Kids call them BFF’s.
Garth had them in low places.
John, Paul, George, and Ringo got by with their assistance.
So did Dionne and Elton, Andrew Gold, and Carole King.
Some people refer to them as besties, homies, and dawgs (what up G?).
And come to think of it, Ross, Rachel, Monica, Chandler, and…
By law, your organizational oath is three-fold: The Duty of Obedience, The Duty of Loyalty, and The Duty of Care. This oath along with “The Big 9” board policies guide your high impact leadership. These aren’t empty words, these are standards to which you will be held.
The Magic of Four. Have you ever noticed that great things come in fours? Four seasons, four moon phases, four faces on Mount Rushmore…and there’s one more great thing that comes in a set of four — the number of your board meetings each year.
You have a number of “high-performance” tools at your fingertips. One of the most underutilized high-performance tools is your board’s “term limits” policy. To maximize the impact of your term limits policy, three best practices are recommended.
We live in a time where bigger Is considered better. Bigger houses. Bigger cars. More followers. More friends. More likes. Whatever it is, we always seem to want more. But, when it comes to bigger, there are some exceptions. And one of them is board size.
Perhaps entrepreneur Jim Rohn said it best, “You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with.” With the help of Rohn’s insightful observation, you now have an opportunity to embrace some life-changing wisdom in 2026.
William Felton Russell is, without question, the greatest basketball player ever to play the game. Not Michael Jordan. Not Magic Johnson. Not Kobe Bryant. Not LeBron James. And while these are extraordinary players, none has done it better than Bill Russell.
Everything is going great, Until it’s Not. We’ve all been there. Your board meeting is going just as you planned it, until you come to that one specific topic where people hold differing opinions—and it’s guaranteed to open a serious can of worms.
Make no mistake: You board meetings matter — a lot. Two people (and two people only!) have the responsibility to make sure that each meeting is purposeful, engaging, and flawlessly delivered. And these two people are the CEO and Board Chair.
Recent research reveals that the single best indicator of a healthy nonprofit organization is a strong relationship between the Board Chair and the CEO. It’s not their financials, donor list, or war chest. It’s the quality of relationship between the Board Chair and the CEO.
In the last High Impact Boards eNewsletter, we laid out the first three steps to help your charity raise $150K on Giving Hearts Day. And now that Giving Hearts Day is officially 112 days away, it’s time to unveil the final two steps. Buckle up — steps 4 and 5…
Giving Hearts Day–February 12th, 2026, is officially 126 days away! Here is a five-step blueprint that you, your staff, and your board can follow to make the most of Giving Hearts Day (and we will zero-in on steps 1-2 this time, and 4-5 next time.) Let’s dive in.
