Second Harvest Column - 08/31/2006

The Board of Directors of Second Harvest Food Bank is looking for a few good people. Nonprofit organizations are governed by volunteers selected from the community, nominated to the position of director and elected by the board itself, or the membership in the case of membership organizations.Second Harvest has a self-perpetuating board with current members bringing in new people as vacancies occur.  Our organization, as well as the many dozens of others throughout the eight counties we serve, undertakes this process every year. Who is sought often depends on the method of governance used and the needs of the organization.

Prior to moving to the Policy Governance model, we often worked from a matrix to determine the skills we needed in a board member. We would consider representation from the counties we serve, representation from businesses we thought were important to our success, as well as fairness in gender, age and racial representation.

Under Policy Governance, the board looks first for people willing to devote themselves to forward-thinking, value-oriented leadership focused on the ends for which the organization exists. These are people who are willing to let management do the managing, but astute enough to limit the means used to do so.

The role of a Board is a weighty responsibility. It is all about governance. The board represents the owners of the organization and is accountable to them for responsibly mapping the direction the owners believe the organization should take.

The traditional board often has a hands-on approach. They might take a lead role in budget-setting, special events, programming, and other operational decision making. For someone accepting a position as a director on the Board of Second Harvest Food Bank, it may seem strange to find that this board governs through policy only and does not assume such operational responsibilities.

Any person serving on any board deserves much thanks from the organization and from the community itself. It is truly amazing to me that you willingly give your time and talent, for in many cases it requires a lot of each. What you get in return is a load of responsibility - your combined leadership as a board will make or break the organization - and the intrinsic satisfaction of doing your part to make a difference.

Second Harvest Food Bank is into its third year of Policy Governance. This method of governance is a comprehensive, theory based system. Policies outline the way in which the board fulfills its servant-leadership role and the way the board interacts with management. By creating policy to cover the nitty-gritty, Policy Governance frees board members to explore, debate and define the visions and dreams they have for the organization - the intended results.

This is the last year on the board for two Andersonians. John Cooper, a founding board member, and Paula Bivens (secretary) are completing their tenure at year's end as is Nellie Jones from Muncie. These three people played important roles in the transition from traditional to Policy Governance.

Board chair Brad Condon (Anderson) remains as does Scott McKee (vice-chair from Muncie), Anne Muterspaugh (Muncie) and Tom VanOsdol (Anderson). Brad and Paula have been to Policy Governance training in Atlanta - an important investment made available to all board members.

Nominations are open for three positions and can be made to any board member or by mail to Second Harvest at PO 1224, Anderson, IN 46015. For more information about Second Harvest visit the web at www.curehunger.org and for Policy Governance at www.carvergovernance.com.   If you are interested in serving other organizations, contact them directly or through the United Way.

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