Creating a New Normal:

Advancing Governance Theory and Practice

A Conference for Practitioners and Researchers

Convened by
The Midwest Center for Nonprofit Leadership

Bloch School of Management at the

University of Missouri - Kansas City
and
The Nonprofit Quarterly

April 14-15, 2011

InterContinental at the Country Club Plaza
Kansas City, Missouri, U.S.A.

Effective governance and strong board leadership are integral to nonprofit organization performance, yet scholars and practitioners alike continue to be challenged as we work to understand the complex and changing nature of nonprofit governance and the boards that engage in it.  Challenges to organizational viability and impact have intensified as boards and executives struggle to address the demands (and opportunities) of the recession and associated financial and social turmoil in the U.S. and across the globe, new generations of innovation in information technology and the growth in the use of social media, the emerging generational and associated leadership changes that promise to challenge and change nearly all aspects of the nonprofit sector, and the continued attention to social entrepreneurship and enterprise solutions to community issues. All of these have major implications for the future of nonprofit governance and the work of nonprofit boards.    

Among the topics to explore at this year’s conference:

·         Social Entrepreneurship and Entrepreneurial Board Behavior

Boards of nonprofit organizations are mandated to behave as prudent stewards of resources, yet they also are exhorted to become more entrepreneurial and take new kinds of risks.  How are boards responding, and what are the implications of such expectations for boards and the practice of governance?  As nonprofit and for-profit forms of enterprise continue to blend, what are we learning that might help us understand the similarities and differences of governance for each? 

·         Hybrid Structures and Innovations in Governance

New and unique forms of organization and organized action are becoming increasingly prominent in the sector, including various forms of networks, cross-sector alliances, and distributed systems of service delivery.  What do we know about these different forms, how they are being led and governed, and how they interact with more conventional forms of governance and organization?

·         Engaging A New Generation In Board Work

How are boards successfully recruiting and engaging younger and increasingly diverse communities of emerging leaders?  What are we learning about the implications of generational change, inclusion, and leadership and succession issues for nonprofits and their boards? 

·         The Future of Research on Nonprofit Boards and Governance

As we identify and work to understand all of these kinds of challenges and dynamics, are we developing new research models or methods that are better suited to the next generation of governance research?  What is next as we continue to work to understand and develop the boards of the future?

About the Conference

This highly interactive conference will employ the Midwest Center model that has been successful for previous academic-practitioner conferences.  The design offers multiple opportunities for formal and informal discussion and dialogue among the consultants, executives, and academics who are most engaged in addressing these challenges.  One key element of the conference will be sharing highlights and insights emerging from recent governance research.  Fifteen of the leading researchers and writers in the field will discuss their work to explore the changing sphere of governance through empirical research, case studies, and conceptual papers. 

Equally valuable will be the opportunities to build on and go beyond the theory and research – for experienced leaders who are exploring new and innovative strategies and approaches in their communities and organizations to participate in facilitated and informed discussions.  Half of the conference sessions will be facilitated (no-presentation) dialogue sessions, each focused on a specific issue and interest.

Three leading-edge speakers will set the stage with special research-based presentations on key aspects of governance in these uncertain times:

• Ruth McCambridge (Nonprofit Quarterly) “Insights from the Field: Results of the NPQ Survey of Readers on the Status of Their Nonprofit Boards.”

• William Brown (Texas A & M): “The State of Nonprofit Board Research.” 

• Chao Guo (University of Georgia): “Diversity, Development, and Board Effectiveness.”

The conference is designed to be a relatively intimate gathering of those who are serious about sharing and shaping governance ideas and learning.  To facilitate active dialogue, the conference will be limited to 150 participants, about half of whom will be nonprofit and community leaders and practitioners.

Questions about the conference may be directed to conference co-directors: