daniwo59(a)aol.com wrote: I am willing to take responsability. But taking responsability does not mean we suddenly transform in a cyborg. Let us be practical. Here is a list of the 10 basic responsabilities of the board Ten Basic Responsibilities of Nonprofit Boards 1. DETERMINE THE ORGANIZATIONS MISSION AND PURPOSE A statement of mission and purpose should articulate the organization’s goals, means, and pri- mary constituents served. It is the board’s responsibility to create the mission statement and review it periodically for accuracy and validity. Each individual board member should fully understand and support it. ----> It was just done. All set. 2. SELECT THE CHIEF EXECUTIVE Boards must reach consensus on the chief executive’s job description and undertake a careful search process to find the most qualified individual for the position. ----> This is on its way. I have bugged and bugged over and over so that this process moves on. We hired a company to help. We are currently working with them on this, as well as looking for an interim person. Frankly, we may not be very efficient, but it would be quite wrong to say we do not take on this responsability. 3. SUPPORT THE CHIEF EXECUTIVE AND REVIEW HIS OR HER PERFORMANCE The board should ensure that the chief executive has the moral and professional support he or she needs to further the goals of the organization. The chief executive, in partnership with the entire board, should decide upon a periodic evaluation of his or her performance. ----> I reviewed my chief executive performance. 4. ENSURE EFFECTIVE ORGANIZATIONAL PLANNING As stewards of an organization, boards must actively participate with the staff in an overall planning process and assist in implementing the plan’s goals. ----> In my view, it should be both with staff and community. Which means this is what we are basically doing right now. I suddenly wonder if the CEO of Amazon participate with their staff in the planning process :-) 5. ENSURE ADEQUATE RESOURCES One of the board’s foremost responsibilities is to provide adequate resources for the organiza- tion to fulfill its mission. The board should work in partnership with the chief executive and development staff, if any, to raise funds from the community. ----> Frankly, this is what I do every day right now for Wikimania. 6. MANAGE RESOURCES EFFECTIVELY The board, in order to remain accountable to its donors, the public, and to safeguard its tax- exempt status, must assist in developing the annual budget and ensuring that proper financial controls are in place. ----> I wish I could. To assist does not mean to develop the budget. I think I asked the budget enough times. But right, still much to do on this one :-) 7. DETERMINE,MONITOR,AND STRENGTHEN THE ORGANIZATION’S PROGRAMS AND SERVICES The board’s role in this area is to determine which programs are the most consistent with an organization’s mission and to monitor their effectiveness. ----> See emails of the previous days. See as well my 4 wishes at the beginning of the year. I also requested analytical accounting to help monitoring. 8. ENHANCE THE ORGANIZATION’S PUBLIC STANDING An organization’s primary link to the community, including constituents, the public, and the media, is the board. Clearly articulating the organization’s mission, accomplishments, and goals to the public, and garnering support from important members of the community, are important elements of a comprehensive public relations strategy. ----> We even hired someone to help us here ! My emails in the past few days also try to precisely do that 9. ENSURE LEGAL AND ETHICAL INTEGRITY AND MAINTAIN ACCOUNTABILITY The board is ultimately responsible for ensuring adherence to legal standards and ethical norms. Solid personnel policies, grievance procedures, and a clear delegation to the chief executive of hiring and managing employees will help ensure proper decorum in this area. The board must establish pertinent policies, and adhere to provisions of the organization’s bylaws and articles of incorporation. ----> This is were we suffered the most in teh past months, and this is exactly why I am proposing a change of governance model. No one can claim we are doing nothing on this front. 10. RECRUIT AND ORIENT NEW BOARD MEMBERS AND ASSESS BOARD PERFORMANCE All boards have a responsibility to articulate and make known their needs in terms of member experience, skills, and many other considerations that define a “balanced” board composition. Boards must also orient new board members to their responsibilities and the organization’s history, needs, and challenges. By evaluating its performance in fulfilling its responsibilities, the board can recognize its achievements and reach consensus on which areas need to be improved. ----> We recruited 3 new members in nov/dec and plan a renewal of three members. Afaik, I made a lot of efforts to orient new members (you can not judge that of course, this is internal board business). Skills have been discussed quite a bit in the past few months, and for the elections, I plan to explain which needs we have. As for evaluating performance, what is it exactly that I have been doing in the past few days ???? In short, claiming that we are not taking responsability, Danny, is plain bullshit. I would like as well to insist on one point. When Mitch asked that question last october, I was not chair. As chair, without claiming to be perfect (far from it), I have bugged my co-board members quite a lot, and we have been working on all the topics mentionned above. The fact we are not perfect is an evidence, but I do not agree AT ALL to read we are not taking responsability.