About this Event
Build a Purpose-Driven Board Culture Where Everyone Belongs
Great boards don’t just happen – They’re built. Explore best practices for boards of high-impact purpose-driven organizations and create a culture of belonging that will strengthen your board, foster recruitment, engagement and retention, and advance mission impact.
Date: Thursday, April 2
Time: 4:30 pm to 7:00 pm. Networking and refreshments 4:30 pm. Program begins 5:00 pm.
Location: NICNE at NIU Rockford, 8500 E State St, Rockford, IL 61108
Cost: FREE This program is supported by the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO) with funding secured by State Representative Maurice West.
Who Should Attend: Board members and officers, executive and leadership staff. Both new and seasoned board members are encouraged to attend. THIS IS BEST ATTENDED WITH A GROUP FROM YOUR ORGANIZATION AND BOARD.
Details: Facilitated by Martesha Brown, MBA, this program is part of a series** to foster equity and belonging in the nonprofit sector by both supporting organizations in strengthening and growing their boards of directors and growing local capacity for board leadership and service.
This training will provide nonprofit board members and leaders with knowledge, skills and tools to perform critical duties while intentionally advancing belonging within your board of directors, equipping you with strategies to drive full community representation, recruitment and retention.
Purpose-driven board leadership facilitates values-driven, strategic leadership and oversight that organizations need. Boards represent and govern organizations on behalf of the communities they serve. While many organizations recognize the importance of board diversity, we must also ensure these board members belong once they arrive.
Who is on the board and the perspectives and expertise they bring can drastically change the answer to how the board operates, prioritizes and decides for the organization, and what role the board plays.
Research shows that 78% of nonprofit board members are white and 19% of boards are all white, yet 60% of organizations serve communities of color. Building a belonging culture helps to ensure nonprofit boards fully represent and build trust within the communities they serve.
While board composition may vary, a board that is homogeneous in any way risks negatively impacting its ability to make the best decisions and plans for the organization. Boards that lack racial and ethnic diversity are particularly concerning, as they may select strategies and plans that ineffectively address societal challenges and inequities or even reinforce them.
Martesha will outline the connection between diversity, belonging, organizational performance and value, and will share a framework to attract, recruit and retain board members, providing a model to guide boards in prioritizing both belonging and mission impact.
Board roles, responsibilities and legal duties will be explored in the context of belonging, including:
- The Ten Basic Responsibilities of Nonprofit Boards. BoardSource, an authority on nonprofit governance and leadership, outlines the key roles and responsibilities related to providing oversight, securing resources and setting strategy.
- Legal Responsibilities including the duties of Care, Loyalty and Obedience, as well as best practices related to managing conflicts of interest and ensuring ethical action.
- Financial and Fiduciary Responsibilities including financial oversight and risk management.
- Governance vs. Management and the power of strong board-staff partnerships.
- Fundraising Responsibilities to ensure adequate resource generation to drive impact and ensure sustainability.
- Bringing Mission to Life through a shared vision, values, strategic planning, and evaluation.
- Authentic Board Engagement and how diversity and belonging in the board room drive impact, build trust and strengthen community.
- Structures and Practices of nonprofit boards, including a high-level view of board size, committee structure, and term limits.
**Other opportunities to engage:
- Participate as a board host partner for Equity in Board (EIB) program participants to observe governance in action (host opportunities are needed between February 26 and April 26), (email Martesha: [email protected]) and/or
- Participate at the April 16 Board Service Fair (4:00 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.) to engage with EIB program graduates seeking board service opportunities. Stay afterwards to help celebrate at the program graduation ceremony! (email Billie and/or complete this form: https://forms.gle/pCefRetkXSEcY8p18)
About Martesha: Martesha Brown is a Rockford native and MBA Graduate of Rockford University with a passion for economic development, strategic planning, marketing, and community engagement. She is the Market President for the Greater Rockford and Belvidere areas for Midland States Bank, with prior leadership roles in economic development, public relations, marketing, and operations for the RACVB, Rockford Park District, and Alpine Bank.
Martesha has volunteered on a variety of boards and committees including Goodwill of Northern Illinois, Think Big, Transform Rockford, Habitat for Humanity, Community Foundation of Northern Illinois, Chairman's Bridge Committee, State of Illinois Governor Pritzker's Capital Development Board, State of Illinois Association of Park Districts, Rebounding Rockford's Covid Recovery committee, RAVE, Leadership Rockford, Coalition of Latino Leaders, and the NAACP. In April of 2021, Martesha was officially elected as the First Black Woman to serve on the Rockford Park District Board of Commissioners in its 112-year history and now sits as the President of the board.
She has been recognized and awarded as one of Rockford's “Forty Under 40”, a Rockford Register Star “people you should know,” is a recipient of the “25 Black Leaders to Watch” by Soul News Network and Inspiring 815, one of Channel 13's 13 Heroes, a Juneteenth Helping Hand Recipient, a YWCA Woman of achievement winner, a 2021 Rockford Chamber of Commerce Community Hero, and was named one of the 2022 Northwest Quarterly's 25 Most Interesting People.
Martesha is a member of NICNE's Professional Services Team, partnering to support nonprofit organizations across the Rockford region. Her business, MB Strategic Solutions, focuses on sharing skills and knowledge developed over her professional career in areas of strategic planning, board development, coaching, leadership development, project management, public relations, engagement planning, goal execution, and operational efficiency.
About NICNE: The Northern Illinois Center for Nonprofit Excellence (NICNE) has been strengthening nonprofits since August 2004 by providing capacity building, training, technical assistance, resource support and initiative leadership to nonprofit organizations across northern Illinois and southern Wisconsin. NICNE believes in investing in people and organizations that make communities in our area safer, healthier and more vibrant. We do so by providing training opportunities and capacity building support, which help nonprofits successfully achieve their missions.
As the region’s primary resource for nonprofit capacity and movement building, NICNE encourages collaboration and best practices that result in a strong, vibrant nonprofit sector demonstrating significant social impact. NICNE Mission: Promote, model and grow innovation, excellence and social impact.
Event Venue & Nearby Stays
The Northern Illinois Center for Nonprofit Excellence (NICNE), Northern Illinois University, Rockford, United States
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