The Four Keys to Successful Association Board-Staff Partnership

Volunteer-governed organizations are an incredible, powerful human force, driven by people who give willingly of their time, energy, intellect, and heart to advance ideas, share knowledge, and improve their industry, field, or profession. These organizations also face unique challenges: planned frequent turnover, fragile commitments of time, and varying, even conflicting, objectives among stakeholders.

That's why the partnership between board and staff leadership is so critical. When this partnership works, it energizes everyone and helps the organization thrive. When it falters, it can lead to frustration and missed opportunities. There are four essential ingredients to strong, successful partnerships. It is the responsibility of all leaders, both board and staff, to ensure they are understood and in place in order to maximize the organization's ability to achieve its potential. 

1. Shared Responsibility, Expectations, and Goals

Great board-staff partnerships are anchored in shared responsibility for the organization's success. Board and staff leaders each have an important role to play and work best together when expectations are clear and mutually understood. Alignment on roles, responsiblities, and ways of working enables everyone to work most effectively—and pays dividends by avoiding frustration, duplication of effort, misunderstandings, and rework. Setting and aligning on shared goals is as important. Whether success is ultimately measured by membership growth, program impact, financial health, influence or something else, everyone needs to understand and work toward these goals, even if this means setting other priorities aside. 

2. Effective Communication 

In the best partnerships, communication is frequent, credible, clear, and direct. Everyone feels comfortable sharing their perspectives–good news, tough feedback, challenges and opportunities–and working to see other points of view. Conflicts or misunderstandings are addressed quickly with open and effective communication. A mutual desire to work it out and move forward builds trust. Regular check-ins, timely responses, and a willingness to listen go a long way in keeping the relationships strong. 

3. A Commitment to Continuous Improvement

Strong partnerships are rooted in humility and a sincere desire to keep learning and getting better. This means being open to feedback, willing to examine mistakes, and eager to celebrate wins—both big and small. This also means using what we learn to do better next time, and the next time. By treating every challenge as a chance to grow, the board and staff can tackle whatever comes their way, together.

4. A Long-Term View

Successful organizations don't just focus on the year ahead, they also look to the future. To maintain relevance and resilience in a changing world, both board and staff must proactively consider future disruptions like technological shifts, legislative changes, demographic trends, and competition, as all organizations inevitably face such forces. This forward-thinking approach is crucial for navigating both sudden and gradual chages. A long-term view also helps everyone see beyond immediate tasks to the bigger picture: the legacy they're building for the organization, whether it's been around for one year or one hundred. 

Ultimately, successful board-staff partnerships are about people working effectively together as leaders, respecting each other's strengths, and keeping the organization's mission front and center. When these four keys are in place, the board-staff partnership becomes a source of energy and inspiration, helping the organization advance further and achieve more. 

Authors

Matt Sanderson

President & CEO
Smithbucklin

Jeremy Van Ek

Chief Operations Officer
Association Management
Smithbucklin

Jeff Hartney

Sr. Vice President
Association Management
Smithbucklin

Meghan Carey

Vice President
Association Management
Smithbucklin