Editor’s note: This is the second in a three-part series presented in partnership with the Nonprofit Leadership Collaborative/SJC and United Way’s Nonprofit Capacity Building Program.
I’ll admit it — the movie Ocean’s Eleven has me hooked. I’ve watched it more times than I can count. And, while Brad Pitt’s effortless cool and George Clooney’s swagger are part of the appeal, it’s not just the Hollywood vibe that keeps me coming back.
What really grabs me is Danny Ocean’s crew of 11 — a perfect number for a nonprofit board — and the way they work together. Their seamless teamwork, trust and ability to adapt under pressure? That’s the gold standard for a high-functioning, in-sync and effective board. They were that good. Even if they were being bad.
In Danny Ocean’s crew—everyone had a role, they trusted each other’s expertise, and when things got tough, they strategize instead of panicking.
There was a mix of experience (the seasoned pros like Rusty and Saul), fresh energy (Linus learning the ropes), and someone who keeps the finances in check (hello, Basher). They worked as a team, adapted when challenges aros, and, most importantly, got the job done without total chaos.
And while the motivation of millions of dollars in loot might have kept this dream team ticking — like our nonprofits, only legally — their singular vision to get the job done was inspiring.
In the first Mind what Matter series, we focused on the often too pervasive nonprofit bad board, highlighting examples of local board dysfunction, yet also recognizing that a bad board can become a good board over time if the skill and will among the team exists.
Adopting the characteristics of Danny’s crew to reset, direct and advance the mission of your nonprofit — or maybe even watching the movie together as a team — will invigorate new thinking about board transition to a higher level.
Set the example
Across San Joaquin County, the strength of our community rises and falls in many ways on the backsides of good and great boards. But it is the good board which achieves the best outcomes, such as social impact or delivering services in spades to help those with less to achieve lasting change within a community.
A few local case studies of a board achieving a good rating of function yields the promise of what is possible.
Consider this: A local nonprofit begins a long and arduous journey of reinvention by exploring new ways to lead toward stronger board performance. They make it their mission to invest equally in programs, as well as earmark funds for conducting assessments of existing staff and board members as a way to identify gaps, opportunities and using the good ole SWOT method (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats) to deconstruct old policies, practices and, as a team, agreed to long term actions.
While this example might seem like a typical board move, it’s not.
This process has a double-edged sword. While galvanizing new thinking, the nonprofit was required to drop what is blushingly called “dead wood,” i.e. board members whose historical contributions had dried out many years ago, petrified.
A good board understands the use of both contributing, established members and the need to equally recruit younger or more experienced members to meet both the needs of the agency and the times. A good board finds balance in generational teams.
Remember when you were in kindergarten and your teacher gave you a gold star for good work? Nonprofits, too, are benefactors of gold stars.
Both Charity Navigator and GuideStar are nonprofit rating organizations that evaluate the bad, good and great of charities, as well as provide transparency to donors, foundations and stakeholders.
These platforms help individuals and institutions make informed decisions about where to invest their charitable contributions. And a high rating can be akin to a restaurant earning a Michelin Star.
One local board found that they had a less-than stellar rating from one of these agencies. In turn, they immediately changed course by getting their finances, policies and mission up to date — and poof, they were platinum-level rated. A knowledgeable donor, who knew of both these ratings systems and was impressed with the increased valuation, quickly sized up the nonprofit, making a higher-than-usual donation.
Communication
Now back to Danny Ocean’s crew.
The personalities of each member were wildly different, yet their ability to communicate kept them in lock step with each other. In speaking with many of our county’s finest and well-managed nonprofits, consistent themes about good communications surface.
A good CEO or chair knows their board, and they build a relationship with that Board, while also finding the sweet spot of each member, from remembering birthdays to seeking ideas during times of need. Sometimes it’s the simple things, not just the big gestures, that make the difference in maximizing communication.
In one case, a CEO made it her mission to take every board member to lunch. It was during that moment that the CEO truly connected on a personal level — learning about family, friends, passions and, in the end, what made them tick.
This strategic approach ensured a much stronger understanding of the team dynamics-like Danny’s crew, it gave the CEO a lever in recognizing the unique contributions of each board member to the overall mission of the nonprofit.
Another nonprofit creates good boards by building into each meeting time for discussion amongst members to share bright spots, concerns or ideas. A south county board that is a high performer has a CEO who prepares members in advance on financials or other key issues, setting them up with monthly one-page reports on high level operations and reminding members of their importance to the mission.
This CEO gets the most out of his board, a key reason for this nonprofit’s effectiveness.
A tried-and-true Ocean’s Eleven characteristic is togetherness.
A good board has a tight and obvious link between the CEO and the chair. A rift between them, especially if it explodes into the open, can trigger extraordinary difficulties. Degenerating confidence between these two key players also impacts the confidence of the board as a whole. And make no mistake, staff always feel the temperature of board dysfunction.
Like Danny and Rusty, leaders should confide in each other’s strengths, make the best decisions for the crew, and take disagreements offline before ascending into arguments in front of their crew.
A good board chair and CEO checks this box.
Who’s the Boss?
Selecting a nonprofit CEO is one of the most important roles of a good board. Get that right and you’ve got a framework for success.
Many of our nonprofits in San Joaquin County have long standing CEO’s who are close to retirement. So, the big question is who should succeed when it’s time? Does the board have a game plan? Is there an internal natural successor? Is a national search necessary? Getting this wrong could mean the slow but eventual demise of a nonprofit.
While the appeal of national searches for the perfect candidate is always a standard go-to move, they are often costly for a nonprofit.
In one local example, the board of a large nonprofit spent many months and money to find a new CEO. In the end, they found their best candidate among the existing staff.
In another case, a similar search yielded lackluster candidates and a local, highly capable candidate was selected.
A good board might want to throw out the playbook in CEO succession. In one local case, the retiring CEO appointed a second in command to serve alongside them to prepare for the eventual handing of the reins. The old CEO coached the new CEO, leading to a graceful transition one year later.
Because national search firms cost a ton and don’t always yield optimal results, throwing out the rule book on CEO selection can yield significant results and can tap the internal talent we have in our own community.
Leaping from good to great — so keep watching.
One of the foremost books on leadership is Jim Collins’ signature title Good to Great: Why Some Companies (and yes, nonprofits are businesses) Make the Leap…And Others Don’t. The theory is that being great’s adversary is actually just being good. Collins notes that many companies, despite strong performance, never reach greatness because they grow complacent, instead of aiming for greatness. They compromise for mediocrity.
If you mind what matters, explore a board’s functionality, get to know its members and see if it measures up to Danny’s crew.
And in one of the most memorable lines of the film, Julia Roberts reminds casino boss Terry that “Someone is always watching.” And in the nonprofit world of San Joaquin County, we too are always watching.
Kristen Birtwhistle is a multigenerational Stocktonian, president and CEO of United Way of San Joaquin County and founder of the Nonprofit Leadership Collaborative and the Nonprofit Capacity Building initiative. She spent three decades with Kaiser Permanente as a healthcare administrator and advocate for our community nonprofits.