What's an Advisory Board - And Why Do I Need One?

Every nonprofit understands the importance of their Board of Directors, but few nonprofits realize just how valuable having an advisory board can be to the success of their organization. While the Board of Directors is the legal, governing body for a nonprofit organization, an advisory board is convened by the organization solely for the purpose of giving advice or additional support. Advisory boards do not participate in decisions involving the hiring of the executive director, and they do not have the power to force board or staff members to follow their suggestions. They also do not have the same legal responsibility to the organization. However, advisory boards are still very useful for the reasons illustrated in the examples below.

Advisory boards can be used in many different ways. For example, let’s imagine your nonprofit has a number of different activities and programs currently underway, and you need a group of people who are able to focus all their time and energy on just one activity. Obviously you wouldn’t want your Board of Directors to limit their focus to just one program, but by creating an advisory board you can have this group devote 100% of their time and energy to the activity. Advisory board members can get to know the program on a deeper level and they can provide valuable insight and suggestions to the board for overall program direction. Another example of a way to use the valuable input from an advisory board would be to target members who are well connected to the population you are trying to serve, or are connected to other agencies who are also serving this same population. By bringing in an advisory board, with connections to the target population, or experts who serve them on a daily basis, you can provide your Board of Directors with additional input and suggestions from people who will benefit directly from your programs. In other words, the advisory board provides your Board with a bridge to the community, while the Board maintains control of the financial and personnel aspects of your organization. Another common use for advisory boards would be to provide a means for retired board members, or highly sought-after community leaders, to stay involved with the organization without requiring of them the time commitment of board meetings and special functions. The organization benefits by retaining the insight and experiences of these individuals, while at the same time allowing a new board member to step in, bringing with them their unique and diverse experiences and contacts.

So, as you can see, advisory boards can be wonderful tools for nonprofit organizations. For more information about advisory boards please see Judith Saedal’s article here.

Thirty years ago a dentist in Illinois used a large set of fiberglass teeth in his practice to demonstrate the proper way to brush and floss to his patients. Unfortunately, he soon realized that it was far too expensive for a small practice to maintain the upkeep on these teeth. Around the same time, in Saint Louis, there was a group of dentists who came together in the realization that oral hygiene of children in the area was suffering, and there was a need to better educate these children in the area of oral health. Through a twist of fate, all the above dentists connected, and the three foot tall, fiberglass teeth were sold to founders of the Delta Dental Health Theatre. Today the Delta Dental Health Theatre is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to educate the public on the vital connection between good oral health and overall health by providing interactive presentations, exhibits, and programming to promote healthy life values. They currently serve about ten thousand children a year and are hoping to increase that number in the future.

A visit to the Delta Dental Health Theatre provides you with a 45 minute presentation by a Dental Educator on the three-foot tall set of teeth around which the theatre was born. You will also experience a short cartoon about a dinosaur going to the dentist, a marionette show, and an interactive game which focuses on making healthy food choices. Every child who visits leaves with a Healthy Smile Kit which includes, among other things, a toothbrush, toothpaste, dental floss, and a resource card with information on dental clinics in the St. Louis area. Thus, the children are provided with both the information and tools needed to take proper care of their teeth.

The Board of the Delta Dental Health Theatre contacted Paradigm Shift Studio and asked us to get involved in December, 2006. At the time, they were having trouble getting leveraging the strengths of their board and needed to build a cohesive vision for their future growth. Through their work with Paradigm Shift Studio, LLC they were able to hire a wonderful Executive Director, create board directed active committees, expand their fundraising efforts, and effectively establish a mission and direction for the Theatre. Great things are just around the corner for the Delta Dental Health Theatre! They are currently updating their programming, ordering new puppets, building a new puppet stage, and looking for a larger space where they will be able to provide many new hands-on exhibits. They are also expanding their outreach into the community by attending more health fairs and spread their knowledge and enthusiasm to others outside of the Theatre.

If you would like more information about the Delta Dental Health Theatre, or would like to make a reservation for a visit, please contact them at 314-241-7391.

