An Evaluation of the Perceptions of Board Development Needs in Non-profit Organizations in Louisiana

• Main Author: Hollins, Gail A.
• Other Authors: Taylor, Dianne L.
• Format: Others
• Language: en
• Published: LSU 2010
• Subjects: Human Resource Education Workforce Development
• Online Access: http://etd.lsu.edu/docs/available/etd-10252010-215700/

The purpose of this study was to determine the perceptions of board members of non-profit organizations in Louisiana on board development. According to the literature review, boards of directors play a pivotal role in the life of non-profit organizations. Thus, it is essential that they operate effectively. Provision of a continuous development program promotes board and organizational performance as board members augment their knowledge, skills and abilities of their roles and responsibilities, and cultivate board, staff, and stakeholder relationships. The target population for this study was board members of non-profit organizations in Louisiana. A total of 267 non-profit organizations were contacted with five board members from each organization to complete the survey. Of a survey sample of 1,335, 110 board members responded to the survey for a final response rate of 8.2%. Eighty-four respondents provided usable data; therefore, twenty-six respondents who provided unusable data were dropped from the study. Follow-up of non-respondents was not possible because the researcher did not have board members e-mail addresses. The Hollins Board Development Survey was a 52-item researcher-designed questionnaire, which consisted of a five-point anchored rating scale and multiple-choice items. Post hoc comparisons of board members responses on the size of the non-profit board were performed using the Tukey HSD test, which revealed a significant amount of variance on non-profit board size at the p<.05 level. Results suggested that larger boards of directors are more likely to have board development activities. A regression model with three independent variables, Size of the non-profit board - 5-9 members and 10-14 members, and Age of non-profit board member explained a significant portion of the variance of selected demographic traits on the Hollins Board Development Survey score.