Board Member Orientation: The Concise and Complete Guide to Nonprofit Board Service

Finally! Board member orientation is truly simplified.

Serving on a nonprofit board can be an incredibly rewarding experience for the properly prepared board member. This book is for the generous and busy people who agree to give of their time and talents by serving on nonprofit boards. Nonprofit boards often fail to do a good job of board member orientation for a variety of reasons. It takes a significant amount of time and effort to plan and conduct quality board member orientation programs, and every time a new board member arrives, it’s time to do it again! Because of the challenges associated with providing quality board member orientation, many nonprofit organizations do not do it at all, leaving their board members to wing it. This book provides help and support to the truly great men and women serving on nonprofit boards whose service makes a positive difference in the lives of countless people every day.

A One-Hour Read
This book is a concise and appropriately comprehensive guide to nonprofit board service designed especially for new board members. It is a quick read, (about one hour), yet it addresses with accuracy the most significant elements of board service, such as mission, responsibility, duty, risk, liability, and board meeting dynamics.

Hooey Alerts!
Watch for Hooey Alerts! where the author identifies and dispels common myths and legends about nonprofit board service. There are many sources of false or misleading information about the nonprofit board service environment. A perfect example is the often vaguely-worded and intimidating assertion or implication that the Sarbanes-Oxley Act passed by Congress in 2002 applies to nonprofit organizations in a manner similar to how it applies to publicly-traded companies. (It does not.)

Board Member Orientation in a Simple 3-Step Process
The Simple Board Member Orientation Process Using This Book:

1. Your board members read Chapters 1-9 of the book, which will provide them with insights regarding the key elements of nonprofit board service.
2. You provide the board members with copies of the documents described in Chapter 10 related to your organization.
3. You meet with your board members to discuss the unique attributes of your organization following the discussion questions provided in Chapter 10.

Done!

Michael Batts has more than 25 years of experience serving on nonprofit boards and advising nonprofit organizations on matters related to board governance, financial reporting, tax compliance and strategy, corporate structure, international activities, and related issues. Mike is the president of Batts Morrison Wales & Lee, an accounting firm dedicated exclusively to serving nonprofit organizations and their affiliates across the United States. He is an accomplished author and national speaker on matters related to the nonprofit sector. Mike has actively engaged in nonprofit legislative matters. He previously served as chairman of the board of ECFA, a national organization that accredits religious nonprofit organizations in the areas of board governance and financial integrity. He also served as Chairman of ECFA's Standards Committee. Mike was appointed chairman of the Commission on Accountability and Policy for Religious Organizations, a national commission convened upon the request of U.S. Senator Charles Grassley to address accountability and policy issues related to religious and other nonprofit organizations.