Board Training Program

Join BLK ED Network for our Board Training Program, a unique opportunity for black executive directors to enhance their board development strategies, deepen their impact, and increase their organizational effectiveness. Hosted by Darius Graham, this two-part hybrid training will equip executive directors with the skills and strategies necessary to build, engage, and retain a high-functioning board of directors that can raise resources, increase awareness, and drive organizational growth.

This training program is designed to help you leverage your board's full potential, ensuring your nonprofit's sustainability and success. By the end of the program, participants will be able to:

• Understand the roles, responsibilities, and structures of a high-performing board.
• Develop strategies to recruit, retain, and engage mission-aligned board members who can support fundraising efforts.
• Create customized board recruitment and development plans to strengthen governance and organizational impact.

Session #1: Board Roles, Responsibilities, and Effective Structures (April 3)

• Understanding the importance of boards & the characteristics of a high-performing board
• Exploring governance vs. management boundaries
• Defining essential board structures (committees, bylaws, terms)
• Building collaborative partnerships between board members and staff

Session #2: Strategic Board Recruitment and Engagement (April 17)

• Building a board matrix to identify gaps and strengths
• Developing strategies for diversifying and recruiting mission-aligned candidates
• Designing an effective onboarding process
• Techniques for ongoing board engagement and recognition

About the Facilitator:

Darius Graham is an executive, board leader, and lawyer with experience building impactful programs and organizations, deepening relationships with a range of stakeholders, leading teams, and helping organizations achieve transformational change.
Darius currently serves as an executive at a foundation where he oversees grants, programs, policy, and impact evaluation. Darius is a Civil Society Fellow with The Aspen Institute and a member of the Aspen Global Leadership Network. He also serves as Vice-Chair of the Board of Trustees and Chair of the Governance Committee at the Baltimore Museum of Art, an institution with more than 97,000 works of art, 200 employees, and a $22 million annual budget. He previously co-chaired the search for the museum's new executive director. As an adjunct professor at the University of Denver and Goucher College, he has taught graduate courses on social entrepreneurship, public sector innovation, and nonprofit leadership.
Previously as Program Director for Baltimore at The Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Foundation, Darius helped guide the distribution of over $30 million in grants annually to nonprofits working across the areas of housing, health, workforce development, and education in Baltimore and beyond. Previously at Johns Hopkins University, Darius was the founding executive director of two university-wide innovation and entrepreneurship programs (the Social Innovation Lab and FastForwardU) where he helped students, faculty, and local residents transform novel ideas and new technologies into viable ventures. Darius previously served as board co-chair of Community Law In Action, where he led an executive search, a merger, and an increase in net assets.
Darius' work and insights are highlighted in two books, Becoming a Changemaker: An Actionable, Inclusive Guide to Leading Positive Change at Any Level and In the Business of Change: How Social Entrepreneurs Are Disrupting Business as Usual. He has been a speaker at SXSW, SOCAP, Mission Investors Exchange, and Startup Champions; published in The Baltimore Sun, Inside Philanthropy, and more; and received honors from Ebony magazine, Baltimore Business Journal, and was named a GameChanger by Baltimore magazine. Darius is the author of Being the Difference: True Stories of Ordinary People Doing Extraordinary Things to Change the World.

Space is limited! Be sure to reserve your spot for this valuable training opportunity.

Host or Publisher The Black Executive Director's Network (BLK ED Network)