“Frankly, if you have a really bad board, I say don’t meet at all. Send them a bagel and cream cheese and pretend that you had a meeting,” quips leading nonprofit scholar, Paul C. Light in a recent interview with Nonprofit Quarterly.

Board governance is a topic that is much discussed in nonprofit circles and comes up from time to time in the scandal driven media – for example, the mismanagement of funds at the Smithsonian.

So what is the leadership to do? How does an organization make sure it is on the up and up? Unfortunately there are no easy answers, says Light. But an important piece is talking, and not always agreeing:

One way to improve the dialogue is to make the disagreements more visible. The competing philosophies of governance have to be made evident. My general view is in favor of liberation management, where the board role is to improve the performance of the organization, which might involve more board contact with the community. I’d like to see a little more anger in the conferences.

In the interview, he discusses the four tides of reform, conflict of interest, government oversight and advocacy. Click here to read the whole interview. It’s a great read for anyone looking for a way to navigate the confusing world of nonprofit governance.

After that, you should check out the Quality First Guidelines on Governance and Accountability for some tips for your board.