Board Chair Online Forum (Summer 2022)

Board Chair Online Forum
Tuesdays, June 21, July 12, August 2, August 23, August 30 | 10:30 AM – 12:30 PM | Online Web Forum

Presented by: Janet Unger, President, Unger Consulting Services

Offered in Partnership with: Unger Consulting Services

So, you’ve landed yourself in the Board Chair seat. Now what? Whether you’ve just begun in this role, have been doing it awhile, or are the Chair-Elect, you’re sure to have questions. Your governing board has ultimate corporate accountability, yet only meets for 12-24 hours per year – how will you do it all and do it well?

You will get answers to all your board leadership questions and more during this three-month online forum facilitated by nonprofit governance expert Janet Unger. Each meeting will offer a high level of exchange with your peers. Janet will provide practical tips and tools to help make your job easier. Join other nonprofit leaders for this interactive series designed exclusively for current and incoming Board Chairs.

In this four-part series, culminating with a final Q&A, you will:

• Discuss challenges you have encountered as a Board Chair
• Discover effective governance principles, practices, and perspectives
• Learn new techniques and gain insights to share with your board
• Increase your confidence to implement new ideas with your board
• Make progress on your governance goals
• Meet board chairs from across Pennsylvania and learn from their experience
• Receive a downloadable Participant Packet with useful resources for each session

These advanced practice sessions are designed for chairs of governing boards. If you are the chair of a “working board”, this series may not be as applicable to your situation.

Please note that this is an interactive forum; attendees are expected to join by webcam and actively participate in the conversation. Due to the collaborative nature of these sessions, space will be limited to the first 20 registrants. Anyone beyond the first 20 will be added to a waiting list for our next cohort. These meetings will NOT be recorded in order to promote open dialogue, honest discussion, and less inhibited sharing. If you are not available this time around, please sign up for the waiting list to be notified of future opportunities to participate in this series.

Cost:

$240 PANO Members | $520 Not Yet Members

Terms of Participation
Your purchase is good for one person to attend all four (4) sessions of this online series, plus the bonus Q&A. Please do not share your login information with others, as it may interfere with your ability to join. 

Agenda:

Session 1: Your Role as Board Chair (Tuesday, June 21)

     Your experience and observations

• • Board chair challenges
  • Effective board chairs

     Board Chair Role

• • Principles for the position
  • Position description
  • Term limits

     Key Relationships for Board Chair

• • Board Members
  • Committee Chairs and Officers
  • CEO/ED
  • External Relations

     Current Board Chair situations

• • Specific questions

     What will you do differently?

Session 2: Leading Robust Board Meetings (Tuesday, July 12)

     Designing the Agenda

• Board agenda cycle
• Future focused agenda
• Consent agenda and required approvals agenda
• Team building time

     Ensuring Productive Meetings

• Group facilitation
• Ad hoc decision-making > Policies
• Meeting rules
• Executive sessions
• Meeting evaluations
• Engaging your board virtually

     How will you adjust your board meetings?

Session 3: Cultivating an Intentionally Inclusive Boardroom (Tuesday, August 2)

     Why?

• • Look at the data
  • Value of equity, diversity, and inclusion in your boardroom

     Respectfully Recruiting and Retaining a Dynamic and Diverse Board

• • Policies
  • Practices
  • Priorities
  • Plans
  • Your biggest challenge?

     Chair’s Role in Creating an Inclusive Culture and Building Board Leadership

• • Opportunities
  • Onboarding: For all and customized
  • Board leadership succession planning

     How will your board know change is happening?

Session 4: Accountability for Performance (Tuesday, August 23)

     Operational Oversight

• • Board monitoring – Dashboards
  • Board Leadership in times of crisis

     Ensuring Oversight of Executive Performance

• • Executive evaluation process
  • Executive succession planning

     Board Performance

• • Board commitments
  • Board committee structure
  • Board communications
  • Online board information systems and board portals
  • Board self-assessment

     How will you modify board monitoring of performance?

BONUS Session: Q&A (Tuesday, August 30)

PANO will also be conducting a series for Executive Directors this summer. We will facilitate a consolidated complimentary Question and Answer session for all participants in both the Board Chair and ED series. Tentatively, this will be held on Tuesday, August 30.

What Previous Participants Have Said About this Series

“It has been such a valuable tool for me to use in my role as board chair. There is so much to glean from each month’s rich forum material.”

“Great information and presenter”

“You have given me so many concrete things I can change! I can see that these things will really make a positive difference.”

“Pertinent information and the ability to share with and hear about other chairs’ experiences”

“The breadth of Janet’s knowledge. The presentation was very comprehensive and the supporting materials look like they will be easy to implement.”

“Invaluable information and resources and great discussion.”

“So much I can actually apply.”

“What fabulous forums. You shared quite a breadth of materials these past three months that will be resources for me during my time as board chair.”

Materials & Login/Call-In Instructions:
Materials (PowerPoint and other handouts), along with instructions on how to login and call-in, will be emailed to attendees in advance of each meeting. PANO uses Zoom as our web meeting platform; you can familiarize yourself with Zoom and/or join a test meeting prior to these sessions.

As noted above, these web meetings will NOT be recorded in order to promote open dialogue, honest discussion, and less inhibited sharing. If you can't attend this time around, please sign up for the waiting list to be notified of future opportunities to participate in this series.

About the Facilitator

Janet Unger, Unger Consulting Services

Nonprofits hire Janet Unger to increase the effectiveness of their board and to position their organization for the future. Unger Consulting integrates Janet’s governance and organization development expertise. This skilled facilitator will guide you in analyzing current conditions, evaluating options, and finding creative solutions to complex challenges.

Janet taught the course “Board Leadership in Nonprofit Organizations” at the University of Pennsylvania. Through the years, Janet has chaired governing boards, advisory boards, and numerous committees. She also cultivated her business acumen developing a small family business and as a landlord.

The depth of her experience in coaching local, regional, national, and international nonprofit clients and membership associations over the past 25 years coupled with her diverse business achievements helps Janet provide clear and pragmatic professional guidance.