Alexandra Peters knows nonprofit boards. A writer, educator, psychologist, and board consultant, Alexandra has been engaged with nonprofit organizations for 30 years, and currently works with boards on issues of governance and board leadership. She holds an MA in Developmental Psychology from Columbia University, and has served on 13 boards, 5 of which she Chaired. She brings to her work the perspective of a highly trained board member: a first-hand understanding of the psychology, dynamics and structure of nonprofit boards and nonprofit leadership.
Alexandra uses a positive, strengths-based, and collaborative approach to building individual and organizational effectiveness. She has adapted the principles of Appreciative Inquiry theory to the non-profit world, applying it to her work with clients and to her writing about boards and change management. She believes that technology can facilitate new and more effective ways of thinking and communicating for non-profits and their boards.
Alexandra believes in the transformative power of mission-based organizations and in the need for informed and ethical governance. She is proud to support non-profit boards in achieving exemplary levels of efficiency, organization and oversight in effecting social change.
I work with boards to help them understand their role and lead their organizations.
"The Board of Directors of mission-based organizations is the leadership body of not-for-profits. Because there is no owner, boards function as an owner would. Volunteers with disparate skills, they may not know each other well, but must be able to lead their organization in adapting to rapidly shifting landscapes of technology, economic and social change. They must be ready to act quickly in crisis and must have oversight over complex and changing environments where accountability, transparency and new expectations need to be understood."
I offer consulting, board revitalization, board and staff education, and board coaching. I design and facilitate retreats, workshops, meetings, discussions and reflections, to help your board:
Use the methods of Appreciative Inquiry to keep re-examining your mission, understand and build on the organization's strengths;
Find strategies for keeping the whole board engaged, focused and energized;
Work collaboratively on strategic planning;
Draw in each board member, with every member's skills appreciated and utilized;
Build a diverse and engaged board;
Learn about the board's job.
I provide education for board members and staff:
Boards 101 for new board members and as a refresher
What the Board of Directors does
Recruiting the board
Board and staff relations
The IRS and the 990
Bylaws and governance
Officers of the Board
For new board members
What will be expected of me when I join?
What am I supposed to do when I get to board meetings?
How do boards really work?
What are the underlying rules here?
Who's in charge here?
Board tune-up (for staff or board)
What are we supposed to be doing?
Understanding boards: What do boards really do? How do we do it? What are the expectations and requirements of not for profit boards?
Are we doing it right?
Looking at governance, by-laws, board structure and committees
Who's looking over our shoulders?
The new expectations of nonprofit boards: legacy of Sarbanes-Oxley, IRS requirements, policies, risk management, accountability, transparency, evaluating impact and effectiveness
What's the most efficient way to do it?
Using technology to make board interaction easy, using tech and social media for marketing, looking at the future
RSS
Twitter
Alexandra Peters
is a writer, board consultant and educator. For the past thirty years, she has been dedicated to building the transformative power of not
for profit organizations.
