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John Evans is big on community support.
As a long-time business leader and established volunteer board member in Fort McMurray, Evans has a clear handle on what it takes to govern in the charitable non-profit sector in this northern Alberta community.
He shared some of his valuable insights as the keynote speaker at Capacity Canada’s Board Governance Bootcamp held Oct. 19-21 in Fort McMurray.
Evans, who moved to that city with his family in 2009, serves on the board of the United Way of Fort McMurray and chairs the United Way Community Investment Committee. He also sits on the board of FuseSocial, a Fort McMurray agency which partnered with Capacity Canada in bringing the bootcamp to the region. The bootcamp was sponsored by Suncor Energy Foundation and included intense discussions and training pertaining to the essentials of board governance, decision-making and training.
“When I considered what I believed are some of the most important aspects of leadership and board membership, it included a fairly long list of activities,” Evans said to representatives from about 20 charitable non-profits who took part in the bootcamp.
This long list of important aspects included strong communication, setting strategy, developing workplans, financial integrity and stability, to name just a few. “However, two common themes appeared the most,” Evans said.
Among these were being a committed, engaged and supportive board member, as well as finding innovative and new ways to envision the future of the organization.
“Why are these the most important now?” Evans asked. “Because they will drive overall value or impact of the organization in the future and this, I believe, is what will be most important in the ‘new normal.’”
The ‘new normal’ Evans explained, refers to the time since the 2016 wildfire and since the late 2014 when the region’s economy took a downturn.
The first itself forced about 80,000 residents to flee and destroyed at least 2,400 structures. As a result, Evans listed a variety of factors the charitable non-profit sector now faces: shortage of volunteers and board members; increased competition for funding; reduced funding available (cutbacks from funders in economy and post-fire reductions); increased demand for services; overloaded staff; and demands for ‘new’ services and products from agencies and organizations (mental health supports and temporary supports for people getting back on their feet).
To ensure organizations can navigate this ‘new normal’ Evans reiterated the importance of being a committed, engaged and supportive board member.
“Commitment and follow-through are critical to an organization as a board member,” he said. “If you put your name forward for a volunteer role on the board, then you must engage and support. They depend on us.”
Evans said it was vital to ‘serve’ on a board rather than just ‘sit’ on one.
“Implement letters of commitment or agreements with our board members and hold other board members accountable when they do not contribute,” he said. “Include minimum attendances in board commitment letters.”
Evans stressed that important decisions and discussions take place at the board table and to not take them lightly. “A very important role of the board member is to support and guide the executive director as necessary to help them achieve the mission/goals of the organization.”
However, he did note a fine line exists between governing versus operating and that it is important board members must remember to remain ‘hands off.’
Evans also emphasized the need for training and support for the development of board members to maximize retention of those members and the value of their contributions.
Besides promoting commitment and engagement, he also outlined how finding new and innovative ways to envision the organization’s future is vital. He said new ways to deliver products or services and new ways to reach clients (such as the use of more technology), must be explored.
And finally, Evans also discussed the importance of fostering new partnerships and collaborations to help with costs and eliminate duplication, all in an effort to create better value and impact. He urged those in attendance to focus on being stronger, not bigger.
“No matter what key attributes you choose to focus on while you lead during this new normal, I believe the goal, more than ever, should be to maximize the value and impact of your products and services as an organization,” he said. “If you do that you will, no doubt, increase your chances of attracting and retaining volunteers, staff and funders.”
