BOARD of DIRECTORS: Project Central
| TASK 📌 | Timeline ⏰ | Who 👤 |
| âś…Â Submit Board Development Plan revisions (ALL APPROVED) | October 13th, 2023 | Tim |
| âś… Distribute video & notes of meeting (see sections below) | October 18th, 2023 | Tim |
| âś… In-depth reports & survey of each topic | October 20-25, 2023 | Tim |
| âś… Voting on NRB Focus | October 30 – November 3, 2023 | All |
| âś… Formation of Committees | November 6 – 17, 2023 | All |
| âś…Â Committee Meetings | December – July | All |
STRATEGIC PLAN UPDATE (October 20, 2023)
COMMITTEE FORMATION (November 17, 2023)
▶️ Board Development Plan Video (2 hours)Â
Below are the APPROVED updates from the Board Meeting on October 7, 2023.
✅ = Approved  |  ⚒️ = Working
CHARACTERISTICS OF BOARD MEMBERS
An effective board will work together as a committed team to accomplish the mission of the organization.
Â
The Board of Directors for News Release Basketball will consist of men and women over the age of 18 from across the United States as well as international representatives. Types of individuals particularly sought out for their expertise and knowledge in the outset of News Release Basketball will include community leaders, business leaders, ministry leaders, basketball coaches, and others who can bring organizational insight.Â
Â
Ideal characteristics of Board members include diversity in range of expertise, values, interests, skills and will exhibit some of the following traits:
- Committed and active relationship with Jesus Christ.
- Facilitation of team collaboration as a board and in committees.
- Foster alignment in strategic focus on key issues and questions.
- Invests in the attraction, recruitment, retention, and development of the organization’s members.
- Manages time well both within meetings and on an individual basis to maximize the experience and effectiveness of each Board member.
- Measures its own performance as a board to operate in an iterative process of continuous improvement.
DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE BOARD
- Review and support of the organization’s mission, vision, values, and purpose.
- Attraction, recruitment, and retention of the Executive Director.
- Continuous evaluation of the Executive Director’s performance along with coaching for improvement (with the responsibility that if the Executive Director’s performance is subpar and coaching is ineffective, the Board is charged with terminating the Executive Director’s employment).
- Establishing effective framework and procedures to accomplish organization planning.
- Mobilize adequate resources in a timely and efficient manner for the organization.
- Establish, assess, and continuously improve services and programs provided by the organization.
- Foster policy and procedure compliance through assessment of current best practices and necessary upgrades over time.
- Promote and advance the organization’s public standing.
- Strategically recruit and onboard new board members; and provide regular assessment of overall Board performance.
- Direct tour participation (minimum once per two-year term) in the framework of “Go, Send, Serve.”
- “Go”: Personally participate on a full or partial tour.
- “Send”: Directly recruit, vouch for and mentor a tour participant.
- “Serve”: Provide direct “time, treasure, talent” tour support (i.e. financial, in-kind, tour training or participation, etc.).
LEGAL RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE BOARD
- Duty of Care (making informed decisions with care and clear judgement such as any reasonable and prudent person would exhibit).
- Duty of Loyalty (keeping the best interests of the organization at the forefront, Board members ought to consider and act in good faith at all times; this includes creating safeguards to protect from conflicts of interest).
- Duty of Obedience (decisions must be made in such a way that honors the terms and conditions of laws, rules, regulations, policies, and procedures of the organization).
FIDUCIARY RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE BOARD
- Policies that govern the acquisition and use of financial and other resources.
- Annual budget review process that strategically allocates resources to accomplish the organization’s mission through programs and activities.
- Establishment of an accountability system for staff and volunteers as it pertains to meeting budget limits and following policies.
- Effective use of a fiscal monitoring system to measure the fiscal performance of the organization and annual independent review and audit of the organization’s fiscal condition to assess proper use of financial resources.
DESCRIPTION OF THE BOARD
SIZE OF THE BOARD
- News Release Basketball will have a minimum of 9 voting members and a maximum of 21 voting members.
- Terms will last two years with a limit of three terms served consecutively.
BOARD MEETINGS
- FREQUENCY: Full Board meetings will be Quarterly (September, December, March, and June)
Committee meetings will occur as needed, and specifically in close proximity to the full Board meetings.
Each December, the Board meeting will consist of an approval process to accept the audit committee’s recommended fiscal year budget. - FORMAT: One meeting per year will be in-person – with reasonable efforts made to attend. All other meetings will be held virtually for 90 minutes.
