Board to Death

About this book

Is your nonprofit board bored to death - or boring your mission to death?You said yes to making a difference. Instead, you're stuck in rubber-stamp meetings where the loudest voices and biggest donors dominate, talented members quietly disengage, and the real work of the mission stalls. You know in your gut that your board could be so much more.It can be.In Board to Death, nonprofit strategist Deborah Macfarlan Enright, Ed.D., shows you how to turn a well-meaning but ineffective board into one worthy of your mission. Drawing on decades of advising and serving on boards - and with a foreword by Geraldine Laybourne, who led the teams that created Nickelodeon, Nick at Nite, and Oxygen Media - this is the book that replaces dread with purpose.Inside, you'll learn how to: Recruit for expertise and experience, not "pulse and purse" Match your board to your organization's stage - startup, mission growth, or legacy Run meetings that energize rather than exhaust Set clear roles and boundaries between board and staff Navigate boardroom dynamics, succession, and culture with confidence And you won't just read about it. You get the working tools: a Board Composition Assessment, a seven-step recruitment process with a twelve-month timeline, application and orientation templates, and the Find Your Fit process for matching the right person to the right seat.This isn't governance theory. It's a hands-on playbook that treats your nonprofit like the mission-driven business it is.Whether you're a brand-new board member, a seasoned chair, or an executive director who needs a stronger board behind you, you'll close the last page knowing exactly how to make every priceless seat count.Your board can be the engine of your mission. Start the transformation today.