Preserving relationships with former board members can be complicated, and the temptation to cut them off entirely is strong. But a sense of balance and inclusion can reduce feelings of meddling.

When board members have ended their tenures, their tenures should end.

That sounds painfully tautological, I know, but governance has a way of warping logic. Plenty of associations have had the experience of past volunteer leaders looking for ways to participate in the association’s work after the term ends. The enthusiasm is admirable, and nonprofitdom is acculturated to the notion of never turning away an enthusiastic volunteer. But often that participation involves dictating guidance to a governing body that can would like to handle its duties without extra unsolicited input from the people who used to be in charge.

All of which is to say that it’s not surprising that John Barnes felt the need to put his foot down and deliver a firm message to those ex-board members: Go away.

In a blog post last week titled “Association Board Leaders: Move Gracefully Off the Scene,” Barnes, President of Barnes Association Consultants, exhorted former volunteer leaders to “stop. Move on. Your time is done. Let other leaders come to the fore… New leaders, younger leaders.” Such exes can be available to offer advice, of course—if they’re asked. But mainly he encourages them to “see a movie, read a book, or take a walk in the park.”

This is advice struck me as understandable, but a bit funereal—it’s the end of a board stint, not our last professional act before we shuffle off this mortal coil. And I do think former board members can play a valuable role (more on that in a moment). But I asked Barnes to clarify what he feels those leaders can do.

First off, he says, associations would do well to dispense with past-president roles or similar caretaker positions. “Once a president has completed their service, he/she can make themselves available to answer questions or offer advice as the new president needs or the situation warrants.” And the president doesn’t need a formal board seat to play that role.

Moreover, he adds, “I also have seen a number of occasions where the past-president has not behaved well and provided resistance to the president as they attempted to do their work and lead the board.” A board is very often a projection of the chair’s vision, and former chairs can often have a hard time seeing things through that lens. “Having [past presidents] sit on the board makes it more difficult for the board to move forward because the past president is present and people don’t want to suggest new changes if the past president’s feelings might be hurt,” he says.

But the same sense of vision that can make former leaders seem as if they’re interfering—even meddling—is the exact reason why you can’t cut them off entirely. In 2015 I wrote about the experience of Steve R. Smith, CAE, executive director of the American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine, who received some blunt pushback from a former board member who was feeling neglected after he’d wrapped up his term.

The solution in AAHPM’s case was fairly straightforward: Former leaders didn’t so much want to work the association’s levers themselves so much as they wanted to know what leadership was doing, so Smith scheduled occasional informational calls with former past-presidents. And once informed, they’ve rarely felt moved to do anything that might qualify as interference.

Barnes agrees that former board members can play roles with the association beyond waiting on standby for consultation. “A really great role for past-presidents is to serve on a committee/task force for the association,” he says. “Having a balance of older leaders with new young leaders on a committee often improves the work product and provides a mentorship possibility.”

And he stresses that the urge to lead doesn’t have to end with that particular association. Former leaders, young and old, should consider leadership roles at other organizations—which, Barnes suggests, has a way of helping to support the one they just left. “I think [volunteering for another association] is often undervalued,” he says. “Having a former member leader volunteer at another association has the possibility of improving relationships and collaborations between organizations and spread positive news about your association.”

This article was originally sourced from Associations Now here and was written by Mark Athitakis. 

So many associations have been trying to figure out how to keep their industries relevant as millennials and Generation Z replace baby boomers. One expert instructs associations to get these individuals to tell their stories, instead of simply pushing out their own.

When kids are deciding to learn an instrument, the accordion is probably not their first choice—creating an industry challenge the Connecticut Accordion Association is trying to overcome.

With its Bellows Open: The Great Squeeze Project, CAA is trying to increase awareness and interest in the instrument it celebrates by working with a local high school to introduce students to the accordion. After an initial presentation in December, any students who learned to play performed a concert together this past weekend.

But the conversation around how to engage new generations isn’t particularly new—especially as millennials and Gen Z began entering the workforce. The focus has been on effectively sharing a message. But Lori Silverman, author of books like Business Storytelling for Dummies and owner of Partners for Progress, says engaging the next generation needs to be about co-creating stories.

