Let's talk about something many nonprofit leaders quietly struggle with:

The board isn't working the way it should.

Maybe people don't attend meetings.

Maybe the same three people do everything.

Maybe nobody wants to fundraise.

Maybe board meetings have become endless operational updates.

Maybe the executive director isn't sure where the board's role ends and staff's role begins.

Or maybe everyone is technically doing their job—but the organization feels stuck.

Here's the uncomfortable truth:

A board can be full of good people and still be a dysfunctional board.

This isn't about finding villains.

It's about recognizing when the organization's governance structure needs attention.

First: What Is a "Board Reset"?

A board reset isn't automatically a board purge.

It's not firing everyone.

It's not creating a 47-page governance manual.

And it certainly isn't an excuse for staff to complain about volunteers.

A reset is an intentional opportunity to revisit:

• Why the board exists

• What board members are responsible for

• What the organization needs from its board

• How board members engage

• How the board and staff work together

• Whether the current structure supports the mission

Sometimes the board needs new members.

Sometimes it needs clearer expectations.

Sometimes it needs better meetings.

Sometimes it needs leadership development.

And sometimes...yes, it needs significant change.

Sign #1: Board Meetings Are Mostly Staff Reports

If your board meeting looks like this:

You may have an information-sharing meeting.

You don't necessarily have a governance meeting.

A healthy board should have opportunities to discuss:

• Strategy

• Financial health

• Risk

• Mission effectiveness

• Organizational priorities

• Leadership

• Community needs

• Fundraising

• Long-term sustainability

Staff should absolutely provide information.

But the board's job isn't simply to receive reports.

The board exists to govern.

Sign #2: Nobody Knows What "Engagement" Actually Means

Ask ten board members:

If you receive ten different answers, you've got a problem.

One person may think attendance is enough.

Another may think writing a check is enough.

Another may think attending events is enough.

Another may think they're supposed to help manage staff.

Another may have no idea.

That's not a motivation problem.

That's a clarity problem.

Your organization should define board expectations.

Those expectations might include:

• Meeting attendance

• Committee participation

• Annual giving

• Fundraising participation

• Advocacy

• Community connections

• Mission education

• Donor stewardship

• Strategic oversight

The exact expectations will differ by organization.

But they need to exist.

Sign #3: The Board Is Either Too Hands-On or Not Hands-On Enough

These are opposite problems—but both create chaos.

The micromanaging board

The board is involved in:

• Staff schedules

• Individual client situations

• Purchasing decisions

• Social media posts

• Program logistics

• Employee supervision

The result?

Staff become frustrated.

The executive director's authority becomes unclear.

The board gets pulled away from governance.

The absentee board

The opposite problem looks like:

Everything becomes a staff issue.

Strategic planning? Staff.

Fundraising? Staff.

Community relationships? Staff.

Advocacy? Staff.

Board development? Staff.

The board becomes a collection of people who attend meetings four times a year.

Neither extreme is healthy.

The goal is partnership with clear boundaries.

Sign #4: The Same Three People Do Everything

You know this board.

The board chair does everything.

The treasurer is also on every committee.

One person handles fundraising.

One person always volunteers.

Everyone else says:

This creates two problems.

First, your most engaged members eventually burn out.

Second, your less-engaged members never develop into meaningful contributors.

The solution isn't simply to tell people:

Instead, ask:

Do people have clear, meaningful ways to contribute?

Sometimes people aren't disengaged.

They're simply unclear about where they fit.

Sign #5: Nobody Wants to Talk About the Future

A board that only discusses what happened last month isn't necessarily governing the future.

Healthy boards need to periodically ask:

• Where are we going?

• What does our community need now?

• Is our mission still relevant?

• What programs are producing results?

• What risks are emerging?

• What opportunities should we pursue?

• What should we stop doing?

• What leadership will we need next?

• Is our current organizational structure sustainable?

If those conversations never happen, your board may be functioning administratively—but not strategically.

So What Do You Do About It?

Don't immediately call a meeting titled:

"BOARD EMERGENCY RESET."

That probably won't improve attendance. 😂

Start with an honest assessment.

The DVLP Board Reset Framework

We recommend looking at five areas:

1. PURPOSE

Does everyone understand the board's role?

2. EXPECTATIONS

Does everyone understand what is expected of them?

3. STRUCTURE

Are committees, officers, meetings, and responsibilities actually working?

4. ENGAGEMENT

Are board members meaningfully contributing?

5. FUTURE

Is the board helping the organization prepare for what's next?

If any of those five areas are weak, you've found a starting point.

What a Board Reset Might Include

Depending on the situation, your reset could involve:

A board self-assessment

Give board members an opportunity to evaluate the board honestly.

A role clarification exercise

Define the difference between governance, leadership, and staff management.

Updated board expectations

Create a board member agreement or expectations document.

Committee restructuring

Eliminate committees that exist simply because they've always existed.

Board recruitment

Identify the skills, perspectives, relationships, and lived experiences missing from the current board.

Board education

Sometimes people aren't disengaged—they simply don't understand nonprofit governance.

A strategic retreat

Give the board space to get out of the weeds and think about the future.

Leadership transition

Sometimes the issue is concentrated around the board chair, executive director, or another key leadership role.

What If You Have a New Nonprofit?

Don't wait until you need a reset.

This is actually the best time to establish expectations.

Your first board doesn't need to be perfect.

But your organization should be clear about:

• Why each person is serving

• What the board is responsible for

• What staff are responsible for

• How decisions are made

• What participation looks like

• How board members support fundraising

• How board performance is evaluated

Good governance is easier to build than to repair.

What If You're an Established Nonprofit?

You have a different challenge.

Your board may have accumulated traditions, habits, committees, and expectations over many years.

The question becomes:

That's an important question.

Because growth doesn't only require new programs.

It requires governance to evolve, too.

Your DVLP Quick Win

At your next board meeting, ask everyone to answer this question anonymously:

Don't defend.

Don't explain.

Just listen.

Look for patterns.

Those patterns may tell you more about your board's health than another hour of discussion ever could.

The Gold Standard

A high-performing board isn't one where every board member is constantly busy.

It's one where every board member understands:

Why they are there.

What they are responsible for.

How they contribute.

Where the organization is going.

And perhaps most importantly:

How they and the staff work together to get there.

A board reset isn't a sign that your organization failed.

Sometimes it's simply a sign that your organization has grown—and the way you govern it needs to grow, too.

Keep Going

Before you can improve board engagement, it helps to understand something even more fundamental:

What is a nonprofit board actually supposed to do?

Because you can't hold people accountable to expectations nobody has clearly defined.

Related DVLP topics: What Is a Nonprofit Board Actually Supposed to Do? • How to Recruit the Right Board Members • How to Create Meaningful Board Committees • How to Get Board Members More Involved