- RESPONSIBILITIES: Executive Director and Board officers will put together an agenda and organization summary that will be distributed two weeks before the Board meeting. Committee chairs will present reports representing the following committees:
executive; alumni and fundraising; marketing and recruiting; basketball development; ministry development. - ATTENDENCE: Commitment to Board involvement in line with the Duty of Care will be exercised by keeping track of Board attendance. If a member of the Board misses two consecutive meetings for uncommunicated absences, the Board President will place the absentee Board member on notice and will communicate that a third uncommunicated absence will result in dissolution of Board membership. This attendance policy will be provided in the orientation process and will have been agreed upon by all Board members during this process.
OFFICERS OF THE BOARD AND POSITION DESCRIPTIONS
The Board president and Treasurer, along with the Executive Director and committee chairs can function on behalf of the board in organizational emergency situations.
- THE BOARD PRESIDENT (or Chair) ensures the organizational effectiveness and efficiency of the Board inclusive of meetings, collaborative efforts, and any additional board activities.
- THE TREASURER provides the financial management and transparency of all reports and records for the Board. This includes appropriate use of documentation, as well as oversight of any financial records that are maintained by the organization for audit purposes.
COMMITTEES OF THE BOARD AND THEIR FUNCTIONS
News Release Basketball will have five board committees:
- EXECUTIVE Committee: Comprised of Board officers, Executive Director, and committee chairs. The executive committee will be allowed to function on behalf of the board in an organization emergency; decisions will need to be ratified at the following Board meeting. Board officers and Executive Director will organize and lead all Board meetings.This committee will have responsibility for budget audits, 990 filings, and general financial management oversight. This committee will also be in charge of yearly organizational scheduling.
- ALUMNI & FUNDRAISING Committee: Comprised of the president, Executive Director and at least two additional Board volunteers, this committee will have responsibility for strategic fundraising, and connection with NRB alumni.
- Â MARKETING & RECRUITING Committee: Led by a volunteer committee chair, two Board members and the Executive Director, this committee plans and leads all marketing efforts and ensures recruitment of tour participants, and organization paid staff members as needed.
- BASKETBALL DEVELOPMENT Committee:Â Led by a volunteer committee chair, two Board members and the Executive Director, this committee performs basketball performance audits and strategy planning for basketball development and advancement.
- MINISTRY DEVELOPMENT Committee:Â Led by a volunteer committee chair, two Board members and the Executive Director, this committee performs ministry performance audits and strategy planning for ministry development and advancement.
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR & RELATIONSHIP TO THE BOARD
The Executive Director will first and foremost be a representative of the mission, vision, and values of News Release Basketball. The Executive Director will report directly to the Board of Directors and be the political face of the organization. Adherence to the core values will be embodied from the top, starting with the Executive Director. The Board of Directors will support and develop the Executive Director to best uphold his or her responsibilities such as: alumni engagement; cementing relationships with ministry partners and hosts; raising funds; providing executive leadership to the staff teams; aligning all efforts with the mission and vision of News Release Basketball; and bringing all pertinent and necessary information to the attention of the Board of Directors on a regular basis.
The Board of Directors will identify and recruit a qualified Executive Director seeking out ideal qualifications such as: a bachelor’s degree or higher from an accredited institution, a minimum of four years of nonprofit leadership experience, and a minimum of four years with direct leadership roles within basketball and/or ministry (or reasonably equivalent life and work experience). In alignment with News Release Basketball’s core values, the expectation of the Executive Director will be an attitude of worship, family, service, fun, and quality. Performance evaluation of the Executive Director will be assessed by the Board of Directors. Mismanagement of the Executive Director role can be cause for termination, as outlined in the News Release Basketball policies and procedures. The Board and Executive Director will partner in leadership of News Release Basketball, providing visionary support for the future of the organization.
▶️ Renovation Rationale (28 minutes)Â
NRB PAST
1971 | 1st team traveled to Asia.
1972 | Team traveled to Africa with Venture for Victory-Sports Ambassadors.
1973 | 1st “News Release Basketball” team, a part of Christian Associates, traveled to Europe.
1977 | 2 teams traveled.
1978 | 1st women’s team traveled.
1980 | Christian Associates Directors moved to Ferney-Voltaire, France.
1981 | Christian Associates started 1st church in France.
