Board members must feel as if their involvement is making a contribution to the mission statement of the institution and the advancement of it's goals. 

The thing that stood out to me was the amount of preparation that took place to insure that the board members were engaged. From determining meeting times, length of meeting, agenda's that are relevant to mission of institution, control of the meeting and most importantly how to stimulate discussion/input from the members.

One of the most important functions is to identify those individuals whose values; vision, trustworthiness and integrity ,to name a few, align with the mission and values of the institution.

In today's competitive environment, for an institution to be successful it's essential that the concept of governing boards and advisory boards be embraced. While the governing board will oversee and provide operational guidance , the advisory boards provide will insight on business and community trends providing guidance on future programs and activities.

With the executive team working together with the boards the organization/institution should thrive...