Meet the Funder - Innovative Technology Education Fund

One of Paradigm’s clients, the Innovative Technology Education Fund, is a Saint Louis based private foundation whose goal is to enhance education for the students in our community by connecting educators to the technological resources they need.  Recent funded projects have included integrating technology into the classroom with computers, SmartBoards, PDA’s, wireless devices, networks, and providing professional development on integrating technology into the classroom.  Grants range from $1,000 to $25,000 and projects can last for up to 18 months.

The Innovative Technology Education Fund’s Grant Focus Areas Include:

• Student Achievement - connecting students to the technological resources they need to reach high levels of educational success
• Extended Learning - using technology to extend and enhance learning outside of the classroom
• Technology Skill Development and Transfer - projects that support students and teachers in developing the skills and knowledge needed to function in and contribute to a technology-rich society.

The Innovative Technology Education Fund provides grants to accredited K-12 educational institutions, their classroom educators and 501 (c) (3) non-profits who partner with accredited K-12 educational institutions and provide educational services.  All potential grantees must fall within ITEF’s Geographic Service Area (approximately a 35 mile radius from downtown St. Louis - covering both Missouri and Illinois.) 

To learn more or to apply, visit www.enhancinglearning.org and begin with the online eligibility quiz.  Please note that the first phase of the grant process is a Letter of Inquiry which is due by August 22, 2008. 

Partner Spotlight - P3 Consulting
Partnering, Problem Solving, Producing Results!

All businesses have several basic needs; among them a need for Human Resources.  As we all know, human resources can be a complex aspect of your organization which, generally, is best left to professionals.  Unfortunately, many small businesses cannot afford to have a full-time HR professional on their payroll, and these duties often fall to someone who has neither the time nor the expertise required to properly address these issues.  Now another option is available!  Using her twenty years of HR experience, Paula Tarrant opened P3 Consulting in 2006 to help meet the HR needs of these small companies.  P3 Consulting will assist your business in setting up the human resource processes and procedures so the employer can stay focused on their core business while more easily maintaining legal compliance on personnel issues.

As an HR Generalist, P3 Consulting was created to assist small employers in all areas of human resources.  They want to be your full-service resource by providing services such as: setting up processes to assist with the recruiting and hiring process, coaching employees for either performance or discipline, reviewing the compensation and salary structure, reviewing the benefit structure and developing a process for separations and terminations.  They can also produce an Employee Handbook to not only help employers set up the structure and culture of their organization, but also to help them with any legal defense.  Finally, P3 Consulting is available to conduct an HR review/audit of all HR processes just to let an employer know where they stand with their legal compliance of this important area. 

“As a business owner it is difficult to keep abreast of all human resource issues to make sure we stay in compliance with our employee handbook, proper termination procedures, etc.  Paula’s knowledge and professional attitude are a valuable asset and its reassuring to know that I am on the right track.  When comparing dollars spent to value received, I believe P3 Consulting is at the top of the list.”

• Reta Seals, AccuPay APS, LLC (client of P3 Consulting)

Because P3 Consulting knows an HR review is an important service to small employers, they encourage Paradigm Shift Studio clients to consider an HR review of their organization’s human resource processes.  Going through this process will give you peace of mind that your processes are in order!  As part of Paradigm Shift Studio’s partner program, they are offering Paradigm Shift Studio clients an HR review at the cost of $1,500 – a savings of $500. 

For more information please see P3 Consulting’s website at www.partneringp3.com, and if you would like to take advantage of this special offer please contact Paula Tarrant and P3 Consulting by telephone at (314) 469-0477 or by email at paula@partneringp3.com.

“When a Paradigm Shift Studio client transfers their human resource/capital needs from their desk to ours, they will realize results in human resource efficiencies because we don’t need to get up to speed on HR practices.  Results are provided at the onset since we have the luxury of focusing solely on the assigned project without being bogged down by daily internal tasks.” 

• Paula Tarrant, P3 Consulting