Nonprofit Board Balance and Perceived Performance
Based on prior literature, this article offers a reconciliation of the core roles of nonprofit boards and aligns these role-sets with organizational theories. A survey instrument was developed and validated to measure each of four role-sets (monitoring, supporting, partnering, and representing) to assess whether emphasis on specific roles affects board members’ perception of performance. Our study of nonprofit boards in a midsized midwestern city found that balance across the role-sets was associated with effective organizational performance. Furthermore, when board members describe any of the four role-sets as deficient, they perceive the organization as less effective. The results of the study provide practitioners with a validated survey tool that provides nonprofit boards with a method to identify which roles their board emphasizes.
We have a higher conviction in Silver-rated Parnassus Core Equity's management than in Neutral-rated Parnassus Endeavor.