We’ve believed that storytelling is “solely about our ability to find the right story and to craft it in a compelling way that will make people resonate with our cause or with our group or with our industry sector,” Silverman said. “What’s true for everyone—especially with millennials—is that people want to engage with the story.”

With that in mind, associations must give individuals the space for expression, for telling their own stories around an experience. Silverman calls it “creating the container. What’s the container we’re going to provide to allow people to either capture and share their own stories or to co-create stories with others of what could be?”

Within that container, associations need to plant story prompts—open-ended phrases like, “Tell me about…” that encourage people to recall life events—as well as story triggers—a story or symbolic object provided with the sole intent of provoking stories from those who receive them. These allow members, or even nonmembers, to more deeply connect with the organization through the meaning inherent in their stories.

Containers can take many forms and exist in different spaces. Silverman recommends associations consider, “What can we do to provide an experience that allows people to share or co-create stories that they then give back to us?”

For example, an association can use the container of a survey with story prompts to gather members’ stories to inform marketing, conferences, or other functions. But to get members to dive deeper into their stories, it’s best to use in-depth interviews that employ special story listening techniques, Silverman explained.

During a conference, associations can encourage attendees to create group videos about their experiences. Consider providing staging, settings, or props that participants can incorporate. “Give them the opportunity to create new stories in that moment,” Silverman said. “Let them be spontaneous and very present. Resist the need to be [overly planned] with what’s captured here.”

Giving people the freedom to participate in the association’s storytelling creates deeper connections and lets them share that experience with others. While pursuing these means of engagement gives away some control over the direction and possibilities of the storytelling, associations should strategically design their container to ensure the intended purpose is still accomplished.

“You cannot create these sorts of engagements without thinking through and testing your story prompts,” Silverman said. “You cannot give people prompts and triggers without having done your homework to learn, ‘What are the possible reactions we might get so we lessen an unintended, negative consequence to a positive action?’”

This article was sourced directly from the Associations Now website here and was written by Alex Beall. 

During ASAE’s MM&C Conference earlier this month, association executives and industry partners took part in 24 learning labs, three keynotes, two preconference workshops and networked to up their game on digital, content and branding strategies. Here’s a guest blog article from Abila‘s Amanda Myers wrapping up the event in D.C.

Although it’s not ASAE’s biggest show of the year, its Membership Marketing and Communications (MM&C) Conference almost always ranks at the top of my list. For starters, the targeted attendance creates more opportunities to connect with and learn from different organizations. In addition, I find myself walking away with not only strategic inspiration, but also practical tips and tricks that can make everyday life better.

The keynotes were amazing! And there were also a lot of gems hidden in the individual sessions. Here are four of my favorite moments from this year’s event:

• Find yourself in a conference full of marketing people and it’s inevitable: Content marketing will come up. One of the hottest trends seen in recent years, content marketing continues to be a topic that drives big crowds and meaningful conversation, and “Next-Gen Content Strategies for Associations” was no exception. Best takeaway? Understand that conversation is king – content is something to talk about, and curate the content that’s going to be the most meaningful to your members. Information is no longer a scarce resource; but focus, meaning and wisdom remain in shorter supply.
  
• As someone who just hosted a webinar that included the term newsjacking, I knew a session whose title started with “. . . and then the New York Times called” was well positioned to capture my attention! By keeping a laser focus on message, when the opportunity presented itself, the American Academy of Periodontology got its point of view out to the tune of 2,084,758,975 impressions, including mentions from NBC News, The Today Show, NPR and The New York Times.
  
• Today’s marketers are almost as obsessive about measuring their messages as they are about the messages themselves. But what should you actually be tracking? Aptify’s Dave Martin and Mike Skiados from the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) not only shared “10 Marketing KPIs Every Association Should Be Measuring,” but Skiado outlined how his association worked within its engagement framework to provide a more meaningful picture of a member, based on his or her communications, activity, satisfaction, sentiment and promotion.
  
