I just returned from South Africa where I taught a group of 65 talented and passionate arts managers. We discussed the many fund-raising, marketing and personnel challenges they face in an open dialogue.

What struck me most was how few of these managers have boards of directors that support them financially and otherwise. Given the nation’s history, it is not surprising that South Africa’s arts boards function like traditional British arts Boards: providing oversight but not much direct support.

Things are changing in Great Britain as the need for more private philanthropy inevitably changes the face of arts boards.

But South Africa has yet to catch up.

It made me realize how we in America take our boards’ involvement for granted. We complain about an insufficiency in funding and fundraising from our boards, but the contrast with South Africa and many other nations is stark.

I have long believed that it is our responsibility as executives to encourage our board members’ involvement. That we must make the organization interesting an exciting and that we must involve each board member in a specific project that interests them.

But we have a great head start.

In America, we expect our boards to be helpful, we are comfortable setting a required level of board giving, and we depend on our Board for supporting galas, capital campaigns and other special events.

We must not take this tremendous advantage for granted.