EDLD 510: Board Leadership and Management: Effective Governance in Voluntary Sector Organizations Faculty: Liz Shear, MA, organizational development consultant lizshear@sbcglobal.net Phone: 619.222.9472 Schedule: Class meets from 6 p.m. to 8:40 p.m. on Wednesdays, February 4th, 11th, 18th, 25th and March 4th. There is a two-week break so you can work on your governance project. We meet again on March 18th from 6 p.m.-9 p.m. for final presentations and evaluation. Course description: Governance is the process of giving fiduciary, strategic and generative leadership to a nonprofit organization by a legally constituted board of directors. The board then, is a group of people, who together oversee and advance the organizations’ cause for the common good on behalf of our community. A board who operates with this picture in mind, ensures that an organization achieves its' full potential. Staffing the board so it can guide the organization in this way is a balancing act that requires vision, humility and skill. The purpose of this class is to prepare students to staff a board of directors by helping them to understand the nature, purpose, history, definition, obligations and models of nonprofit governance. Students will also learn processes, structures, systems and techniques that support effective board functioning as well as the dynamics of board/staff relationships. Course objectives: By course end, students will have • A clear working definition of governance • Understood the purpose, rationale, functions, structures, roles and stages of boards of directors • Developed a personal philosophy-in-use of effective governance and its application to their staffing role • Increased knowledge of board management and development including information flow, meeting management and policy development • Completed a project demonstrating competency in at least one aspect of governance, board development and management • Contributed to their classmates and their organization's increased knowledge. Assignments: • Read the texts and your reader as indicated in the class schedule. • Develop a written personal philosophy of governance due February 11th and a reprise due the last class, March 18th. There is no length
requirement on this paper, nor will there be a grade. You may use the format provided or your own. You may submit your paper in writing or via e-mail. I will comment on your paper by the next class. •
Observe a board meeting at your own organization or a fellow class member’s organization sometime between February 11th and March 4th. I also have a list of organizations to visit. We will jointly develop a list of things to look for. You will be expected to report back orally on your visit. Get permission from your CEO prior to visiting your board.
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Complete a research project that demonstrates your values, theories, and practice, models in use and reflections on your learning. You may work solo or as a team on this project. Your project needs to extend and demonstrate your learning. It is due on March 18th. You need to decide on your topic by February 18th, so you have adequate time to complete it. If your project is "hands on," i.e. it involves working directly with an organization, you will need written permission from the organization with which you are working and me prior to proceeding. If you are doing another type of paper, you will still need my permission. I will provide you with a form. This should be turned in to me by February 18th. The organization will also need to agree to provide you and me with written feedback on the quality and usefulness of your project upon its' receipt of the final product by March 27th. You will present a short synopsis of your project on March 18th. Your presentation is both an opportunity to rehearse, receive feedback, strengthen your organizational presentation and teach our class. You will provide copies of useful and transferable materials to your classmates. PLEASE—NO FANCY BINDERS FOR ME, THE SIMPLER THE BETTER. Individual or team consultation is available regarding course project by appointment before February 18th.
Texts: Governance as Leadership: Reframing the Work of Nonprofit Boards by Richard Chait, William Ryan and Barbara Taylor, New Jersey: Wiley, 2005 (USD Bookstore.) EDLD 510 Board Leadership and Management Reader (USD Bookstore.) The Governing Board Handbook by U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Health Resources and Services Administration, Bureau of Primary Health Care, Bethesda, Maryland, 2,000. (I will e-mail you this manual.) Annotated Schedule: February 4th: Orientation
This session will be a simulation of a board orientation session. • Orientation to and overview of the course • Obligations, rules of engagement, expectations and your learning objectives • Assignments • Reading • Team building Homework: • Read The Governing Board Handbook and Section 1 of your Reader. Please answer the study questions • Write your own view/philosophy/reflections of governance (how you think about governance) • Begin formulating your class project proposal • Schedule board visit. Make it after February 11th if possible so you will be more prepared February 11th: The Kaleidoscope of Governance (part 1) • Philosophy • The societal context • History, purpose and definitions of governance • How to think about a board of directors • Overview legal and moral duties of governance • Your project ideas • Questions for board visits Homework: • Read Governance as Leadership and section 2 of your Reader. Please answer the study questions • Finalize your project proposal February 18th: The Kaleidoscope of Governance (part 2) • Governance as Leadership • Governance principles • Governance models • Governing documents, organization and structure • Project proposals Homework: • Read section 3 of your Reader • Board visits if possible February 25th: Heavenly Boards, Heavenly Staff and Continuous Learning • Functions of an effective board • Their relationship to effective organization • Board life cycles • Recruiting and maintaining an effective board of directors • Characteristics of effective board leaders and staff
Homework: • Read sections 4 and 5 of your Reader. Please answer the study questions March 4th: Staffing a board of directors • Staffing a board of directors: Guest speaker, Michael Carr, CEO SAY San Diego. Michael has 30 years experience partnering with his board. • Board management • Debriefing board visits • Projects and presentations Homework: • Reprise of your governance philosophy • Final project March 18th: Endgame • Class presentation • Philosophy • Class and faculty evaluation Homework: • Your grades and my comments on your projects will be available by March 23rd in the program office, so that you can incorporate my feedback in your final product for your organization • If appropriate, send me your organizational sign-off for your final project
NLMP Grading Policy: A. Exceptionally good performance demonstrating a superior understanding of the subject matter, a foundation of extensive knowledge, and a skillful use of concepts and/or materials. B. Good performance demonstrating capacity to use the appropriate concepts, a good understanding of the subject matter, and an ability to handle the problems and materials encountered in the subject. C. Minimally acceptable performance for graduate work, demonstrating partial familiarity with the subject matter and some capacity to deal with relatively simple problems, but also demonstrating deficiencies serious enough to make it inadvisable to proceed further in the field without additional work. Certificate students will receive a pass/fail grade. Grading is also based on: • Class participation Participation means coming to class on time, prepared and interested in contributing to the class as a whole through conversation and through listening
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Reading Reading means keeping up with assignments, being able to use key concepts in conversation and attribute them to author and citing authors in written work Assignment 1a and b Assignment 2 Class presentation Meeting course objectives
Criteria for grading assignments: • Rigor • Depth and breadth • Integration of values, theory and practice (praxis) • Clarity of thought, organization, communication including grammar, originality • Demonstration of meeting personal and course learning objectives • Timeliness • Evidence of research and reading • Relevance Challenging your grade: If you feel you deserve a different grade from the one I gave you, you must submit the following in writing within 3 days of receiving your grade: • Apply all the criteria above to a written rationale • Show how you met all learning objectives including your personal learning objectives • Explain what grade you think you deserve based on the above. Take into account what you have seen of your colleagues work • Be prepared to accept my decision Teaching Philosophy and Methodology: As people tend to have different values, learning styles and much wisdom and experience, we will use a variety of approaches: assessment, presentation, conversation, inquiry, reflection, simulation, case study and action research. Students with disabilities who believe that they may need accommodations in the class are encouraged to contact Disability Services in Serra 300 (tel. 260-4655) as soon as possible to better ensure that such accommodations are implemented in a timely fashion.