• Change can be hard, and “Tipping a Sacred Cow” can take a lot of guts. Attendees to this Nexus Direct session learned quick tips for identifying sacred cows that may pose a risk to their own organization. These sacred cows may represent too much of your income; or indicate your organization is on auto-pilot (we’ve always done it that way); is driven by ideology; or lacks transparent, clear benchmarks and/or KPIs.
  

Kudos to all the presenters for another year of remarkable content. If you’re interested in seeing what was discussed, handouts of the session are made available from ASAE here. I wonder what these thought leaders will be bringing to the table for annual this August in Toronto.

This article was originally sourced from Associations Now here. 

The not-for-profit sector performs a vital role delivering services that meet important social needs. It provides a voice for some of our most disadvantaged groups and individuals. Not-for-profit status also allows organisations of professionals to represent their members under a regulated legal framework. The sector oversees the collection and expenditure of hundreds of millions of dollars of other peoples’ money. So it’s critical NFP’s are well run according to the highest levels of good governance.

A NFP company and a for-profit company are both corporate entities and the boards of both are subject to the same governance and legal requirements under the Corporations Law – acting in the best interests of the company, avoiding conflicts of interest, etc.

The success of any organisation is dependent on the quality of its leadership. In both for-profits and not-for-profits effective leadership must start at board level. Boards select the CEO and set the tone of the organisation’s culture. They are ultimately responsible for its financial performance, its adherence to numerous laws and regulations and the achievement of its core purpose.

Processes by which NFP board members are selected vary, but in many cases do not include a rigorous assessment of skills, and in particular a requirement to demonstrate an understanding of corporate governance principles. For this reason, many NFP organisations suffer at the hands of inexperienced directors who allow questionable actions on the part of co-directors, staff and volunteers and boards that fail to develop appropriate policies to ensure transparency and ethical behaviour.

One of the perennial challenges for NFP boards is reconciling the respective roles of directors and management. The same issue exists in the for-profit sector, however the generally higher level of corporate governance knowledge limits the frequency of disputes on this score, as does the jointly shared imperative of delivering a profit.

Some NFP boards appoint one of their number as an executive director rather than employ a CEO. This is especially common in smaller NFP organisations with limited financial resources. On other occasions a NFP might vest executive powers in their chair. Both options are entirely legal and reasonable according to the circumstances.

However, difficulties can arise when a CEO is employed by an interventionist board or where the directors allow a non-executive chair to unnecessarily intervene in operational matters. For this reason good governance protocols and a transparent process established by a board cognisant of corporate governance principles is highly desirable.

There are a variety of types of NFP director. This list is probably not exhaustive and of course some directors exhibit the characteristics of more than one of these types.

1. Enthusiastic amateurs with great commitment

Being an expert in the field of endeavour of an organisation is a valuable but insufficient qualification for board membership. In fact, in the absence of other relevant skills an overly passionate subject matter expert might not appreciate many of the risks associated with decisions being made. They may fail to see the ‘big picture’ and are likely to be overly keen on maintaining the status quo and resistant to change, especially when current circumstances favour them.

2. Self-interested careerists

Anyone looking to develop a career as a non-executive director will be advised to seek a NFP board appointment as a starting point. Others see a directorship with their respective professional association as something that “looks good on my resume”. People using their board role for career advancement are likely to avoid advocating or supporting the hard decisions often required at board level. They can be excessively prone to seeing issues through the prism of their personal experience or expectations.

3. Conflicted owners of related businesses

Directors owning or running businesses in the NFP’s field of endeavour carry an inherent conflict of interest. Boards should have processes in place to at least acknowledge conflicts, which should be routinely recorded in meetings minutes. However, acknowledgement is not necessarily sufficient to avoid unacceptable consequences. Conflicted directors should ideally not take part in discussions relating to the conflict and certainly should not be permitted to vote on them. In some cases an ongoing conflict of interest might justify disqualification from appointment or a requirement to resign. The most obvious example of an inherent conflict of interest is where a director, or an organisation with which they are involved receives income, directly or indirectly, from the organisation.

4. Relevance deprivation syndrome sufferers

Too often, people for whom life has not delivered sufficient career highs or other ego-satisfying achievements find consolation in a NFP board appointment. The problem here is that the very personality and behavioural weaknesses that have limited their progression thus far can be exhibited in dysfunctional board performances.

