The board of directors and the executive director are two key functions of an organization. Their success will determine whether or not the organization will reach its potential and truly make an impact in the community.

During the fourth quarter of the year Richard Male and Associates (RMA) facilitates many retreats to assist organizations in the process of evaluating where they are and where they hope to go. In many instances we realize that the board members ARE NOT clear in what their roles and responsibilities are and what is expected of them.

In most organizations, there are 10 key roles and responsibilities required of board members. We've taken the time this week to highlight them for you. For a more complete list of board member roles and responsibilities, please e-mail info@richardmale.com .

1. Determine the organization's mission and purpose and evaluate this annually. When developing a mission statement the organization should answer four key questions: Who are we? What do we do? For whom? And to what end? The mission should be reviewed regularly to see if it is still relevant.
2. Hire, support, mentor, and -- if necessary -- terminate the executive director. The executive director is the key staff person in the organization. Make sure you evaluate your executive director annually and support him/her with monetary and psychological compensation.
3. Assure effective organizational planning. Every year, the board of directors should conduct a retreat in order to evaluate existing programs and strategize on the big picture objectives for the coming year.
4. Raise the necessary financial resources for the organization. It is the board's responsibility to assure that the organization has the necessary resources to implement the mission. This may include asking the executive director to present a fundraising plan for the organization; having board members make individual financial commitments; opening up funding doors; attending funding interviews with private foundations; and soliciting dollars from churches, service clubs and other organizations.
5. Oversee the financial resources. The other side of the fundraising coin is to make sure the resources are adequately and effectively managed and that the administrative and fundraising costs are under 20 percent. This includes monthly financial cash-flow statements, balance sheets, income/expense reports, yearly audits, and the filing of the IRS 990 documents.
6. Act as an ambassador to enhance the organization's image and credibility. The board members should be the apostles of the organization. They should be going out into the community and blowing their horns about the organization (“horn blowing” can be done at church, at a Rotary meeting, at the movie theater, etc.).
7. Serve as the court of last appeal. When disagreements and conflicts arise that cannot be solved within the staff, the board should handle and solve the situation.
8. Evaluate the performance of the board. The board should conduct an annual review of how it's doing and what it needs to do to improve its performance. Some boards of directors have a “board review” committee that formally plays this role and evaluates and interviews board members yearly to determine the board's overall performance.
9. Assure compliance with the legal requirements. The board must make sure the organization is complying with all state and federal laws. The board is in charge of making sure the organization files regularly with the secretary of state; files the appropriate IRS documents, and pays taxes on time. The board must also regularly review the by-laws to see if changes are necessary.
10. It is important that the highest ethical standards are maintained because trust is key to the long-term viability of an organization. Make sure your board develops a conflict of interest policy and lives and acts upon the highest standards possible.