Keys to Board Engagement
As board members for your community action agency, you serve as ambassadors, advocates, strategists, and all-around supporters for the work of the organization. In order to be all of those things, it is vitally important to be engaged, not only during board meetings, but also in the time between sessions. A few ways you can help foster engagement and get more involved:
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Get to know each other: Always use name tags or screen names during meetings so that new board members can get to know their colleagues. Make sure to include bios in orientation materials. | |
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Get the discussion going: Have a live discussion of
the past year’s board accomplishments. Introduce topics that the board
must wrestle with to
foster engagement and
build trust.
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Make committee assignments carefully: Finding the right committee for each new board member will be helpful to ensure early engagement. Make sure your members are where they want to be. | |
Create meeting agendas with purpose: Structure agendas around important questions that your CAA needs to answer and strategic priorities so that members are continually being asked to think about the future and see the “big picture.” | |
Have the advocacy talk: Have a conversation with your board about their role as advocates. (Resource: Stand for Your Mission Discussion Guide) | |
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Understanding Your Role as a
Tripartate Community Action Board Member
The federal CSBG Act specifically requires the tripartite board of a public CAA to “participate actively in the development, planning, implementation and evaluation” of CSBG-funded programs. The board’s responsibilities are often further defined by the government or laws that created the public CAA and are laid out in the tripartite board’s governing documents, which often take the form of bylaws. Furthermore, Office of Community Services (OCS) CSBG Information Memorandum (IM) 82 does not distinguish between the responsibilities of nonprofit and public CAA tripartite boards, requiring both to take responsibility for oversight and governance of the agencies. The tripartite board also plays an important role in leading a public CAA’s compliance with the CSBG Organizational Standards.
Many of the concepts and directives in IM 82 are reflected in the CSBG Organizational Standards, which require the tripartite board to be involved in matters such as:
- Reviewing the CAA’s mission statement
- Participating in strategic planning and the community needs assessment
- Receiving strategic, organizational, and programmatic updates
- Receiving financial and audit reports
- Participating in the CSBG budget process, as allowed by local government procedures
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Board Spotlight:
Alexandria Department of Community & Human Services
The Alexandria Department of Community and Human Services' Economic Opportunities Commission board members play a pivotal role in efforts to advance economic mobility through initiatives like the Economic Mobility Action Groups’ efforts to better understand the experience of residents’ and their sense of economic stability.
Board members have helped to support by conducting Economic Mobility Pulse Checks, which is a six question, one-on-one conversation with residents to understand how they are experiencing economic stability. The board members have also participated in discussions to define the spectrum of economic conditions, from crisis to stability. DCHS participated in a year of technical assistance and a national learning cohort led by the Urban Institute, where they learned about Urban’s Mobility Framework to inform local actions and policies.
Key Terms & Resources:
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Economic Stability: Ability to afford basic needs such as housing, utilities, food, transportation, childcare, healthcare, a smartphone plan, taxes and have discretionary funds to be able to save and achieve other personal financial goals. Charactered by a sense of freedom.
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Economic Mobility: Financial stability, ability to save, and freedom from living paycheck to paycheck.
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Economic Instability: Inability to afford basic needs such as housing, utilities, food, transportation, healthcare, childcare, and a smartphone plan. A feeling of living paycheck to paycheck.
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Economic Crisis: The inability to afford basic needs such as housing, utilities, food, transportation, healthcare, childcare, and a smartphone plan, with some needs in a critical state such as an eviction notice, lack of housing, lack of food and/or utilities shut off.
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Urban Institute's Framework: A three-part approach combining economic success, autonomy, and community belonging.
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Virginia Office of Economic Opportunity
5600 Cox Road, Glen Allen, VA 23060
csbg@dss.virginia.gov
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