A couple of months ago, our friends over at BoardSource posted 10 short videos to their Web site, each one explaining one of the basic responsibilities of a nonprofit board. They cover topics like "Hire the Chief Executive," "Monitor and Strengthen Programs," and "Protect Assets and Provide Financial Oversight."

The videos are basic and low-tech -- just talking heads and a few PowerPoint slides -- but for a new board member's orientation, they might be just the thing. Each video is less than five minutes, and you don't have to view them all at once.

This link will take you to the home page for the videos. Once you're there, you can click on the links to see the various videos.

BoardSource has a helpful Web site that explains their consulting services and describes their books and other resources. We often recommend BoardSource's materials, but here's a caveat: the organization focuses on all nonprofit boards, not the boards of schools. That means they don't discuss the shared governance that you find at theological schools -- no mention of the role of faculty or church bodies.