Nonprofit board governance is everything. In our 22 years as consultants, this truth continues to be evident regardless of the size, scope, status, or sector.
Potential clients would ask for our help with fundraising or strategic planning, and time after time, we would start the work only to find the root cause of why they were struggling: dysfunction at the top.
We often say the single most important relationship in a nonprofit organization is the relationship between the board and chief executive, and the second more important relationship is between the board members themselves.
When these relationships are grounded in trust, candor, and respect – which are essential for a constructive partnership – then the organization can achieve all that it intends.
When there is a fracture in these relationships, when roles and expectations are not clear, and/or when the right board members are not recruited or onboarded in the right way – then the organization often stumbles and struggles.
Over the last few years, the shift towards better governance practices has been palpable. The COVID-19 pandemic forced boards and chief executives to operate and govern in new ways. The crisis was so acute that everyone in the organization had to get into problem-solving mode. Including board members, whose role to provide strategic oversight became more critical than ever. Board dynamics changed and leaders knew they needed a new normal. And it couldn’t have happened at a better time, because now we have the issues of the moment.
In June 2025, the sector no longer has perceived threats, potential cuts, or probable policy changes, it is facing unprecedented assault. From higher taxes on foundations and endowments to spending reductions and new threats to tax exempt status, the current state of nonprofit affairs is precarious.
Nonprofits must have boards with the right composition, training, and support to be best equipped to navigate the challenges of now. We stand shoulder to shoulder with nonprofit organizations and their leaders as, together, we create, yet again, another new normal.
Stay tuned for a new service offering from our team that will help match, train, and support nonprofits and prospective board members — solving for the challenges of today and leveraging the opportunities of tomorrow, because governance is everything.
