{"id":221,"date":"2023-01-31T12:01:00","date_gmt":"2023-01-31T12:01:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/scenechange\/?p=221"},"modified":"2022-12-02T00:41:49","modified_gmt":"2022-12-02T00:41:49","slug":"nonprofit-arts-board-members-oughta-just-wont-cut-it","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/scenechange\/2023\/01\/31\/nonprofit-arts-board-members-oughta-just-wont-cut-it\/","title":{"rendered":"Nonprofit Arts Board Members: \u201cOughta\u201d Just Won\u2019t Cut It"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

You know what you really oughta do? Stop telling other people what they oughta do.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u00a9 2023, Alan Harrison.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOughta.\u201d The \u201cO\u201d word.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Board members are not consultants. They advise, to be sure, but a good board member does not see him- or herself as a consultant. Consultants are paid to tell the truth to the organization in order for the organization to thrive (although too many are paid to echo the opinions of the board member responsible for hiring them, to the detriment of the organization).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Consultants have no \u201cskin in the game,\u201d as it were. They come, they work, they counsel, they hold hands, they provide insight, they produce a report, and they\u2019re done. The nonprofit can choose to follow, misread, or dismiss the findings and recommendations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Board members are employees who have to pay to be there. It\u2019s an odd relationship. Board members\u2019 activities are sometimes guided by the executive director, who in turn, reports to the board. Other times, their activities come straight from a board chair. In a few organizations, orders come from a development director.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Consultants often report with blunt precision. \u201cYour plan of action is X, and here\u2019s why. And here\u2019s what will likely happen when you do it successfully.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And yet I\u2019ve heard more than one board member, uninformed about their true responsibilities (either by the organization\u2019s leaders or by a generalized \u201chow to\u201d book), say the \u201cO\u201d word at a board meeting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou know what you oughta do\u201d is the preface to something to which the speaker has no connection\u2014and worse, no intent of connection. It comes from a combination of that board member\u2019s insecurity (\u201cWhat am I doing here?\u201d), imposter syndrome (\u201cWhy do they think I should be here?\u201d), and a lack of communication between the board chair, the executive director, and that board member (\u201cWhat do they want from me?\u201d). What do<\/em> you want from them? Money? Time? And that\u2019s it? Do they know that?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Photo by Andrea Piacquadio on Pexels<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Look, serving as a board member for a nonprofit arts organization can be expensive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n