An Assessment of Nonprofit Governing Board Roles and Responsibilities in Genesee County

Abstract

The idea of researching the "life cycle" of a nonprofit board member within the framework of board roles and responsibilities was intriguing. Another thrust of this research was to find an area within the context of board governance roles and responsibilities which would contribute not only to the current research, but also provide useful information to the practitioners who assisted with the research project. This idea immediately generated a series of questions designed to narrow and define the scope of this research project. <p>How do board members become informed through their tenure on a nonprofit board? How might this affect the ability of the board to carry out its functions with different levels of understanding, skill and self confidence? If every year potentially one third of the nonprofit board is beginning a first term of office, how does this affect and reflect the training and information provided to board members? Which roles and responsibilities are easily assimilated by board members and which roles take time?