Election season is upon us. The task of identifying and selecting the leaders who will shape the next chapter of our association is not without its challenges. AFA is tasked with effectively vetting the skills and priorities of potential candidates. Thus emerges the need to find ways to better understand what candidates bring to the role and how effectively that aligns with association needs.
This year, our Governance and Nominations Committee (GNC) developed an interesting exercise that added nuance and layers to our electoral analysis. The exercise provided the following directions:
You receive 100 points, each of which can be spent to prioritize the board’s time. Allocate these 100 points based on what priority areas you think the board should spend their time on. Allocate more points to those areas that you think are more important. If an area has no importance or should not be a priority of a strategic governance board, it is okay to allocate zero (0) points to it. For each allocation, please provide a brief rationale to support your decision.
I found the responses quite helpful in deciding on my vote, however, I also could not help but wonder how I would respond. So, I decided to go through the exercise. I did so through the lens of how I have allocated my time and how the task of the day has allocated my time for me.
Annual Meeting Planning – 15
The Annual Meeting should probably not be this high. However, this area has commanded significant attention. This is understandable, as it remains our primary revenue source, largest expense, and most prominent experience for delivering member value. It is important to AFA.
My involvement in the planning and execution of the Annual Meeting is minimal. The better the program is executed, the less I know about happenings beyond where to show up and what script to read. My involvement in the Annual Meeting has focused on big picture questions and decisions that impact the financial health of AFA. This has included addressing the financial shortfall in DC, member concerns regarding Florida legislation, shifting the meeting schedule, and educating members on the Annual Meeting planning process. Something I have found interesting is the focus placed on meeting location. By far, the topic I am asked most about and receive most comments on, is where we hold the Annual Meeting.
Educational Program Selection – 1
I would love to be more involved in educational program selection. However, I quickly realized it is not my job. If I wanted to select our educational programs, I should have applied to be Educational Programs Chair. My involvement here has been minimal, only drawing my attention when something goes wrong or a complaint necessitates board engagement. If we are empowering our staff and volunteers, and they are doing a good job, then my role is to review the plans and say, “yup, looks good.”
Budget Oversight and Financial Management – 10
I expected this area to be higher than it was. Maintaining financial oversight of the organization is absolutely critical. However, if things are going well, then it does not take a lot of time and effort. My time here has been allocated toward ensuring our Board Finance Committee and Audit Committee are operating effectively.
I do think this is an area that could command some additional Board attention in the near future as the organization looks to develop diversified revenue streams.
Developing Strategy for Member Professional Competency and Mentorship – 10
This is an important area connected directly to our core mission to help people be better at their jobs. The key is that the Board is focused on strategy. We are working to identify needs, develop priorities, and allocate resources. However, ultimately staff and volunteers do the work. This year we have placed some greater emphasis on this area through our Strategic Plan Champions. Much of this work has related to expanding opportunities for professional development and mentorship/networking.
Stakeholder Outreach – 3
This one might surprise people, I have not been involved in a lot of stakeholder outreach. Nor have I received many inquiries. Perhaps it is just me – I suspect others in this role might command more attention – but university VPs and Presidents are not blowing up my phone. Executive directors and umbrella organizations don’t send me invites, and nobody at NASPA even knows my name. As we have established more consistency and stability in our Executive Director role, that person is much better positioned to manage our relationships with umbrella organizations, other associations, and educational partners, as they have greater longevity and they can develop long term working relationships. I have found my energy is best placed ensuring AFA is a well run and effective organization.
We are starting to do some work to evaluate our MOUs with other organizations, so I think this is an area that could command a little more attention in the upcoming term.
Communication Strategy – 10
Developing and informing our communication strategy is an important priority. Our members deserve to be well informed, and the association should have a strategy to create transparency while also advancing the core mission of the organization. Staff and volunteers take on the lion’s share of the responsibility for executing communication strategies. It is the responsibility of the Board to provide clear guidance and necessary resources. As such, communication strategy has taken up a good deal of my intellectual energy, but not actually a lot of time.
Personnel and Human Resources – 25
This singular area has commanded the plurality of my attention during the last two years. I would not have predicted this coming into the role. We need to recognize that in addition to being an association where we are members, where we volunteer, and where we enjoy programs, AFA is an organization that employs people. Our staff depend on these jobs for their livelihoods. It has been of paramount importance to me that AFA is a wonderful place to work. I want people to love their jobs here.
The work here has involved weekly check-ins with the Executive Director to provide supervision, guidance, and support. Working with our Board Personnel Committee has been critical. This group manages the feedback and review process for the Executive Director, and manages human resources for the organization. This year has also involved substantial staff turnover, which can be a challenge, however it presented an opportunity to rethink our resource allocation. This involved working with our Executive Director to develop a staffing model that aligns with strategic priorities and financial opportunities. Finally, I spent considerable time negotiating a new contract for our Executive Director and working to ensure unprecedented stability and consistency in our staff leadership.
