In larger companies, establishing an Advisory Board is becoming more commonplace as these large businesses seek to add to the value and experience of their Board of Directors.
This is a trend that can also be of great help to a small business, whether you are operating as a company or not. Most of my clients and readers run family-owned companies or husband and wife operations. Their Boards of Directors are usually the owners. While this provides control of ownership, it does not provide these businesses with fresh perspectives on strategy, reaction to economic trends, specific industry or geographic experience as well as on markets and legal and legislative circumstances.
Knowing your business in and out is great - but think of the added value of a pool of new minds that have a different and fresh perspective on the wider business world.
(more…)...
Read more
How To Write Your Not-For-Profit Strategic Plan
There is broad agreement among not-for-profit leaders and experts that planning is a critical component of good management and governance. Planning helps ensure that an organisation remains relevant and responsive to the needs of its community, and contributes to organisational stability and growth. It provides a basis for monitoring progress, and for assessing results and impact. It facilitates new program development. It enables an organisation to look into the future in an orderly and systematic way. From a governance perspective, it enables the Board to set policies and goals to guide the organisation and provides a clear focus to the Executive Director and staff for program implementation and agency management.
Most organisations understand the need for annual program objectives and a program-focused work plan. Funders require them, and they provide a basis for setting priorities, organizing work, and assessing progress. A growing number of community-based organisations go beyond funder requirements to develop annual objectives and operating plans which also include a systematic plan for resource development, organisational development, and in some cases Board development. Most groups find it practical to define objectives for a 12-month period, and to design strategies and programs to meet them.
Longer-range planning – planning beyond the next...
Read more