As the volunteer chair of a nonprofit Board of Directors, you probably have some idea of all you’d like to accomplish but may not know where to go for help. The Nonprofit Support Center at Greater Worcester Community Foundation is a resource for you. You’re sure to have more information needs as time goes on. Let us know how we can help

Tips and suggestions for the Board Chair.

What’s Expected of the Nonprofit Board.

The Massachusetts Attorney General’s Guide for Public Charities [PDF] is concise and thorough. You’ll find essential areas delineated in detail and quick summaries of key points.

Tips on Governance

Don’t reinvent the wheel. For ideas on roles and responsibilities, job descriptions, the Executive Director/Chair relationship, board member recruitment, and more, visit the Minnesota Council of Nonprofits.

Keep These Finance Essentials Front and Center

The Nonprofit Finance Fund [PDF] is a resource for nonprofit leaders. Its bulleted list of what sector leaders must keep in mind will help focus your thinking in this important area.

Evaluating the Executive Director

Annual appraisal is a key duty of the board, and there are many resources that can help you do it well. Here’s a place to start.

Setting Executive Compensation

One of the resources that highlights the issues you must address is a recent Massachusetts compensation study [PDF]. You’ll also find comparative data by region, type, and size of organization.

Make Board Evaluation Routine

You are the key person to help your board members reflect on their own contributions to governance. Here are surveys from McKinsey to get you started.

Succession Planning is Part of Strategic Planning

It’s important for every organization to have an emergency succession plan in place and to know what to expect if your organization’s leader moves on. Learn about the various aspects of succession planning in this toolkit [PDF].

Are you a candidate for merger? Learn about the key questions to consider, and why exploration can be beneficial, in this CompassPoint Guide [PDF].

When You Need to Hire Consultants

The Southern New England Consultant Database is a good place to begin. You’ll get an idea of the going rates, services provided, and the names of hundreds of consultants who work in our region as well as tips for working with them.