Creating Professional Community Through Tech and Affinity Spaces – 1
Creating community and opportunities for networking is an important priority for AFA. However, this is another area that really has not involved a lot of energy from the Board level, especially President. Our work is limited to helping staff and volunteers get the resources they need and letting them do their jobs. I think this area is a good example that even if something is important to the organization, sometimes my involvement and meddling can be counterproductive. I just need to stay out of the way.
Advancing Research – 3
Producing and supporting research is an important aspect of the work within the fraternity and sorority community that I did not interface with much through my AFA Board role. We have had discussions about creating opportunities for meaningful faculty and researcher engagement within AFA. However, when we think about advancing research, AFA does not have the resources to effectively sponsor research, and we are not capable of conducting much research on our own. The reality is other entities are better positioned to commission significant research initiatives and to set research agendas.
AFA is best positioned to engage in advancing research by providing a forum for sharing and discussing research. We can provide opportunities to get cutting edge research into the hands of practitioners and to develop tactics for direct application of new knowledge into practice. Much of this work falls to staff and volunteers to execute as a part of our programming and professional development strategies. There is some opportunity for the Board to support this work and to help staff and volunteers obtain the resources needed to accomplish objectives, but much of the work happens elsewhere.
Policy and Position Statement Development – 1
We have spent little time on policy and position statements in my time on the Board. As a Board we must be judicious in how we use our voice. In my time on the Board, we have endeavored to speak only on matters that directly involve the work of our organization. Then, we must also consider how we can most effectively have influence. I do not want to use the bully pulpit of the AFA Presidency to speak for the sake of speaking. I want every message to have purpose and intention. As such, I have found a position statement is not the only way to accomplish our objectives. Much of this energy can be directed toward our communication strategies and some outreach through informal networks.
Other – 21
With apologies to our GNC, I did find a good portion of my energy was allocated to areas outside of the categories identified in the exercise. There are several that stand out:
- AFA Foundation – Working with the AFA Foundation has been an important part of my role. I attend Foundation meetings and work regularly with the Chair of the Foundation Board to ensure the two organizations are aligned. Managing that relationship, and ensuring we are good partners to the Foundation in their fundraising, has been a top priority. This also entailed revisiting our partnership agreement with the Foundation to ensure it is mutually beneficial. We are fortunate to be in a time where this relationship is strong. However, it is important to create a structure that ensures the longevity of effective collaboration rather than allowing it to be personality driven.
- Publications and Writing –Some Board communications work is not limited to strategy, but includes message development. I have found a good portion of my time writing and reviewing pieces for AFA publications. This has included our regular Minute with the Board columns and the Presidents piece included in each issue of Perspectives. This one should probably take up less of my time, but I write slowly; I cannot help it.
- Nominations and Elections – Nominations and elections is the area within this “other” bucket that has taken up the most time and energy. I spent considerable time working on the bylaw changes last year and the implementation of our new nominations and elections process this year. I would also add board member appointments into this area. It is an important part of the President’s role to work with the Board on vetting, selecting, and recruiting the members who fill the appointed Board seats.
I would note that Board member selection does not just start when the nominations email is sent out. We have spent considerable time talking about the “pipeline” into Board service. I have found an important aspect of my role to be doing outreach and looking for opportunities to help members see themselves as future AFA leaders, as well as to find roles where they can develop skills and set themselves up for potential board roles in the future.
- Board Management – Staff members are not the only ones in an organization necessitating management. It is probably actually more critical that a board chair is effectively managing other members of the board. This begins with effective onboarding to ensure board members are set up for success and understand their role.
Then, it is important to find meaningful involvement for each board member. Misalignment between a board member’s and the organization’s expectations will go south quickly. If a board member does not understand their role and does not find a way to contribute, it is a recipe for a failed experience.
Idle board hands lead to pet projects, tangents, and disgruntled board members. Management involves regular one on ones with board members, developing committee assignments, follow up on committee work, and creating strategic plan champions. As a part of this, it also becomes important for the board chair to manage the way board members engage with the staff to ensure it is supportive and productive rather than meddlesome or distracting.
Board management also involves meeting prep, agenda setting, teambuilding, and ego management. Ultimately, for a board to be successful the board chair must understand the strengths of each member and position them to maximize those strengths toward the organization’s objectives. Additionally, it is important to develop a team dynamic and facilitate group processes, whereby the board can effectively address challenges, engage in problem solving, make decisions, and accomplish desired outcomes.
Throughout my term it has been my hope to provide some insights into the inner workings of our Association. Perhaps through greater transparency of the work of AFA, you can feel greater confidence in your decision to invest in your membership. I certainly recognize my method of serving as AFA President is not the only way. Regardless, I hope this reflective exercise provides greater understanding into the role and insight into one strategy for doing the work of AFA President.
