Program Discussion for 2008

On a recent conference call, the Steering Committee discussed board assessment and succession planning. The conversation focused on the challenges of board governance, including turnover and the limited pool of qualified candidates. They also discussed how board assessment and evaluation play an important role in board operations. The conversation focused on defining appropriate board roles and expectations, and the difference between higher level issues and tools and templates.

The Committee of Executive Directors distinguished between boards that have national and local board members. The topic transitioned into a conversation about nonprofits facing different stages in their lifecycles. Expanding on this topic, an idea was put forward to invite a program officer from The Gifford Foundation to discuss their new focus on Nonprofit Lifecycles.

Another program idea discussed was to focus on nonprofit media relations, including news and public relations and paid marketing. This topic would be split between the last two program meetings for the year. The September program would focus on news and public relations, and involve inviting newspapers (daily and weekly), radio, and television editors and directors. The meeting format would be a panel discussion, and include local and broader regional representatives. Proposed meeting locations include SUNY Oneonta, SUNY Delhi, or SUNY Morrisville.