For Executive Directors, an Opportunity to Be Candid About Your Board

Five years ago, the Eugene and Agnes E. Meyer Foundation and CompassPoint Nonprofit Services—working with other foundations and nonprofits—surveyed nearly 2,000 executive directors in eight cities across the United States.

The results were reported the following year in Daring to Lead 2006, one of the most widely cited recent studies about nonprofit leadership. (Full disclosure: I’m vice president of programs and communications for Meyer.)

For members of the project team, one of the most striking aspects of the study was the degree to which underperforming boards provoked frustration among executive directors—especially those who were unhappy in their jobs and thinking of moving on.

Although a majority of respondents felt personally supported by their boards, most did not seem to have a strong strategic partnership with their trustees. Fewer than one in three executives agreed strongly that their boards challenged them to be more effective. And an overwhelming number—almost three quarters—identified fund raising as the area in which they most needed the board to improve.

These results, while illuminating, made the project team wish we’d asked more questions. So when Meyer and CompassPoint decided to revisit the study this year, we made it a priority to include more questions about the board-executive partnership.

This year we’re working with a larger group of partners in a dozen cities, and the study is on track to be among the largest executive-director surveys ever conducted. We’re looking forward to learning more about some of the issues raised in 2006.

If you’re an executive director, please take a few minutes to complete the survey, which is open through November 30. And if you’ve already completed the survey or don’t plan to, I’d love to hear your answers to these questions, which appear in the survey:

• Approximately how many hours per month do you spend on board-related activities?
• Do you think the amount of time you spend supporting the board is too much, too little, or about right?
• How satisfied are you with your board’s performance?
• How confident are you in your ability to impact or influence your board’s performance?

I look forward to your comments.