5. Narcissists with menace

Occasionally downright unreasonable people somehow make it on to NFP boards. The expression ‘two faced’ probably explains why these people are not necessarily seen for what they are by others with whom they’ve only had fleeting encounters. The problem here is there’s no easy mechanism for a board to modify the behaviour of narcissists with menace, much less remove them. The majority of their co-directors will often suffer in silence to the detriment of board performance and at the expense of the organisation.

6. Well balanced individuals lacking sufficient knowledge and/or experience of corporate governance

This category possibly describes the overwhelming majority of NFP directors. It’s for this reason that most NFP boards manage to do their job with fairly good overall effect. However, for the reasons discussed in this article they can hold back the board and the organisation from maximising their performance

7. Well balanced individuals with well-honed knowledge and/or experience of corporate governance.

Regrettably, there is often an insufficient number of people like this on NFP boards.

NFP boards must ensure proper governance principles and processes are in place. Directors and prospective directors should be required to demonstrate minimum levels of corporate governance knowledge and experience, or a willingness to undertake governance training. Mandatory governance training would be a good idea, as would a review of board performance conducted by an external governance expert from time to time.

Boards should also be required to pay greater attention to conflicts of interest on the part of their directors. They owe this to their members and to all those who benefit from or rely on the services they provide.

It’s time for all levels of government to consider changes to relevant laws in order to achieve improved governance in the NFP sector. It’s time for NFP boards and their directors to have a good look in the governance mirror. And it would be a good idea for the members of NFP’s to critically assess the governance practices of their boards.

This article was originally sourced from Laurie Patton here. 

Today Australia’s small and independent brewers voted overwhelmingly in favour of removing large brewers from the membership of their trade body and renaming it the Independent Brewers Association.

It is a move designed to create a body that is better placed to address the challenges faced by small brewers in Australia.

Under new rules for what was the Craft Beer Industry Association, membership will be prohibited for brewers that are more than 20% owned by large brewers or other businesses that hold significant brewery holdings in Australia or overseas.

Previously the association had allowed membership by companies such as Little Creatures, Malt Shovel and Mountain Goat, all of which are 100% owned by global brewing concerns.

“This is a great day for our association and for small, independent breweries in Australia,” said Independent Brewers Association chair, Peta Fielding.

“Our industry is a shining light in Australian manufacturing. There are now more than 400 small, independent brewing businesses, up from just 200 when the association began five years ago. The industry directly employs more than 2100 people and generates an estimated $655 million in economic output.”

“Our members face challenges in their businesses with issues such as taxation, market access and licencing that don’t align with those of larger global organisations,” Mrs Fielding said.

“These changes allow us to narrow our focus on addressing the needs of the businesses that need it most.”

“As we move onto this next chapter of the association we would like to take this opportunity to acknowledge the significant contributions the larger brewers made as founding members of the Craft Beer Industry Association.”

END

This media release was sourced directly from the Craft Beer Industry Associations website here. 

The focus on housing in tonight’s Budget is an important step in addressing the complex housing affordability challenge that Australia faces according to Housing Industry Association.

Graham Wolfe, HIA Deputy Managing Director said “the Budget’s housing focus will send important signals to state and local governments and the community that the Government is serious about meet the challenge of delivering more affordable housing

“There are no simple solutions but providing well targeted assistance to help first home buyers save for their first home and to providers of community housing through the ‘National Housing Finance and Investment Corporation’ will make a difference.

“Although not an affordability measure, the incentives for ‘downsizers’ will also help stimulate the supply of new housing more appropriate to the needs of our seniors.

“Much of the work to improve housing affordability rests with state and local governments and the Budget has made significant commitments to encourage action. The National Housing Infrastructure Facility has $1billion behind it is more than just window dressing.

“Linking the National Housing and Homelessness Agreement’s $1.8 billion to the states and local governments delivering improved housing supply and better planning systems is a significant and welcome reform.

“The ‘city deals’ expansion into smaller scale projects is also a welcome development: the big ticket projects are important but much can be achieved by removing obstacles to more efficient delivery of homes.

