Batts, Michael E. Board Member Orientation: The Concise and Complete Guide to Nonprofit Board Service. Atlanta, Ga: Accountability Press in Cooperation with Batts Morrison Wales & Lee, 2011.
Our congregation has a board of trustees which oversees the legal affairs of our church. These are all godly and wise members who are elected by the congregation to focus on the overall mission, vision, strategy, and policy of our church to ensure we are operating within those guidelines and legal parameters. They know they are responsible to the congregation, to the community, and to the church staff for wise counsel and oversight. They are ultimately responsible to the Lord. While the board does not manage the day-to-day operations of the church, it does ensure we are doing things decently and in order. I meet with the board regularly to share the financial reports of the church, the initiatives the church is adopting, the risks the church may face or need to avoid, and the implementation or development of appropriate policies and procedures. I have an excellent relationship with the board because they love the church, believe in the mission and strategy of the church, and because they take their role as board members seriously.
We have conducted board member orientation in the past using various methods whereby we discuss our philosophy of ministry, the by-laws, doctrinal statement, articles of incorporation, and the job description of the board. However, I have found a wonderful book that I will begin using this year for orientation. It will give more direction and consistency to our established orientation procedures. The book was given to me when I became a member of the State Board of Missions of the Florida Baptist Convention. The book is titled, "Board Member Orientation: The Concise and Complete Guide to Nonprofit Board Service," by Michael E. Batts. The author "is a CPA and the managing shareholder of Batts Morrison Wales & Lee, P.A., an Orlando-based CPA firm dedicated exclusively to serving nonprofit organizations and their affiliates" (p. 85). He has also served on various boards for 25 years. He writes from experience and with expertise.
The book covers the major responsibilities and guidlines for board service. It is written in a clear and concise way (only 85 pages) that is accessible to everyone. The book is designed to be read by the individual board members in preparation for discussion and review as a group. Each chapter concludes with an executive recap. The last chapter offers a three-step process for conducting board member orientation:
- Each member reads the first nine chapters.
- You provide each member with the documents of your organization as listed in chapter 10.
- You meet and discuss the unique role of your organization. Chapter 10 includes helpful discussion questions to guide the meeting.
I have purchased a copy for each of my board members and will follow this process. The book is available on Amazon in paperback and Kindle edition at very affordable prices.
I highly recommend this book to seasoned and new board members, alike. It will make board member orientation easy, clear and helpful. Members will serve with greater confidence and skill after reading this book.