HEY! WE’RE ALL ON THE SAME TEAM.

One of the most important jobs that a nonprofit Board has is recruiting and hiring the CEO/ED. If you have done that job well then the Board and Executive should be partners in the successful running of the organization.

But wait…... how many times have you seen the Board and Executive at loggerheads or worse yet, at each other’s throats? Word gets out and soon there is bad blood all around and worse yet, rumors abound about your agency’s dysfunction.  Try hiring someone or getting new Board members after word gets around. And trust me, word gets around!

So, let’s remember some basics. The board has two major responsibilities: governance and sustainability. The CEO/ED has a separate responsibility: management.

Here are a few steps that might make for a high functioning partnership:

•      The CEO/Ed is the senior staff manager and de facto representative of the board-staff relationship.
•      The board evaluates the CEO/ED; the CEO/Ed evaluates the staff.
•      Normal communication from board to staff and vice versa is through the CEO/ED.
•      Support and know your CEO/ED. What are the joys and frustrations of the job? What are the time commitments/ constraints? Regular and open discussion and feedback are key.
•      Boards have overview responsibility. They need to know outcomes and impacts, not processes.
•      If policy or strategy functions are not being followed adequately then one on one sessions between board chair and CEO/ED need to be held until an understanding is reached.
•      No one does a perfect job all the time. Minor mistakes are normative for all concerned and tolerance is in order. Major or continued mistakes are handled differently. And be honest, if a mistake has continued over time how engaged has the board been with its oversight responsibility.
•      Fundraising is a shared responsibility. In most cases the CEO/ED is the face of the organization and can add value to fundraising activities. Just remember, the board has ultimate sustainability responsibility.

Some of these ideas are my own and some adapted from Eugene Fram. He has written an insightful book “Policy vs. PaperClips: how using the corporate model makes a nonprofit board more effective and efficient”. It’s available from Amazon. Since nonprofits are really small businesses his suggestions are very helpful.

HOW CAN ANYTHING THIS GOOD BE THIS EASY?

Flamiche or just plain Leek Pie.

Leeks are available everywhere right now. Mild, sweet and oniony,  who can resist? It may look like a lot of steps but really, once you’ve made it you never have to look at the directions again

Ingredients:

-3 large leeks, about 1 ½ pounds, white and light green parts

-1 Tbls. Olive oil and 1 of butter

-1 garlic clove, minced

-2 egg yolks plus 1 whole egg

-¾ cup milk (or cream or crème fraiche if you want to be more French)

-¾ cup Gruyere cheese, tightly pack

-Any frozen or homemade pie crust

-salt and pepper to taste

Preparation:

-Heat oven to 350

-Beat together the eggs

-Set the tart pan on a cookie sheet. Spread the crust in and crimp up the sides of the pan. Lightly brush the pastry with a little of the beaten eggs and bake for 10 minutes.

-You know the drill with leeks. Slice lengthwise, run under cold water and remove sand. A crunchy leek tastes good, a sandy one does not. Cut into thin slices

-Heat oil and butter on stove top, add leeks and salt; stir until softened but not browned- then cover and cook maybe 10-15 min. over very low heat. Do not brown. Add a little whit e wine if they begin to stick. Add garlic in the last minute.

-Go back to the eggs, Add salt, pepper and milk/cream and whisk together.

-put leeks in the tart crust, spread the cheese over the leeks and add the eggy custard

-Bake for 30 minutes or until just set, allow to cool for 15 on a rack.

Don’t eat straight out of the pan, that’s bad manners. But temptin'.