1985 | NRB Officially incorporated as a separate organization. (Bylaws & structure created)
1991 | Reboots after a 4-year hiatus. 1st high school team traveled on tour.
1991-1997 | Basketball camp ministry began.
1998 | Women’s Team tours began again after a 10-year hiatus.
2004 | 4 teams. 1st set team traveled (Colorado Christian University).
2006 | First full-time European Director (Mike Mai) moved to Magdeburg Germany.
2007 | 4 teams, 5 tours (including 1 Coaches tour).
2009 | 5 teams. 1st Showcase tour traveled.
2010 | Reached 500+ alumni.
2011 | Over 500 kids in camps.
2012 | 7 teams, 9 tours. Over 1300 kids attended camps and clinics. 1st NRB European Summit meeting.
2013 | News Release Basketball-Europe was established.
2014 | First U.S. tour with the Legacy Program (Stateside, Shane Kuyper).
2018 | 25th year camp in Lörrach Germany. School Year Camp Program was initiated.
2019-2020 | COVID, no tours. Andrew Cummings & John Gilliland host local camps.
2022 | Celebrated 50 years.
2023 | First “official” camp in Zambia, Africa.
NRB PRESENT
| HIGHLIGHTS | STRUGGLES |
|
|
THE NEED for NRB
| GOSPEL | BASKETBALL |
|
|
▶️ Purpose, Mission, Vision, Values (32 minutes)
PURPOSE
“In Christ, Through Hoops, To the World.”
 “To glorify God and advance His Kingdom on earth by using our gifts, talents, and interests in basketball.”
VISION
“To be and build the family of God.”
- INDIVIDUALLY (from Ephesians 4:1, 12-13)
We want to see athletes, and those involved with athletics, be motivated, equipped, and mobilized to:
- live a life worthy of Christ’s calling.
- be actively involved in works of service.
- become united with each other in faith, knowledge and love.
- while pursuing the fullness of Christ-like maturity in each of us.
- CORPORATELY (from Acts 2:42-47): We want to begin, build, and assist thriving and multiplying Christ-like communities characterized by a devotion to teaching and learning, fellowship and community, praying and praising, sharing and giving; experiencing awe and wonder; meeting with gladness and sincerity; enjoying favor and growing in numbers.
- UNIVERSALLY (from John 4:35-37): We want to see a need and fill a need.
VALUES
- WORSHIP (John 4:23-24)
- We Exist to Glorify Christ.
- We Practice What We Preach.
- We Live by Faith.
- FAMILY (Acts 2:42-47)
- We are Relational.
- SERVICE (Matthew 20:26)
- We are Service Oriented.
- FUN (John 4:23-24)
- We are Attractive.
- QUALITY (John 4:23-24)
- We maintain proper perspective.
- We are Flexible.
- We are Continuous.
▶️ Brainstorming (2 hours)
WHAT
CURRENT
- Camps
- Games
“COULD”
| Basketball | Ministry |
|
|
FILTERING/NARROWING (Strenghts & Struggles)
- Tim’s request: “Focus on ONE thing & build from there.”
- Tim’s opinion: Focus on CAMPS
| Focus on CAMPS Discussion | |
| Strengths & Opportunities | Struggle & Threats |
|
|
- IDEAS
- Splitting TEAMS & FOCUS?
- One team to focus on CAMPS?
- One team to focus on GAMES/Competition?
- Splitting TIME?
- ONE team, different TIMES
- One period focused on CAMPS.
- Same tour/team different period focused on GAMES.
- ONE team, different TIMES
- Splitting TEAMS & FOCUS?
WHERE
CURRENT
| COUNTRY | EXPRESSED NEED | PARTNERS |
| Zambia |
|
|
| Germany |
|
|
| France |
|
|
| Hong Kong (China) |
|
|
“COULD”
- “The WORLD”
- NRB has a long list of former or future location opportunities.
- i.e., Pakistan, Sweden, Holland, Belgium, N. Ireland, South America, etc.
- NRB has a long list of former or future location opportunities.
HOW
PARTNERING vs. STAND-ALONE Discussion
- Deciding/Discovering on where/how we are most effective in partnership or as a stand-alone entity.
- Leaned toward being more focused on specifically PARTNERING with other organizations.
- Discussed the NEED/importance for STRONG partners with strong organizational structures/support.
- Highlighted NRB’s “exploratory” heart to try new partnerships. Sometimes they work out, sometimes they don’t.
- Should there be “baseline” needs/agreement with partners?