BONUS LESSON 41 – Summary and Index to 40 Blogs

Our final blog! Welcome to Lessons From the Nonprofit Boardroom Blog, a 40-week journey through the book, Lessons From the Nonprofit Boardroom, by Dan Busby and John Pearson. Over the last 40 Wednesdays, we've featured 40 guest writers and their favorite snippet from the week's topic. Here are some final thoughts from Dan and John—and a click-on menu of all 40 bloggers and 40 lessons.

BONUS LESSON 41 - Summary and Index to 40 Blogs

Now...foster a ripple effect of enriching boardroom experiences!

THE BIG IDEA FROM THE BOOK: As Busby and Pearson wrote in their introduction, “We are grateful for the growing number of boardroom resources (many highlighted in this book) that help boards focus on their ‘customer,’ mission and vision, policy issues, spiritual discernment, Kingdom outcomes, sustainability, and so much more. Today, every board member must be a lifelong learner."

They added, “We are prayerful that this book will be one of several catalysts your board will use to catch the vision for good governance. We are hopeful that you’ll help foster a ripple effect of enriching boardroom experiences that honor God. Like many, we believe that ‘as the board goes, so goes the organization.’” 

JUST A FEW OF OUR FAVORITE INSIGHTS from 40 lessons:
• “Would you trust a surgeon who stopped learning?”
• “Pious shoddy is still shoddy.” (Elton Trueblood)
• “If you need a volunteer, recruit a volunteer. If you need a board member, recruit a board member.”
• “Some motions should never gain unmerited oxygen!”
• “Never throw red meat on the board table.”
• “When dysfunction reigns, healthy board members head for the door.”
• “The actual achievement of audacious goals is very uncommon.”
• “When the Spirit nudges your board, does He hear a busy signal?”

Watch for more governance insights and resources coming in 2018 and 2019, including the updated Second Edition of Lessons From the Nonprofit Boardroom, Lessons From the Church Boardroom, and (you-guessed-it!) More Lessons From the Nonprofit Boardroom.

CLICK-ON INDEX TO ALL 40 LESSONS:
ECFA is grateful to our 40 guest bloggers who shared their insights and color commentary on all 40 lessons over the last 40 Wednesdays. Click on one or two lessons—and share them with your board members today!

PART 1: THE POWERFUL IMPACT OF HIGHLY ENGAGED BOARDS
1) Wanted: Lifelong Learning Board Members (Ralph E. Enlow, Jr.)
2) Ask the Gold Standard Question (Tim McDermott)

PART 2: BOARDROOM TOOLS, TEMPLATES, AND TYPOS
4) Do Unwritten Board Policies Really Exist? (Bob Andringa)
5) Before the Board Meeting (Ed McDowell)
6) Eliminate Hallway Whining (Pat Clements)
7) Typos Matter! (Jim Galvin)
 
PART 3: NOMINEES FOR THE BOARD MEMBER HALL OF FAME
8) Listen to the Wisdom of Many Counselors (Wayne Pederson)
9) Serve With Humility and Experience God’s Presence (Reid Lehman)
10) Prioritize Prayer Over Problems (Jeff Lilley)

PART 4: EPIPHANIES IN THE BOARDROOM
11) Tap! Tap! Tap! (Steve Macchia)
12) Vision Growth Must Equal Leader Growth (Mike Pate) 
13) If You Need a Volunteer, Recruit a Volunteer (Dan Davis)
14) If You Need a Board Member, Recruit a Board Member (Bruce Johnson)

PART 5: BOARDROOM BLOOPERS
15) Cut Your Losses (George Duff)
16) Date Board Prospects Before You Propose Marriage (Terry Stokesbary)
17) Sidetrack Harebrained Ideas (Tami Heim)
18) Do Not Interrupt! (Holly Duncan)

PART 6: BOARDROOM TIME-WASTERS, TROUBLE-MAKERS, AND TRUTH TELLERS
19) Never Throw Red Meat on the Board Table (David Wills)
20) Apply for a Staff Position and You Can Deal With That Issue! (Rich Stearns)
21) Back Off the Ledge of Dysfunctional Mayhem (John Ashmen)

PART 7: BOARDROOM BEST PRACTICES
22) The Most Underrated Board Position (David McKenna)
23) Focus on Mission Impact and Sustainability (Steve Moore)
24) Ministry Fundraising 101 for Board Members (R. Scott Rodin)

PART 8: BOARDROOM WORST PRACTICES
25) Align Board Member Strengths With Committee Assignments (Erika Cole)
26) Spotting, Catching, or Exiting a Falling CEO (Ed Morgan)
27) Report Once and Report With Clarity (Mike Pate)

PART 9: HOLY GROUND AND OTHER LOCATIONS
28) Slow Down and Wait on God (Jerry White)
29) Think and Pray Outside the Box—and the County! (David Curry)
30) The Truck Driver Was No Match for the Faith-Filled Board Chair! (Gregg Hunter & Ed McDowell)

