Monday, April 24, 2006

News-Sentinel | 04/24/2006 | Board members – not bored members

News-Sentinel | 04/24/2006 | Board members – not bored members: "Speaker calls on boards at nonprofits to get involved in the action.
By Jennifer L. Boen
jboen@news-sentinel.com
Hechinger: Board members have vital roles to play

Many nonprofit board members join because they believe in the organization’s mission. But that passion to further the mission can get lost during long meetings full of committee reports, financial discussions and votes.

“Ninety percent of board members said they were there to make a difference in the organization,” said Deborah Hechinger, president and CEO of BoardSource, a Washington, D.C.-based organization.

“Boards often see themselves as passive stewards,” said Hechinger, the keynote speaker at a special event for nonprofit leaders May 2 at the Grand Wayne Convention Center. The event is sponsored by the Foellinger Foundation. BoardSource’s aim is to increase the effectiveness of nonprofits by strengthening their boards – a goal it worked toward by conducting a survey in 2004 of 8,000 U.S. nonprofits."

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