One of the holy grail’s of non-profit organizations is the ‘Power Board’. That special group of people that can push the organization past it’s own limitations and into an entirely new space. Much has been written and said on the subject, books, blogs, conferences. and consultants. Yet the idea that an organization is stuck without this special condition seems misguided to me.
Even if we accept that, in some situations, some organizations are truly stifled by their boards, and that there is no way for the staff to move the organization ahead on their own, can it really be true that we have created a system that can so easily grind itself to a complete halt? Is there a situation in the for-profit sectors that an organization is unable to grow, change or adapt because of the inability of it’s board to make the move?
I have yet to hear of it, and I’m sure that if it does happen the board is replaced quickly or the company drifts into oblivion.
The idea that non-profits operate in a system that requires them to mimic the for-profit world so closely in some aspects yet with no clear guiding mechanisms seems absurd. No wonder non-profits are stuck trying to justify their overhead percentages to society when there is no other way to properly measure efficiency. Any for-profit company would also flounder if they were removed from the guide lines of Profit and Loss, Market Share, and Mergers and Acquisitions.
Non-profits need a new system of operations. A new system of management. A new system of measurement. A system that is not some pale shadow of the for-profit world, but a system that will truly unleash the power of groups of passionate people, driven to make a difference in their world.