 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 Recent Questions How to personalize your Thank You's How to Ask Faculty & Staff for Gifts? How Restrictive Is The HIPPA Privacy Regulation? What Happens When A Campaign Is Completed?
|
Dollars and Sense Patty Turnberg is Director of Development at Seattle’s Foundation for Early Learning. She asks a superb question. “We want to move some men and women off the board who have not been particularly productive. We are thinking of giving them Emeritus status along with some worthy board members who are retiring and deserve the designation. By giving Emeritus to all, does that minimize the work of those who are really worthy?” Answer: The word Emeritus has its roots in two Latin words. The prefix means literally: To serve out one’s time. The major root comes from the Latin for “merit” and to “stand out.” If you designate Emeritus for every board member who has served his or her term, you diminish the standing and honor. In most organizations, they reserve that designation for people who have served with particular distinction. If you don’t do that, it has no special meaning. Here’s what one of our clients does. They make an evaluation of each board member’s participation when their term is up. In a sense, they give them a report card. If they don’t measure up, in other words don’t have a certain “grade” level— they are not given the distinction of Emeritus. This should not be a staff decision. Have a small group of very key former trustees who will make an evaluation on each person. That takes the responsibility off the staff’s shoulders and places it where it belongs—on the volunteers. -Jerry Panas |
|