April 24 – When someone has both the privilege and the responsibility of serving on a nonprofit board of directors, there inevitably comes a time when questioning the role of the board’s executive committee will surface. Most times, it’s the result of boardmembers feeling as though a small group of people met on their own, made some decisions without regard for the rest of the board, and then forgot to tell others about their deliberations and decisions.

Under extreme circumstances, a poor understanding of an executive committee’s role can lead to the perception of an “in group” taking over. In this case, executive committee members begin to either act or are seen as though they are the proprietors of the organization and the rest of the board is there to simply ratify their decisions and raise money.