“However HIA is concerned about the negative impacts on residential building from the Budget’s measures on foreign investment.

“Plans to tax vacant homes, limit the share of foreign investment in new projects and increase foreign investor duties all send exactly the wrong signal to potential investors in Australia. Barriers to investment are not productive for the building industry or the economy more broadly; investment needs to be encouraged.

“HIA would urge the Government to build on the Budget’s initial steps towards more affordable housing by making this a standing item on the COAG agenda.

“In the meantime HIA will continue to urge the Government to undertake a thorough national inquiry into housing affordability and establish a mechanism for the regular monitoring of the crucial supply of land for the residential building industry”, Mr Wolfe concluded.

For further information please contact:

Graham Wolfe on 0419 751 188; or

Warwick Temby, Acting Chief Economist on 0407 692 241

This media release was directly sourced from the Housing Industry Association's website here. 

The Minister for Health and Minister for Sport, the Hon Greg Hunt MP, visited the AIS this morning with Australian Sports Commission CEO Kate Palmer to outline the Australian Government's initiative to develop a National Sports Plan.

Australian Olympic Committee CEO Matt Carroll AM, Australian Paralympic Committee CEO Lynne Anderson and Commonwealth Games Australia CEO Craig Phillips, athletes Shelley Watts (Olympic and Commonwealth Games boxer) and Michael Roeger (Paralympic track athlete) also attended.

Minister Hunt released the following statement on the National Sports Plan after the event:

Today I invite all Australians and the sporting community to play a part in shaping the Turnbull Government‘s new National Sports Plan.

The Plan will be a long-term strategy for the whole of sport and will examine four key pillars of participation, performance, prevention through physical activity, and integrity.

A national lottery, to be developed with the states, and activity to boost participation are amongst options being considered.

Consultation will also engage on major sporting events, sports infrastructure, sport governance and funding.

Throughout this process key stakeholders will work closely with the Government, including the states and territories, the Australian Sports Commission and their respective sports, the Australian Olympic and Paralympic Committee and Commonwealth Games Australia.

The Commonwealth makes a significant contribution to Australian sport and the Plan will help to inform clear policy objectives across the entire sector.

Australians love sport. It is one of the defining characteristics of our culture and it is in our DNA.

We come together to play sport at local ovals, fields, courts, parks and beaches. We jump out of bed on a Saturday morning for junior sport and flock to the footy, netball and countless other sports to support our sporting champions.

Participating in sport also makes us healthier both physically and mentally and it is the basis for so many friendships.

Being physically active also reduces our risks for many diseases including heart disease and type two diabetes.

Further details on the Plan, including options for submitting views, are available at www.sport.gov.au. Contributions and ideas are due by 31 July 2017.

Submissions should consider the key issues listed on the website. Further guidance on topics for discuss will be released in the coming week. This is not an exclusive list but is designed to stimulate debate and discussion.

This process of public consultation is one part of a wider program of extensive stakeholder consultation, designed to ensure everyone has the opportunity to have their say.

This release was directly sourced from the Australian Sports Commission website here. 

The Commercial Vessel Association of NSW (CVA) has voted to merge with the Boating Industry Association (BIA), becoming the latest industry body to come under the BIA’s auspices.

The CVA is the largest industry body for the commercial vessel sector and represents a range of commercial boating companies including private ferry operators, tourist boats and charter boat operators. It includes large companies such as SeaLink Travel Group which operates Captain Cook Cruises as well as smaller one-person operations. The merger includes most of the 250 charter vessels and private ferries currently operating on Sydney Harbour.

The CVA will become a new organisational division of the BIA along the lines of other divisions for marinas, boat builders, retailers and other industry sectors.

According to Howard Glenn, BIA national CEO, the CVA decided to join in order to gain access to increased support and services for its members.

“The BIA is proud to merge with the CVA and the businesses that give so many people their first boating experience,” he said.

“The merger means that the BIA now represents the widest range of recreational and commercial vessels, at a time when the distinctions between the two sectors are being blurred by new forms of boat share, and the emphasis on boating tourism.

“A more inclusive coverage of the boating industry, sharing resources and infrastructure, gives all of us a bigger voice to government and the community.”

