At its best, an advisory council can provide a tremendous benefit to your organization and the pursuit of your mission. At its worst, an advisory council can drain resources, tie staff in knots, generate governance challenges for the board, and transform allies into adversaries. We’ve seen it happen! Building a successful advisory council takes time,…

It is important to be clear about the difference between a board of directors (or board of trustees) and an “advisory council,” and it is especially important that the members of your advisory council know the difference. It is not uncommon for advisory council members to want to become engaged in the work of the…

What if you were asked to join an advisory council? What would you want from that experience? What would make it a meaningful experience for you? What would be required in order for you to feel like it was a good use of your time? Take a moment to ask and answer those questions yourself….

One of the biggest mistakes organizations make with their advisory councils (and with their boards) is limiting them to a “monitoring” role. They bring well-intentioned volunteers together, fill the meetings with reports on this or that (monitoring), and then wonder why the volunteers don’t seem engaged, have spotty attendance, or descend into micromanaging. Remember, volunteers…

Not too long ago we were at a meeting where a hospital administrator was talking about their Patient Advisory Council and the goal of engaging a diverse cross-section of patients. As she talked with some excitement about planning for a full-day retreat with the members of her advisory council, we couldn’t help but think about…

In much the same way that a board of directors is guided by bylaws, advisory councils should have a guiding document too–a statement of organization and purpose that describes the role of the group and the responsibilities of its members. Don’t confuse this guiding document with bylaws, however. In fact, the word “bylaws” should be…

In our consulting practice we often work with advisory councils. In one case, we worked with an advisory council that had been in existence for over a decade. Where they once played an especially active role in the organization, they were finding they were in more of a “responsive” role. “Responsive” seemed like a better…

We knew an executive director of a nonprofit who did a time study (tracking her time by 10 minute intervals) that showed she was spending more than 40% of her time on the business of the board—supporting them, preparing for meetings, engaging in board communications, attending meetings of board committees, and so on. While we…

In our consulting practice we are often working with organizations that have an advisory council, or are considering one, so we’ve developed what we see as a list of essential ingredients for a successful advisory council: Clearly delineate what level of responsibility and authority the advisory council has It’s important to be clear, right from…

The name “advisory council” suggests there will be advice offered. While the intention may be that the advisory council is offering advice to the board of directors, be sure the board truly wants the advice and is ready to respond. Advisory councils to which no one is really listening can leave the participants feeling empty…