08-20-2012, 12:29 PM
I can't speak for bluesboy, but have had a lot of experience with volunteer non-profit boards and have found a few different models.
There's the board that after elected, acts as kind of a benevolent monarchy, does what it thinks is best for the group, and deals with some grumbling because not everyone wants the same thing. If the opposing members of the group can muster enough support; this board is then voted out and replaced by opposition members.
Then there's the more purely democratic board; They listen to all the varying ideas from the group, won't act autonomously because there's never a unified opinion, don't actually get much done, and are eventually voted out because of their ineffectiveness.
Finally there's the ideal board; They listen to all the diverse ideas, craft policy that pleases everyone, complete all projects ahead of schedule and under budget, and are eventually voted out because they are a wild fantasy of the imagination and are replaced by one of the first two models.
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There's the board that after elected, acts as kind of a benevolent monarchy, does what it thinks is best for the group, and deals with some grumbling because not everyone wants the same thing. If the opposing members of the group can muster enough support; this board is then voted out and replaced by opposition members.
Then there's the more purely democratic board; They listen to all the varying ideas from the group, won't act autonomously because there's never a unified opinion, don't actually get much done, and are eventually voted out because of their ineffectiveness.
Finally there's the ideal board; They listen to all the diverse ideas, craft policy that pleases everyone, complete all projects ahead of schedule and under budget, and are eventually voted out because they are a wild fantasy of the imagination and are replaced by one of the first two models.
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