The announcement of the merger comes in the lead-up to the Marine17 conference which this year will feature a dedicated program of presentations for light commercial marine operators.

This article was originally sourced from the Marine Business website here. 

Having a diversity of workers with a range of qualifications contributes to the success, not the stress, of the sector, writes Australian Community Workers Association CEO Sha Cordingley.

I read with interest the article Workplace Stress is Reaching Toxic Levels in Social Sector, particularly as it highlighted one of the main issues identified by our own members of the Australian Community Workers Association (ACWA). While I agree with the premise of the article, and indeed with Dr Harrison’s main thesis, I reject the suggestion that “diploma-level” workers are not suitably qualified and that this is contributing to a “de-skilled workforce” and high workplace stress.

Unfortunately, workplace stress in the community sector is not a new concern, nor is it one that has been adequately addressed over the years. One of the most pervasive sources of stress in the workplace can be attributed to the practice of outsourcing and tendering; a situation not unfamiliar to Victorians who worked in the community sector during the Kennett years.

Over the past couple of decades not-for-profit organisations have been forced to compete both against other not for profits and for-profit organisations for a dwindling pool of funding. As a consequence, and in order to remain in business, many not for profits have had to reduce their operating costs by subsidising the financial shortfall between the income they receive and what is actually needed to provide a decent service. Often the burden of covering this shortfall has fallen on the shoulders of staff and volunteers with profound and damaging effect.

A second contributor to stress is the ineffective management, supervision and support of staff. Most certainly inadequate funding plays its part, but the calibre of staff hired to manage frontline staff is critical in maintaining an effective service and good workplace culture.

ACWA’s experience is that most calls coming to our helpline are about incompetent managers, lack of constructive supervision, and in the not-for-profit arena, disengaged boards of management. Underpinning these concerns is that in very many community service organisations (both for and not for profit) there are no safe and systematic processes in place for addressing staff concerns and consequences of stress.

The reality for many community sector workers is that organisations spend a substantial part of their resources on achieving output or outcome targets with little or no resources devoted to ensuring proper management and staff support systems are in place.

If workers are well supported, appropriately managed, and given the opportunity to have their concerns addressed, workplace culture is improved and good client-service follows. This makes good business sense – it not only reduces staff turnover and thus operating costs but also makes for a happier, less stressed and more productive workforce.

So what is the solution? We know that the sector is comprised of a diversity of professionals who work across the spectrum of community services including youth work, aged care, child protection, disability services, family and child services etc. They are qualified, professional, dedicated and eager to develop their skills and knowledge. Many hold diploma qualifications which provide them with the knowledge and practical fieldwork experience to work in the sector to good effect. Ironically, many of them are poorly managed by those with a higher qualification.

I believe it is squarely within government’s purview to demand through tender specifications that, in the interests of service recipients and the broader community, staff have manageable caseloads, access to supervision, support and training, and are appropriately qualified for the role. It is government’s’ responsibility to ensure the expenditure of public money provides the best outcome for service recipients without the exploitation of the workforce.

It cannot be stressed enough that graduates of diploma courses are qualified. And without that particular set of qualified workers, the industry will collapse and we will lose the very people who are qualified and trained to provide frontline services.

We are happy to join with peak bodies and other professional associations to try to address the issues of workplace stress providing that it is recognised that a diversity of workers with a range of qualifications contribute to the success of the sector.

About the author: Sha Cordingley is the CEO of Australian Community Workers Association and chair of the Community Sector and Development Industry Skills Committee.

This article was originally sourced from ProBono News here. 

Women & Leadership Australia (WLA) is administering a national initiative to support the development of female leaders across Australia’s not-for-profit sector.

The initiative is providing women with grants of between $3,000 and $8,000 to enable participation in a range of leadership development programs.

The leadership development programs are part-time and delivered nationally via WLA’s blended learning model. Scholarship funding is strictly limited and has to be allocated prior to the end of this financial year (June 30).

Expressions of Interest
Find out more and register your interest by completing the Expression of Interest form here prior to June 16, 2017: http://www.wla.edu.au/assoc-june17.html