From Dysfunction to High Performance: How to Transform Your Nonprofit Board
As nonprofits are experiencing unprecedented challenges while trying to move their mission forward – now more than ever they need high performing boards. However, many nonprofits have inefficient, disengaged, and frankly, drama-filled boards that are preventing the organization from doing its best work. If this sounds like your board, know that you are not alone! I’ve been working on projects around board development, and spending time with nonprofits boards most of this year. Here are few common problems within each board and solutions that helped the boards to shift and get to action.
Problem #1: Mission Drift and Lack of Strategic Focus
The Challenge: It’s not uncommon for nonprofits to experience mission drift. It is often the source of wasted resources, reduced fundraising, and loss of community trust. Mission drift can happen when organizations grow, when decision-making becomes centralized around one person, when organizations have been around for a long time, when organizations chase grants outside their expertise, or when they try to address every community need they encounter.
I often see this manifest operationally as well—one program thriving while others stagnate, or organizations spreading themselves too thin across too many initiatives. This is especially common with working boards that have few or no staff members.
The Solution: Mission Realignment
When boards lack clarity about their purpose, I work to reconnect them in their mission and purpose. This typically involves facilitating a half-day retreat where we:
Redefine organizational purpose through guided exercises that help board members identify where they've drifted
Clarify scope of work by examining what makes the organization uniquely successful
Create a focused strategic plan that re-establishes flagship programs and builds partnerships for services outside the organization’s core competency
This clarity allows the board to refocus and get back to the mission-aligned work.
Problem #2: Disengaged Board Members Who Aren't Fulfilling Their Duties
The Challenge: Disengaged boards are prevalent in the nonprofit sector. The warning signs are clear:
Difficulty recruiting board leadership
Members not fulfilling basic duties (attending meetings, volunteering, fundraising)
Limited participation in organizational decision-making
The root cause is almost always the same: board members don't know what's expected of them or how to meaningfully contribute to the organization's success.
The Solution: Board Activation Strategy
My approach begins with establishing non-negotiable expectations. I coach board presidents and executive directors to set clear attendance requirements for our “transformation” sessions—this immediately identifies who's truly committed to serving.
From there, we work to activate the board strategically through these milestones:
Role Clarification where we define specific responsibilities for each board member and committee
Committee restructuring to ensure clear purpose and that problems and opportunities are delegated to the right committee
Updated governance documents including revised bylaws, a supplemental board member manual, and implementation of board contracts
Task delegation process where staff provides specific actions the board can take to support organizational goals
Problem #3: Paralysis in Organizational Decision-Making
The Challenge: Despite being legally responsible for organizational direction, many board members lack confidence to make crucial decisions. This creates a dangerous cycle: either strong staff members take over (making the board irrelevant) or talented employees leave due to lack of clear leadership and direction.
In today's rapidly changing nonprofit landscape, boards that can't make decisions quickly find themselves unable to adapt to new funding models, respond to community crises, or capitalize on growth opportunities.
The Solution: Strategic Decision-Making Framework
I start by acknowledging board authority—reminding members that everything their organization does (good and bad) exists because the board approved it. Then, we work to find or create a framework that drives strategic decision making. Here are few ways boards have decided to evolve to improve strategic decision making:
Board composition analysis to identify needed skills, expertise, and perspectives
Intentional recruitment strategy targeting specific competencies (fundraising experts, program specialists, community representatives)
Streamlined information processes ensuring board members receive relevant data before meetings
Meeting transformation using an agenda template that separates information-sharing from decision-making and requests for action
Authority clarification so committee members know when they can act independently versus when full board approval is needed
Red Flags: Spot These Problems Before They Derail Your Mission
Watch for these warning signs that indicate your board needs immediate intervention:
More than 20% meeting absence rate
Fundraising goals missed for two consecutive years
Board meetings focused primarily on operational details rather than strategy
High staff turnover, especially in leadership positions
Difficulty recruiting new board members
Avoiding difficult decisions by "tabling" items repeatedly
The Cost of Waiting
The difference between high-performing nonprofits and those that struggle isn't luck or resources; it's having a board that knows its role and executes with precision. Every month your board remains dysfunctional costs your organization in lost opportunities, decreased staff morale, and reduced community impact. The organizations that thrive in today's challenging environment have boards that function as strategic assets, not operational burdens.