Program Structure
The Board
Troubleshooting
Although the board is generally a group of wonderful and capable individuals, problems with commitments, communication, and meeting attendance can still arise. The main advice that we have for tackling these problems is to take steps to avoid the problems in the first place.
While you are looking into potential board members, talk to them about their other commitments and the time that they would be willing to spend on the grant program. If they definitely will not have time to commit to the program, no matter how qualified they are, it is unfair to your board and to the applicant to accept them. Being involved in clubs and groups outside of your grant program is great. Being involved in every club and group that the school or community has to offer indicates over-commitment.
Try your best to work for youth ownership of the grant program. If the youth board members feel like they own and are in charge of the success of the program, they will feel more of an inclination to carry out commitments, communications, and meetings. A sense of ownership can be fostered through always asking to hear youth voices first (for example, when making a vote on board applicants, when voting on projects to fund, and even when asking when board members would be free to meet next) and through inviting the youth board members to places or tasks of honor (like leading meetings, speaking with potential donors about funding, and accepting awards on behalf of the program).
Specifically asking to hear youth voices first is hugely important. Adult members usually have a wonderful confidence in themselves and in the value of their opinions, which is great and should not be discouraged. However, younger board members can often be in a stage of life during which their confidence is not yet as solid. Because of this, hearing an adult board member confidently state an opinion in opposition to that which was on the mind of the younger board member can be incredibly intimidating, causing the younger board member to doubt their opinion and perhaps choose not to share it. Talk with adult board members privately about the importance of a youth-voices-first policy, making sure that they know that adult voices are still valued but that they can often unintentionally suppress youth voices if spoken first.
In grant review sessions in the past, before we implemented the youth-voices-first policy, we found that the spoken conversation about the proposed projects was not in line with the board’s written comments. When adults spoke strongly in favor or strongly against funding a proposed project, even when young board members had valid comments written down in opposition to that opinion, those comments were not voiced during discussion, potentially leading to a different funding decision. After implementing the youth-voices-first policy, we found that young board members grew more comfortable stating and defending their positions and that a higher percentage of board applicants, both youth and adult, was participating in discussions.
These small actions send the clear and important message that this grant program is truly about young people, both on the administrative side and on the recipient side.
In addition to showing the power and importance of youth through the actions of your board, the other important idea to keep in mind when working to avoid board problems is that of balance. You want to require enough of your board members that they feel an ownership and real connection to your program and its success, but requiring too much of your board members can cause them to feel overwhelmed and like they cannot complete what is asked of them. There is a fine line between the two. This second feeling discourages board members from communicating with the board, as they might be ashamed of not having tasks completed, and can lead a board member not to complete any tasks because they feel that they do not know where to start.
To avoid this problem, talk to your board members, particularly the young members, about how much they can handle before delegating tasks. One-on-one talks can be helpful as not all members can handle the same amount of work. Group talks can occasionally be harmful, as the board members who feel comfortable with the amount of work they are given are more inclined to speak up first, saying that they do not feel overwhelmed at all by their assigned tasks, and this can make those who are overwhelmed feel ashamed of being overwhelmed.
All boards and programs find a different balance to maintain a board feeling of program ownership and success without overwhelming the board members. Know that it will take time to determine where this balance is and how to maintain it. Be patient with yourself and with your board as the process takes place.
Although the board is generally a group of wonderful and capable individuals, problems with commitments, communication, and meeting attendance can still arise. The main advice that we have for tackling these problems is to take steps to avoid the problems in the first place.
While you are looking into potential board members, talk to them about their other commitments and the time that they would be willing to spend on the grant program. If they definitely will not have time to commit to the program, no matter how qualified they are, it is unfair to your board and to the applicant to accept them. Being involved in clubs and groups outside of your grant program is great. Being involved in every club and group that the school or community has to offer indicates over-commitment.
Try your best to work for youth ownership of the grant program. If the youth board members feel like they own and are in charge of the success of the program, they will feel more of an inclination to carry out commitments, communications, and meetings. A sense of ownership can be fostered through always asking to hear youth voices first (for example, when making a vote on board applicants, when voting on projects to fund, and even when asking when board members would be free to meet next) and through inviting the youth board members to places or tasks of honor (like leading meetings, speaking with potential donors about funding, and accepting awards on behalf of the program).
Specifically asking to hear youth voices first is hugely important. Adult members usually have a wonderful confidence in themselves and in the value of their opinions, which is great and should not be discouraged. However, younger board members can often be in a stage of life during which their confidence is not yet as solid. Because of this, hearing an adult board member confidently state an opinion in opposition to that which was on the mind of the younger board member can be incredibly intimidating, causing the younger board member to doubt their opinion and perhaps choose not to share it. Talk with adult board members privately about the importance of a youth-voices-first policy, making sure that they know that adult voices are still valued but that they can often unintentionally suppress youth voices if spoken first.
In grant review sessions in the past, before we implemented the youth-voices-first policy, we found that the spoken conversation about the proposed projects was not in line with the board’s written comments. When adults spoke strongly in favor or strongly against funding a proposed project, even when young board members had valid comments written down in opposition to that opinion, those comments were not voiced during discussion, potentially leading to a different funding decision. After implementing the youth-voices-first policy, we found that young board members grew more comfortable stating and defending their positions and that a higher percentage of board applicants, both youth and adult, was participating in discussions.
These small actions send the clear and important message that this grant program is truly about young people, both on the administrative side and on the recipient side.
In addition to showing the power and importance of youth through the actions of your board, the other important idea to keep in mind when working to avoid board problems is that of balance. You want to require enough of your board members that they feel an ownership and real connection to your program and its success, but requiring too much of your board members can cause them to feel overwhelmed and like they cannot complete what is asked of them. There is a fine line between the two. This second feeling discourages board members from communicating with the board, as they might be ashamed of not having tasks completed, and can lead a board member not to complete any tasks because they feel that they do not know where to start.
To avoid this problem, talk to your board members, particularly the young members, about how much they can handle before delegating tasks. One-on-one talks can be helpful as not all members can handle the same amount of work. Group talks can occasionally be harmful, as the board members who feel comfortable with the amount of work they are given are more inclined to speak up first, saying that they do not feel overwhelmed at all by their assigned tasks, and this can make those who are overwhelmed feel ashamed of being overwhelmed.
All boards and programs find a different balance to maintain a board feeling of program ownership and success without overwhelming the board members. Know that it will take time to determine where this balance is and how to maintain it. Be patient with yourself and with your board as the process takes place.