great service to your organization.

Listen to the podcast on any of the following platforms:

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This week we are joined by Chair Emeritus of The Bay Park Conservancy, Cathy Layton. Cathy has a tremendous amount of experience on nonprofit boards and have been the chair of several organizations, most recently, The Bay Park Conservancy. 

Cathy shares her life lessons from being on nonprofit boards, how she operates as a board chair, and thoughts those being asked to join a board should keep in mind.

We are extremely appreciative of Cathy for sharing her insights from 20+ years of nonprofit service.

Key Takeaways:

1. When thinking about joining a board, take inventory of your strengths and make sure that is what the organization needs.

Timestamps:

00:40 - Interview Starts

01:00 - Cathy introduces herself

02:10 - What are your life lessons when reflecting on your board service?

04:20 - “I love what you're offering, but I am fully focused on this effort for the foreseeable future.”

06:20 - How did you evolve to become a board chair?

08:20 - Placeholder vs contributors on a board

11:20 - As a board chair, how do you deal with placeholders?

12:25 - Board need to tell board members what is expected of them

13:20 - Being on a board is “service”

14:55 - Criteria for finding the right board

17:57 - Should you meet with the CEO before joining a board?

20:05 - The dynamics between board, board chair, and CEO

23:50 - Annual meetings are a great time to review board expectations

25:05 - Frequency of communication between board chair and CEO

26:30 - What is Cathy’s style of leading the board?

29:40 - When you are doing work you care about, it is personally enriching

31:20 - Recapping with Read

Join us every week as we release a new podcast with information about how you can be the best board member and provide great service to your organization.

Listen to the podcast on any of the following platforms:

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Visit us at: www.thecorleycompany.com/podcast

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Every news outlet is talking about it, a recession. However, not many are talking about what a nonprofit leader can do to prepare their organizations. In this episode, Michael shares his 7 actions nonprofit leaders can take to prepare their organizations for a recession.

Timestamps:

00:45 - Introduction

01:00 - Michael’s 7 tips for nonprofit leaders to prepare for a recession

02:15 - Plan and Prepare

04:05 - Be open with your stakeholders

04:55 - Align expenses with new revenue projections

06:25 - Prepare for staff reductions

08:45 - Review and update your budget

09:53 - Diversity revenue streams

10:30 - Build relationships with community partners

Join us every week as we release a new podcast with information about how you can be the best board member and provide great service to your organization.

Listen to the podcast on any of the following platforms:

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In this episode of I 501(c) You, we talk about the board's role in a recruiting a new CEO with Charlie Murphy. Charlie, who has participated in over 12 search committees, offers valuable insight on how to recruit and hire a new CEO for a nonprofit organization. Charlie talks about the value of an interim CEO, hiring a search firm, the search committee's obligation to the board, and more.

"The ultimate responsibility of the board is to hire the right CEO for the organization." -Charlie Murphy

After listening to this episode, you'll have a better understanding of how to find and hire your organization's next CEO.

Major Takeaways:

1. Do not hire someone just to get a CEO in the seat. Wait until you find the right candidate (this is harder said than done). (37:00)

Timestamps:

00:00 - Episode Introduction

01:00 - Interview starts and Charlie introduces himself

03:00 - How do you approach the recruiting and identification of a new CEO?

04:25 - How do you rally the board when a CEO exits?

05:25 - When should a board engage a search firm versus conducting the search on their own?

07:15 - Name a search committee

08:20 - Evaluating internal candidates

10:45 - How many people should be on the search committee?

12:10 - What is the search committee's obligation to the board?

14:16 - Benefits of hiring a consultant

14:55 - Interviewing a funder’s recommended candidate

16:20 - Bringing in the final candidates from the search firm

18:00 - Do you want to have an interim CEO?

19:40 - The discipline of hiring the right CEO

22:50 - Preserving the confidentiality of candidates

25:30 - What is the board’s role in onboarding the new CEO?

