Board Room: The Engaged Board

By Susan Howlett

Our Board Room column is aimed at those charged with responsibility for orchestras: the members of the board of directors.

This column features an excerpt from Susan Howlett’s Boards on Fire! Inspiring Leaders to Raise Money Joyfully, a manual that helps board members fulfill their responsibilities. The book has gotten people talking about the rewards—and challenges—of governance. At the League’s Conference in Seattle in 2014, Howlett, a leading consultant on nonprofit governance, conducted a session based on the book to help trustees to meet their fiduciary obligations by raising money with confidence and enthusiasm. In this excerpt from Boards on Fire!, Howlett discusses how to get trustees more actively engaged in governance.