What are the responsibilities and role of the Board of Directors?

Protect the Public's Interest: The board’s job is to represent the public’s interest in assuring that the agency serves effectively.

Enable the Organization to Achieve Its Purpose:  To do this, the board has both formal (governance) and informal (helping) responsibilities.

Formal responsibilities include:

• hiring, and (if necessary) firing the top executive;
• delegating the organization’s management functions, including planning, organizing, staffing, directing, and controlling to the top executive;
• developing and approving strategic plans, including major commitments;
• assuring the continuity of the organization, making emergency decisions when management cannot perform, and stepping in when crisis endangers the programs or existence of the agency; and
• maintaining the board as a healthy, well-organized governing body capable of helping the organization achieve success (i.e., progress toward fulfilling its purpose).

Informal Responsibilities:

Every nonprofit organization needs the help of its board in areas such as planning, fund-raising, and community relations. Although these activities must be managed, the top executive and the organization will be less effective without the active involvement of the board in these areas.

Unlike the formal responsibilities, which are basically similar in all organizations, the helping responsibilities will vary depending on the needs of the organization. In general, these responsibilities consist of tasks board members can help the staff with in order to strengthen the organization. For example, the board can help the top executive develop a business plan and a fund-raising plan. The key concept here is a partnership in areas managed by the top executive. The board’s aim should be to help the staff--not replace, command, undermine, or represent it.

The distinction between formal and helping responsibilities is important. The formal ones, such as hiring the top executive or reviewing and approving corporate plans, are responsibilities the board cannot effectively delegate to staff without jeopardizing the long-term interests of the organization.

Current Board Members

Maureen 'Mo' Bates, President

Members:

Charles Ayers

Carmen Hernandez

Barbara Padilla

Father Erik Esparza, Secretary

Jon Prince

Are you interested in joining the Desert Manna Board of Directors?  Please contact us for a Board application.