We would like to invite you to participate in our national nonprofit CEO and board chair survey to measure and identify the key strategic issues, challenges and opportunities confronting today’s nonprofit executive leaders and board chairs. We will be reporting on the results of this survey at our Fall Nonprofit CEO & Board Chair Conference.
 
The survey will be divided into the following categories:
 
·      General Organization
·      Mission, Vision, Values and Culture
·      The Value of Diversity
·      CEO and Board Partnership
·      Leadership Development
·      Strategic Goals
·      Measuring Your Positive Impact
·      Succession Planning
 
The names of CEOs, board chairs and organizations will be kept strictly confidential. Our goal is to work collaboratively with all nonprofit organizations to ensure the highest level of board governance and CEO/board partnerships. We thank you in advance for your cooperation and participation. All survey participants will receive a copy of the aggregated responses. This will enable you to compare your responses with CEOs and board chairs from across the country.

The survey will take roughly 15 minutes for you to complete. In order for us to share the results of your input and insights, we would request that all surveys be completed by October 25, 2023.
 
Please note that for the purposes of this survey we will use the title CEO to indicate the CEO or executive director role, and the title of Board Chair to indicate the role of board chair or board president.
 
Thank you.
Dennis C Miller
Founder & Chairman
DCM Associates Inc.
www.dcm-associates.com
dennis@dcm-associates.com

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* 1. Name

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* 3. Organization Name

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* 4. I am responding to this survey in my capacity as a (select one):

General Organization:

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* 5. I have been CEO or Board Chair for:

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* 6. What is your organization’s approximate revenue size?

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* 7. Please list your main office zip code

Mission, Vision, Values and Culture:

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* 8. Our organization has a clearly defined mission statement that explains what our purpose is.

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* 9. Our organization has an inspirational vision statement that clearly articulates a future direction that is ambitious, realistic and measurable.

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* 10. A majority of our leadership team can easily articulate our vision statement.

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* 11. A majority of our board members can easily articulate our vision statement.

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* 12. Our organization has a values statement that serves as our moral compass.

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* 13. Our organization creates a culture where all stakeholders feel free to express themselves.

The Value of Diversity:

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* 14. Our board has been advancing the cause diversity in our board room.

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* 15. Our board routinely establishes actionable diversity goals and monitors the results of our recruitment efforts in pursuit of our goals.

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* 16. Our board routinely evaluates our board recruitment practices.

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* 17. Our organization believes that our commitment to diversity, inclusion, equity & belonging are essential to our success.

CEO and Board Partnership:
 
In their book Governance as Leadership: Reframing the Work of Nonprofit Boards, authors Richard Chait, Barbara Taylor and William Ryan describe four stages of board governance:
 
1. A Founding board does almost all the work of the organization, often without any paid staff.  Their primary role is to get the organization “off the ground.”
2. A Fiduciary board role generally emerges after staff have been hired to carry on the work. In this stage, the board assumes three primary legal responsibilities: duty of care; duty of loyalty and duty of obedience.
3. As the organization matures the board takes on a more Strategic role and works together with the CEO and leadership team to advise, develop and monitor the implementation of a strategic and business plan.
4. The fourth stage of a board’s developing role is one of Leadership. In this stage, board governance is accomplished by having board members “feel a sense of ownership” by asking the right questions, putting forth new ideas and challenges, and partnering with the chief executive officer to continually refresh and renew the organization.

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* 18. Based on the above definitions, at this time our board is predominately functioning at the following level:

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* 19. The level of engagement and motivation of our board to work together as partners with the CEO could be described as:

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* 20. The level of engagement and motivation of our CEO to work together as partners with the board could be described as:

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* 21. Our board knows how to best utilize the talent of each respective board member. This occurs at our organization:

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* 22. Our board members feel that their voices are being heard and their ideas are encouraged for open discussion:

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* 23. Our CEO and board partnership is based on trust, a shared sense of accountability and positive interaction that is focused on results:

Leadership Development:

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* 24. Our CEO has initiated a leadership development program to assess, identify and develop the talents of our leadership team.

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* 25. Our CEO has identified and mentored a potential successor to assume the CEO role upon their departure or retirement.

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* 26. Our leadership development program has successfully identified talented individuals within our organization who can step into a wide range of leadership positions when transitions are necessary.

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* 27. Our leadership development program has improved employee engagement and retention of our leadership team.

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* 28. Our leadership development program utilizes mentors and coaches among our leadership team to ensure the success of our program.

Strategic Goals:
 
In Dennis C. Miller’s book, The Power of Strategic Alignment: A Guide to Energizing Leadership & Maximizing Potential in Today’s Nonprofit Organizations, he identifies the key steps necessary to go beyond the traditional strategic planning process to achieve long-term success and sustainability. This innovative concept is called “Strategic Alignment,” which he refers to as the process of aligning all stakeholders, internally and externally, to be focused and committed to achieving one goal: – your strategic vision.
 

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* 29. Our organization's leadership, board governance, programs and services, brand identity and philanthropy are all “strategically aligned” and committed to achieving one goal – our strategic vision.

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* 30. Our organization has created a strategic plan to achieve a vision that has strategic goals with clearly defined responsibilities, timelines, and agreed-upon actions.

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* 31. Our organization's performance is measured and evaluated on an annual basis by our CEO and board.

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* 32. Our board and CEO work together very effectively toward achieving its strategic vision.

Measuring Your Positive Impact:

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* 33. Our organization has developed a very positive brand identity by communicating the positive impact we are having in our community.

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* 34. Our board can easily articulate the top achievements of our organization this past year.

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* 35. Our CEO can describe how we measure our progress towards achieving our vision.

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* 36. Our board members can describe how we measure our progress towards achieving our vision.

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* 37. Our board members can articulate how our CEO’s success is measured.

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* 38. Our board members can articulate how the board’s success is measured.

Board & CEO Leadership Succession:

Board leadership succession is an ongoing process and responsibility of the board. Many nonprofit organizations have difficulty identifying someone willing to assume the leadership of the board.

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* 39. Our board performs an assessment of current board talent to identify new board leaders.

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* 40. Our board provides governance training and coaching to candidates that express an interest in assuming greater board responsibilities in the future.

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* 41. Our board has offered the chair elect a professional board coach/mentor to support their transition during their first term in office.

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* 42. Our board provides opportunities for all board members to participate in a wide array of committees to gain experience in board leadership.

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* 43. Our board provides rewards and recognition to former chairs after their term expires.

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* 44. Our board makes the role of being the board chair something special.

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* 45. If you are so inclined, please take a moment to tell us your overall impressions regarding your organization's articulation of its vision and mission, and/or how you believe it can be improved.

Thank you for completing our Nonprofit CEO and Board Chair Survey. You will receive a full copy of our report soon.
 
Dennis C. Miller
Founder & Chair
DCM Associates Inc.
www.dcm-associates.com
dennis@dcm-associates.com

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