Getting on Board

Some words to the wise for those who are new to a chorus board of directors.

So you’ve joined the leadership team of a chorus you are passionate about. What can you do to make the experience profitable and enriching for you and for the organization? Mary Ann Barbieri, a long-time consultant with nonprofits, and several relatively new chorus board members share their insights.

Ask yourself, “Why did I decide to join this board?”

If the answer is, “Because I love the experience of singing with this group,” think a little more broadly. As a board member, you are now responsible for governing an organization. “You have to uphold the public trust and there are now things you have to look at outside of your personal experience,” says Mary Ann Barbieri, “to how you are fulfilling the group's mission besides singing in the chorus.”

Brook Kramer joined the board of the Colorado Children’s Chorale in June of 2011 because she saw the impact of the group on her son. She had served on a number of other boards but not on the board of a performing arts organization.

“I learned quickly that this is different than the social services board I served on previously," says Kramer. "We are really protecting and promoting a civic treasure and that is important to me. If you are recruiting large corporations to come to Denver, they look at what you have in your community as far as the arts.”

Ask, “What role do you see me playing on the board?”

Chorus boards often look for people with a particular skill set, be it financial management, fundraising, or marketing. But they may not tell a new board member, “We have you in mind for this role.”

Kramer offered her talent in fundraising to the Chorale board and the organization was more than happy to utilize her skills. “But boards need to ask first,” she said. “Just because you work as a CPA shouldn’t mean you are automatically pigeonholed to the finance committee.”

“Sometimes people come on a board because they want to stretch themselves a bit,” says de Barbieri. “I recall one woman who had expertise in communications but said, ‘I really want experience in governance. I’d rather be on that committee.’”

Ask, “What are the expectations of board members?”

Many boards expect their members to raise funds for the organization, for example. But that expectation isn’t always made clear. Suddenly, you’re being asked to buy blocks of tickets, contribute to the cost of an orchestra for a concert, or to approach your business colleagues for donations.

“If you are new to the board and the expectations are not clear,” says de Barbieri, “clarify them, so that you can be up front about what you are prepared to do.”

Mike Rowan joined the board of the 18th Street Singers, a relatively new chorus made up of young professionals in Washington, D.C., in the fall of 2010. The five board members, all singers, operate as volunteer staff. Rowan is director of communications.

“We do things a little more on the fly than a lot of boards do,” says Rowan. “We need to get more organized and more goal-oriented as a board, so that our mission is guiding our decisions.”

Get oriented.

The boards of choruses that have been in business for a while generally have an orientation process for new board members. Some hold board retreats in advance of the season. In most cases, board members get a handbook that details expectations of the board, duties of staff, bylaws, committee structure, how meetings are run, how decisions are made, etc.

As a new board member, it is your responsibility to study these materials so that you understand the workings of the board.

Kramer said the Children’s Chorale gave an excellent orientation to the business side of board work—the whole board sat down and went through a financial statement together.  “Not being musical, it would have been great to also learn about that side of things,” says Kramer. “There were things going on about how they teach children music that I didn’t have a lot of knowledge of.”

If your board does not have a formal orientation process, ask for an informal orientation. “Or seek out someone who has been on the board for awhile to mentor you for the first six months to a year,” suggests de Barbieri.

Prepare for board meetings and don’t be afraid to ask a lot of questions.

Boards should send out meeting materials at least a week in advance of a meeting. But that done, board members need to read the materials. “In this way board members are upholding their responsibility in governing the organization,” says de Barbieri. 

You are entering a organization with a history and an established culture that you need to understand in order to be effective. So no question is a silly one.

“None of us graduated from college with an understanding of board governance,” says de Barbieri. “Don’t wait until everything is clear to you. It could take a long time and then half of your tenure could be up.

“Remember, you are there because you want to make a difference.”

Kramer brought a broad background in nonprofit management to her board service, but no experience with singing or performing. She quickly had to learn about how programming decisions were made, what the laws were about videotaping concerts, and the process and cost of commissioning new works, among other things.

“In order to fundraise for a new commissioning project,” she said, “I needed to have knowledge of what that means, what that entails, and why it costs $40,000 to get that done.”

Don’t be afraid to take a leadership position.

If you have a project you want to undertake, don’t wait. Kramer has no trouble asking people for money, so shortly after joining the Chorale board she organized the first annual fundraising breakfast for the organization. “It’s the first time the organization has tried to do something like this on their own,” Kramer said. “It’s something I had a skill in and wanted to help them accomplish.”

Rowan also jumped right into his board role. “Because we are somewhat informal in how we operate, I could come in and be proactive in organizing us and doing agenda setting and meeting planning,” he said. “I didn’t have to wait for somebody to tell me to do that.”

He urges new board members to “go for it and be enthusiastic from the get-go. You don’t have to wait until you have experience under your belt.”

Remember, board service should serve you, as well.

Yes, it’s a big responsibility. But helping to fulfill the mission of a choral group is some of the best work around. “It feeds your soul,” says de Barbieri. “And there’s nothing wrong with it being self-serving. You may be on the board because you want to build your management skills or expand your network. That’s perfectly legitimate.”

Resources for Boards

Chorus Management Institute

www.boardsource.org