Hands On, Fingers Out

“Hands On, Fingers Out.” On a weekly basis my teacher, David Henninger, uses this phrase to describe one of the most important aspects of board governance. I never knew what he truly meant until I attended a recent board meeting for an organization I volunteer with. Nonprofit organizations are looking for a board to be hands on but doesn’t want the board’s fingers in every aspect of the day to day operation of the organization.

Many times, the board wants to come to the rescue of the organization and the issues facing the organization but the board hires an executive director to hire staff and to handle these situations with their best judgment. While I believe a board has every right in giving suggestions and acting as a sounding board for the staff (and executive director), I believe the action needs to come from the organization not from the board.

In the board meeting I attended, the board discussed a past program for over 45 minutes and how the board was going to handle the situation which arose from the program. As a younger board member, I felt silenced when I suggested coming up with policies and relationship building exercises which the organization could implement. In this situation, the board became emotionally attached to the situation and rather than guiding the executive director on a plan of action, the board wanted to handle the entire situation.

As a nonprofit professional and board member, I believe it is important for the nonprofit sector to start teaching the importance of being hands on, fingers out. With the help of educators like David, the future leaders of the nonprofit sector can start educating their boards and their staffs on the different roles which exist in organizations. I hope with more experience and knowledge I can begin changing the mentality many of our board members have towards their roles in the nonprofit sector.