Build a Supportive, Active Board: 3 Proven Tactics

Seasoned leaders share advice on what it takes to create a healthy dynamic between nonprofit boards and executives.

I contributed to this Chronicle of Philanthropy article on the role of nonprofit leaders in building an engaged supportive board. Read some short extracts below, and the full article on the Chronicle’s website here (paywall):

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“It’s not a fun time to be a board chair of many organizations, but it’s an absolutely critical time,” says Nick Grono, CEO of the Freedom Fund, an international anti-slavery nonprofit, and author of How to Lead Nonprofits: Turning Purpose Into Impact to Change the World.

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Keep the board close to the mission.

One of the biggest challenges of board management is baked into its structure. “There’s often a huge asymmetry of power and knowledge between boards and CEOs,” says Grono.

While boards are charged with oversight of the budget and have the authority to hire and fire the executive, they often don’t have a knowledge of the inner workings of a nonprofit’s programs or mastery of every nuance of its mission. That expertise lies with the executive.

“Board members are volunteers, invariably, who might meet quarterly, so they have a fraction of the knowledge of the work — even if they’re expert — because they’re not involved in the day-to-day work, and I think that that can be problematic,” Grono says.

To counter this imbalance, create opportunities for trustees to interact with those who are delivering and participating in the nonprofit’s programs. Once a year, Grono takes his board to one of Freedom Fund’s program sites around the world. In 2025, the trustees traveled to Indonesia, and this year they’ll meet in Brazil.

But these mission moments need not be expensive. Grantees or clients could give a virtual presentation to the board, Grono suggests, or community-based organizations could take their board to local program sites.

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Check in regularly and transparently.

Frequent communication between an executive and the board — especially the board chair — goes a long way, experts say. Grono says he meets with his board chair about every four to six weeks, but more frequently when there are pressing topics to discuss.

“If you are a really small nonprofit with an active volunteer board, you might be speaking weekly,” Grono says.

But he cautions that leaders need to be mindful of preserving their own autonomy as the executive of the organization. Before arranging a conversation with trustees, Grono says, leaders should always consider, “What is the purpose? What are you trying to achieve? What is the best means to achieve that?”

A key reason for regular communication is trust-building. To that end, leaders must be willing to share the good and the bad. When Grono’s nonprofit faces a challenge, such as a grantee mismanaging money, he will be sure to update the board on the issue — either in the papers trustees receive before meetings or verbally. “The more trust that you build,” Grono says, “then the more space the board is willing to give the executive.”

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