PART 10: BUILDING A 24/7 BOARD CULTURE
31) Cut the Cord! Invite Board Members to Exit When They Don’t Live Your Values (Al Lopus)
32) Loose Lips Sink the Boardroom Ship (Rick Alvis)
33) "Good Is the Enemy of Great" (Thomas Addington) 

PART 11: BOARDS THAT LEAD AND BOARDS THAT READ
34) Envision Your Best Board Member Orientation Ever (Michael Batts)
35) Is Your Board Color-Blind? (Danny de Armas)
36) Decrease Staff Reporting and Increase Heavy Lifting (Bob King)
37) Don’t Stretch Credulity With BHAGs and Stretch Goals (David Schmidt)
38) Great Boards Delegate Their Reading (Kent Stroman)
39) Invest “10 Minutes for Governance” in Every Board Meeting (John Walling)
40) A Board Prayer (Dan Bolin)

FOLLOW THE ECFA GOVERNANCE BLOG:
Visit ECFA’s Governance of Christ-Centered Organizations blog, written by John Pearson, and inspire your board to be lifelong learners.

Visit the Lessons From the Nonprofit Boardroom webpage and order extra copies for your board members.

ORDER THE BOOK

LESSON 7: Typos Matter!

Welcome to Lessons From the Nonprofit Boardroom Blog, a 40-week journey through the new book, Lessons From the Nonprofit Boardroom, by Dan Busby and John Pearson. Each Wednesday, we're featuring a guest writer’s favorite snippet from the week's topic. Jim Galvin is our guest blogger this week for the fourth of four lessons in "Part 2: Boardroom Tools, Templates, and Typos."

LESSON 7 OF 40 - Typos Matter!

“Pious shoddy is still shoddy.”

THE BIG IDEA FROM THE BOOK: In Lesson 7, we are reminded that proofreading matters. It doesn’t have to take that long and it doesn’t have to cost anything. Often, someone already on your team is an effective proofreader.

We also learn about the value of using a proven stylebook together with a stylesheet developed just for your organization. The stylesheet will save more time than it takes to develop it.

Simply put—board documents, minutes, and policy manuals filled with typos make you and the organization look bad.

MY FAVORITE INSIGHTS from Lesson 7, pages 33-37: 
• “Graciously, my board chair said nothing about the typos that ricocheted across every page.”
• John Wesley: “'Our responsibility is to give the world the right impression of God.’ Well-proofed board materials help you do that!”
• Prayer: “Lord, thank you for publishers who give us your Holy Bible without typos!” 

MY COLOR COMMENTARY:
There is a certain sense of hollow victory in finding a typo in a professionally published book or a newspaper like USA Today. None of your friends will really care, yet it does reflect poorly on the publisher, especially if the typos are frequent.

Chapter 7 did a good job at explaining why proofreading is impotent. I will focus on the how. Typos make the board and organization look ignernt.

Use spell check. Today’s word processing programs have robust spell checking and grammar features that automatically correct typos. But sometimes they substitute a wrong word and unintentionally introduce errors. They also may have difficulty distinguishing between words like for, four, and fore. At any rate, ignoring the squiggly red lines underneath words in your document is stoopid.

Get fresh eyes. After your writing and editing is complete, find one or two people with a gift for finding typos and ask them to proof it. “Intuitive” people tend to do worse than “Sensing” personalities at this. You can find out more by looking up the Briggs and Stratton Personality Type Indicator.

Normally, I would ask my wife to do a read-through for me on a proposal to a client or a guest blog post, but no time today.

Gym Galvin

THIS WEEK’S QUOTES & COMMENTARY BY JIM GALVIN:

James C. Galvin, Ed.D. is an organizational consultant and facilitator specializing in strategy, board governance, and leadership development. As an author, Jim has been published by Zondervan, Tyndale House, Thomas Nelson, Baker, NavPress, Moody Press, and InterVarsity Press. He is also the co-creator and senior editor of the best-selling Life Application Study Bible. Jim’s most recent book is I’ve Got Your Back, a leadership parable with a compelling story that delivers a concise theology of leadership and followership. He is also the managing partner of the Alliance for Board Effectiveness.

TO-DO TODAY: 

• Identify the people around you who have a gift for detailed work and ask for their help.
• For bigger projects, locate one or two professional proofreaders looking for new clients.
• Never attempt to proofread your own writing. 
  

NEXT WEDNESDAY:
On Jan. 10, 2018, watch for Wayne Pederson's commentary on Lesson 8, "Listen to the Wisdom of Many Counselors. Don't ask board members to vote against God!" 

Subscribe to this blog by submitting your email (just above the date/day). Visit the Lessons From the Nonprofit Boardroom webpage and order extra copies for your board members.

ORDER THE BOOK