by Jor-El Godsey

O - Ownership: For board members, ownership translates to stewardship, meaning board members are entrusted with managing God's resources – people, programs, and purse – to fulfill the organization's mission. This stewardship responsibility requires careful evaluation and use of all resources to ensure they are directed towards achieving the mission efficiently and effectively.¹

Someone once said, “Opinion is really the lowest form of human knowledge.”

Some otherwise earnest board members mistakenly believe they are called to serve on the board just to provide their opinions. This perspective leads to a somewhat detached role of being only an advisor to those leading the ministry toward fulfilling its mission.

Yet, being only an advisor misses the biblical call and the public expectations of all board members of non-profit organizations. Board members aren’t there merely to offer opinions. They are there to govern actively.

A part of governing is ownership of the call, the mission, the effort, and the outcome. The mantle of governance is much like the owner of a business. The owner shoulders the leadership of the company personally and intimately. This usually includes the Executive Director or CEO as an ex oficio board member.

“Responsibility equals accountability equals ownership. And a sense of ownership is the most powerful weapon a team or organization can have” - Pat Summitt, legendary basketball coach

No one board member is ever “the owner” of a non-profit organization. But the board as a whole, in effect, is the ownership.

The Three P's

The board, as owners, fulfill their call primarily through the three P’s of the organization:

• People – the staff, whether paid or volunteer
• Programs – the efforts chosen that fulfill the mission
• Purse – the finances that support and sustain the team and the efforts

“The greatest ownership of all is to glance around and understand.” - William Stafford, Poet Laureate of Oregon

Board members don’t just glance at the client stats and financials. Their attention is broader and more inquisitive in looking to understand the health of the three Ps and how well the missional call is being addressed.

Just like for-profit business owners always keep an eye on being profitable, non-profit owners stay focused on accomplishing the mission outcomes. For PHOs, the mission is not to operate a pregnancy center or maternity home. Those are but methods intended to achieve the mission of rescuing lives and lifetimes. PHO board members should be analyzing the impact on lives turned from hurtling towards abortion towards life.

How to "own" your role

Owners strategize and plan. That’s because they know the old axiom, “To fail to plan is to plan to fail.”

Planning must be intentional. And periodic. Every board, as a part of their fiduciary responsibility, approves an annual plan for spending. We call it a budget, but it’s still an annual plan of expectations relative to the “purse.” We should have similar plans for the other two P’s – people and programs.

Strategic planning is a must for boards to fulfill their ownership role. In this Post-Roe era, PHOs face highly dynamic situations. Our clients have always been subject to changes in culture and economics. The shifting culture and difficult economics we’re all facing are hitting our clients even harder. Such are also impacting our donors and vendors.

Even more challenging is the dynamic nature of Big Abortion. Not only are they actively shifting their distribution paradigm to capitalize on relaxed restraints on chemical abortion, they are aggressively using political power and legislative actions to increase their footprint and maximize profits.

Board members, as owners of this era of ministry governance, should be able to readily lean into a current strategic plan—one that was updated since the Dobbs ruling in June 2022. If not, a S.W.O.T. (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats) analysis should be on the agenda for the very next board meeting or the subject of a special strategic session.

The weight of governance is of intense importance during such dynamic times.

Now, more than ever, we should be like the Sons of Issachar “men who had an understanding of the times, to know what Israel ought to do.” (1 Chronicles 12:32, ESV)

Check your inbox next month as we dive into the next major responsibility, Values!

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1. Taken from Heartbeat's Governing Essentials Manual. This series is just one piece of the manual, which can be purchased at any time here.

by Aimee Huber, Executive Director at First Choice Women's Resource Centers

I’m not a big fan of change. I like to plan, stay ahead of the curve, and know what’s next. As a pregnancy center director for 33 years, however, change has come in all forms. We have changed our organization’s name, staff structure, services, counseling methods, locations and staff. Many times, it hasn’t been an option because of our need to remain relevant!

I have found that my ability to lead change focuses directly on how I lead our team. If they know that I care for them and they trust my character, they’ll give me the benefit of the doubt even if they aren’t completely sure they like what I’m proposing. If those relationships aren’t built, change will be viewed with skepticism and reluctance, at best.

One of the most helpful tools our staff has used is the Strengths Deployment Inventory (SDI). Unlike DISC or Myers-Briggs that show people’s personalities, SDI shows a person's motivation. This inventory groups people using colors – red, green and blue. The motivation for a red is to win or achieve. They love the mission. A green’s motivation is to be right. They love information and data. A blue’s motivation is to connect. It’s always about the relationship. Some folks are a combination of these colors or “hubs.” For example, I am a red-blue, so I like to accomplish things and develop relationships.

When I communicate with a red, I need to be direct and straightforward. With a green, I need to bring my data and my research. And, with a blue, I need to make a date for coffee! These methods of communication have been extraordinarily helpful with our team of godly women. We have avoided many conflicts because we try to tailor our communication to everyone’s motivation. For more information about this inventory, go to consentiagroup.com.

John Kotter, a professor at Harvard Business School and world-renowned change expert, introduced his eight-step change process in his book, "Leading Change."

1. Create Urgency – Why is the change needed? Years ago, we had a marketing agency provide feedback that our logo was hard to read. That created urgency for us to update our logo.

2. Get Buy-In – People are more likely to buy into a decision they have influenced than a decision imposed on them by others. Find your stakeholders. You need those who have positional power (their title or position causes folks to pay attention to them) AND informal leaders (folks who have influence with others).

3. Create a Vision – What will this vision look like? Use a few folks to be your test group and envision them. Be sure to ask for their feedback because they may notice something you haven’t thought of!

4. Communicate the Vision – Share what you believe will happen if the change takes place AND remain connected to the change you’re implementing. Don’t consider it done and move on!

5. Remove Obstacles - Uncover the predictable concerns people have, allowing the concerns to be addressed. This increases trust and buy-in.

6. Create Short-Term Wins – Share great feedback.

7. Build on the Change – When we changed our logo, every sign, brochure and publication had to be updated!

8. Anchor the Change in your Ministry’s Culture – Continue to talk about it, especially when hiring new staff so they understand the reasoning and are committed to it.

As I have led change in our ministry over the years, there are a few things I have learned. First, communicate, communicate, communicate! A lack of communication causes folks to fill in the blanks themselves. The more you can explain, the more they will trust you.

I have also learned to grieve and to allow others to grieve. It’s been said that people don’t fear change, they fear loss. It’s hard to leave what you know and embrace something new. Grieving is part of that process.

Finally, it’s okay if you don’t win everyone. Do your best to process the change with your staff as you follow God. He will honor your efforts as you serve Him!