Overview of Board Roles and Responsibilities

Written by Max | Edited by Rory Hart

Last updated on Aug 20, 2023

Sections of this topic

Vast majority of content
in this topic applies to for-profits and nonprofits. This book also covers this topic.

Developing, Operating and Restoring Your Nonprofit Board - Book Cover

Sections of This Topic Include

Roles and Responsibilities
Job Descriptions

Also, consider
Related Library Topics

Learn More in the Library’s Blogs Related to This Topic

In addition to the articles on this current page, also see
the following blogs have posts related to this topic. Scan
down the blog’s page to see various posts. Also, see the section
“Recent Blog Posts” in the sidebar of the blog or click
on “next” near the bottom of a post in the blog. The
blog also links to numerous free related resources.

Library’s
Boards of Directors Blog
Library’s
Nonprofit Capacity Building Blog

Roles and Responsibilities

The above section gives a basic overview of the role of a governing
Board. The following links give more information about the roles
and responsibilities of Boards and Board members, including job
descriptions for each of the common positions on a Board.

For-Profit

Board
Roles and Responsibilities (for-profit and nonprofit)
“System”
of Board Operations (one-page depiction of for-profit)
Board
Competence
Whom Do Public Companies Now Serve?
Five
Things Board Directors Should Be Thinking About
UK FSA Highlights Corporate Governance

Nonprofit

Governance and Board Development (nonprofit)
Fiduciary Responsibilities of Nonprofit Board
Members
How Much Should Nonprofit Board Be Involved in
Management?
Eight
Basic Expectations a Chief Executive Has of His or Her Board
Good Governance in Meeting the Duties of Directors
of Charities and Not-for-Profits
What Exactly
IS the Board’s Job?
Board
Leadership, Bold and Brave
Lessons for a Board President
Boards of All-Volunteer Organizations
Good Governance Practices for 501(c)(3) Organizations
Board Status for Staff Members
Questions From A New Executive Director/Founder
MD or CEO – which title suits the circumstances?
Guilty As Charged: Prove Your Board Supports Your Organization
How to align independent operations? – a dilemma
Executive Director, Deputy Director & Founders – Part One
Executive Director, Deputy Director & Founders – Part Two
Wearing Two Hats: Board President & Paid Executive – Part One
Wearing Two Hats: Board President & Paid Executive – Part Two
UK FSA Highlights Corporate Governance

Job Descriptions

General Information

Board
and Staff Responsibilities
Job
Description Search Tool

Sample Job Descriptions (Officers and Lead Directors)

Sample
Job Descriptions (for Chair, Vice Chair, Secretary, Treasurer)
(for-profit and nonprofit)
Sample
Job Description
Board Chair /
President / Chairman (for-profit)
Board
Chair Sample Job Description (nonprofit)
Board Chairperson — Job Description
Board Secretary Responsible for Accuracy of Homeowners
Association Minutes (nonprofit)
The
Lead Director

›Return to All About Boards of Directors

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To round out your knowledge of this Library topic, you may
want to review some related topics, available from the link below.
Each of the related topics includes free, online resources.

Also, scan the Recommended Books listed below. They have been
selected for their relevance and highly practical nature.

Max

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