28:30 - Do you onboard an internal hire differently than an external hire?

30:20 - Leaders need to have a vision

31:05 - How do you approach compensation for a new CEO?

35:00 - Search firms and background checks

36:45 - What should you avoid doing when beginning the hiring process of a new CEO?

39:05 - Any last thoughts?

41:34 - Recapping with Read

Join us every week as we release a new podcast with information about how you can be the best board member and provide great service to your organization.

Listen to the podcast on any of the following platforms:

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In this episode, Michael shares his top five resolutions for nonprofit board chairs. These resolutions focus on building relationships, succession planning, and other areas that every board chair can improve upon. Listen to the episode for more information and check below for timestamps for each resolution.

Timestamps:

00:00 - Episode Starts

01:13 - #1 - Strengthen relationships with Board members

02:10 - #2 - Establish a consistent rhythm working with the CEO/ED

03:14 - #3 - Establish the priorities for 2023

04:15 - #4 - Conduct a performance review for the CEO

05:48 - #5 - Start succession planning

06:58 - Conclusion

Join us every week as we release a new podcast with information about how you can be the best board member and provide great service to your organization.

Listen to the podcast on any of the following platforms:

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Are you a nonprofit leader concerned about the impact of rising levels of inflation on your organization? In this episode, we will share 7 quick tips to help you prepare for and manage the effects of inflation.

First, it's important to understand what inflation is and how it can affect your organization. Inflation is a general increase in prices and fall in the purchasing value of money. It can occur when the supply of money increases faster than the demand for goods and services, leading to a decrease in the value of money.

Listen to this episode and we will provide you with 7 quick and actionable items you can use to prepare for rising levels of inflation in less than 10 minutes!

Timestamps:

00:00 - Introduction

01:50 - Podcast Starts

02:00 - #1 - Talk to your leadership team

02:35 - #2 - Educate your staff

03:04 - #3 - Scrutinize your expenses to eliminate waste

04:10 - #4 - Consider a budget adjustment

05:20 - #5 - Start to track your funding sources

05:58 - #6 - Explore an earlier launch of a fundraising campaign

06:35 - #7 - If you have earned income, raise your prices

07:22 - Conclusion

08:15 - Honor your mission

Join us every week as we release a new podcast with information about how you can be the best board member and provide great service to your organization.

Listen to the podcast on any of the following platforms:

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Too often do we participate in a board meeting and think “this could have been an email” or "this board meeting is really a bored-meeting". We never want your board members to think that about one of your board meetings. On episode 11 of I 501(c) You - The Podcast for NonProfit Board Members, we are going to provide you with actionable items you can use to run a more effective nonprofit board meeting.

We appreciate anyone who is willing to step up and be the Board Chair of their nonprofit organization. It takes work, time, and effort to be the chair. That is why we want to provide you with some quick, easy to implement, actionable items that can turn your next board meeting into a strategic discussion with purpose.

Michael takes you through how he plans for and runs a nonprofit board meeting step by step. He has been a board chair of multiple organizations for several years and a board member for even longer. Please enjoy Michael's step by step breakdown of how to run an effective board meeting.

Timestamps:

00:00 - Introduction

01:06 - Topic starts

01:40 - Importance of the board meeting

02:55 - Get clarity and purpose of the board meeting

03:44 - Building the agenda and board packet

05:45 - Get RSVP’s

06:15 - Start the meeting on time

08:15 - Importance and utilization of the consent agenda

09:37 - Guest speaker

10:36 - Discuss strategic items

11:28 - Being a facilitator of the board meeting (manage participation, flow of discussion, speak last)

14:00 - Importance of the Executive Session

15:40 - End the meeting on time

17:50 - Post-meeting

18:50 - Michael’s opinion on Robert’s Rules

Join us every week as we release a new podcast with information about how you can be the best board member and provide great service to your organization.

Listen to the podcast on any of the following platforms:

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Amazon

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Visit us at: www.thecorleycompany.com/podcast

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