Analyzes data on the effectiveness of boards of directors for 1,862 non-profit organizations with mid-sized budgets (annual expenses between $500,000 and $5 million) and offers suggestions for improving the strategies employed by these organizations. The strict scrutiny of non-profit organizations by media, researchers, policymakers, and the public demands that the leaders of these organizations create transparent and effective use of funds and engages each board member in the decision-making process. Because many current executives will soon retire, development of new executive directors needs priority attention. Boards need to improve the scope and vision of their governance procedures to ensure that their philanthropy will endure and improve by: (1) seeking new board members with specialized skills and varied experiences to meet the organization’s unique needs; (2) createing cultural and organizational policies that encourage active participation instead of concentrating influence in the CEO or board chairperson; and (3) codifying a process for board self-analysis to identify and correct weaknesses. Recruitment of new board members must include widening the scope of potential candidates and developing internal recruitment strategies to match the board diversity to the community served.
