on the sidelines,” he says, and he feels that missions will begin to see more of this behavior from departing employ- ees looking for some sort of settlement because they feel wronged. In fact, Brittenford Systems reports that staffing and volunteer challenges are a consistent concern for nonprofits. In 2018, 8.5 percent of organizations surveyed said that staffing and volunteer recruitment challenges top their list of concerns. Policies A second CEO mentioned being able to send some leaders to the Ripple Effect program offered by Citygate Network as a way they overcame some chal- lenges. “Through that training, bylaws and board policies were developed and adopted. Additional board members are needed, and a process of prayerful consideration of what each candidate would bring to the table is being established, rather than a ‘has a warm body and attended requisite number of meetings’ approach.” She adds, “It is a delight to see how the Lord is working in each of us to the betterment of the mission and each of us individually. God has taken us a long way from where we were. We know He’s not done with us or the mission and look forward to seeing where He takes us next.” Another CEO says, “Our organiza- tion moved from an operational to a governance board in the last five years. It was a painful process.  WWW.CITYGATENETWORK.ORG MARCH/APRIL 2019 47 Several respondents mentioned that Citygate Network’s Ripple Effect program has created a good working relationship between mission boards and administrative leadership. Here’s a rundown of what the program involves. If the full board is embracing and promoting the mission’s purpose, is in sync with the CEO, and each member understands his or her role in governance, fund development, and volunteer assistance, the ministry will be splendidly successful on every level. Too often, however, this is not the case. Even when missions that have long histories and powerful legacies of blessing poor and powerless individuals, we generally find problems—some small, some large. Each mission in the Ripple Effect program is asked to commit to nine months of reasonable involvement for three board members (with the option to include a fourth board member) plus the mission CEO. The program includes classroom instruction, on­site coach visits, mentor calls, reading assignments, document production, and assessments. During the nine months, all the participants will attend a two­day event and engage with coaches, either in person or on the phone. They will also complete realistic reading assignments (books and articles) and collectively, as a mission, produce documents related to the assignments. What gives the Ripple Effect program cohesiveness is that each participating mission gets a coach for the entire nine­month period to work with the board and administration. The coaches are executive­level leaders who are experienced in ministry and management. Each one is skilled in the art of tactfully increasing productivity and proficiency. The ultimate achievement of Ripple Effect will be an association with members whose boards are unified, focused, and doing the right things the right way—and influencing those around them and those coming behind to do the same. For more information go to www.citygatenetwork.org/agrm/Ripple_Effect.asp. Ripple Effect Citygate Network program lays the foundation for positive CEO/board relationships