Managing Expectations: What Effective Board Members Ought to Expect from Nonprofit Organizations

Expectations are one key component of the glue which holds an organization to gether. When expectations are not explicitly developed and clearly communicated, effective relations between board and staff are not likely. This article prescribes the basic expectations an effective board member should have, especially regarding key organizational factors such as: administration and management information, fiscal information, and human resource management. Fifteen specific questions are de scribed which will provide board members and the executive staff with one useful set of tools to insure effective communication of expectations.