Why Nonprofit Boards Get Stuck— and What Actually Helps
6 min read
Even the most committed nonprofit boards can get stuck.
Board members bring passion and expertise, but limited time and lack of organization can cause action items to stall between meetings. When that happens, decisions slow down and staff are left waiting.
The good news? These challenges are common and fixable. In this post, we break down three common nonprofit board blockages and share practical solutions for each.
Problem: Limited bandwidth of board members
Without an engaged board in place an organization can suffer. Since all nonprofit boards are volunteer, your board members may have the passion for your organization, but not the time in their busy schedules to complete action items between meetings. This can cause bottlenecks in strategic decision-making, potentially leaving staff and organizational growth and success in limbo.
Solution: Board administration and policy research
Koja can work alongside your board to take away the administrative pressure from running board meetings. We’ve specialized and applied our 20+ years of project management skills and experience to boards. This includes delivering administration and communications for board meetings:
- Sending out meeting reminders
- Sending materials and other meeting preparation ahead of meetings
- Writing and sending out meeting minutes
- Follow up on delegated action items including researching and writing reports between meetings.
By taking away the bulky and administrative work, you and your board members gain time and capacity to concentrate on debating and discussing strategy and governance at meetings.
While we can’t (and shouldn’t) take responsibility for making decisions or approving policies, we can help with drafting policies for your board to review. Don’t know how to write an HR policy? Don’t remember your board’s bylaws on onboarding members between AGMs or what the onboarding process should include? Koja can fill the cyclical and ongoing capacity gaps of your board team.
Problem: Lack of organization and planning
Ever been in the spot where your organization is rushing to put together a fundraiser event? Or, has your board had to recruit board members “on the fly”? Lack of capacity to plan ahead for deadlines can often cause tasks and projects to sneak up on your organization, making it more stressful and more difficult to accomplish milestones.
Solution: Board cycle mapping and project planning
Boards often run through a yearly cycle from annual general meeting (AGM) to AGM with common major events between these start and end dates. By applying the concept of a common project management strategy – the project schedule – to your board, we can create a board calendar from AGM to AGM. This calendar will include typical milestones such as board recruitment, annual fundraising event planning, policy review, ED performance review, and internal board assessment. By creating and reviewing the calendar together at board meetings, the board can agree upon when they need to start working on certain tasks in preparation for major milestones so that nothing sneaks up on or gets dropped by the organization.
Problem: Unclear about potential organizational risks
Solution: Create a risk register
Many boards are not aware of, not referring back or have underdeveloped risk registers. A risk register is a document that identifies potential (financial, environmental or people) risks, lists their priority, mitigation strategies and assigns someone to be responsible with monitoring or any action items. By developing and reviewing your risk register at least annually your nonprofit can stay on top of current and potential challenges that may affect the stability of your organization. Koja can support with helping your board and/or your Executive team create, update or review a risk register to help you navigate this funding crisis.
Ready to Get Your Board Unstuck?
If your Board is struggling with capacity, planning, or follow-through, a custom Board Planning Workshop can help reset priorities and create clarity for the year ahead.
Our tailored workshops provide the tools, frameworks, and proven strategies your Board needs to avoid costly pitfalls and move strategic goals forward. With expert facilitation and practical, hands-on exercises, your Board will leave with:
- A step-by-step roadmap designed specifically for your organization
- Clear priorities and realistic timelines
- Strategies to make better use of Board members’ time, skills, and energy
For a limited time, only three customized Board Planning Workshops are available at a 30% discounted rate for 2026 planning. If your Board is ready to move from good intentions to real progress, now is the time to plan ahead.
