Board Development (Non-Profit Specific)

Board development begins with the setting appropriate expectations between the board and senior leader. Besides obvious governance issues, it is important both parties are clear about their relationship. In some cases, the board may play a critical fundraising role. In others, it may be more mission oversight or management focused. Whatever the objective, it is critical that everyone involved with the relationship is very clear about these objectives and the board functions accordingly. Moreover, two-way accountability measures need to be developed between the leader and board so that performance expectations are clear. Lastly, one obvious lever that exists to increase board performance is recruitment; selecting the right membership is critical.

Assessment Questions: What is the role of the Board? What is the role of the Board Chair? What is the Board committee structure? What are the agreed upon expectations of the Board? How are the Chair and committees held accountable for board performance? What is the responsibility of the ED to the Board? What issues does the Board address effectively and where does it run into difficulty? How does the Board hold the ED accountable? What skills/talents are lacking on the Board? How can we bridge these talent/skills gaps? How effective are Board meetings and what could be improved?

Intervention: Board Development Plan that clearly articulates the Board’s role and its responsibilities to the organization both collectively and individually. In addition, the plan will define clear performance metrics and establish a proactive “checks and balances” relationship with the ED. Lastly, the assessment will help evaluate existing membership to uncover and address any skills/talents/knowledge gaps. There are many tools available for this type of work, but we prefer the methodologies and tools recommended by BoardSource.

Miscellaneous: This process may take time and be the source of some contention if the Board does not feel the need for reengineering. In essence, a culture change may need to take place. If there are a few members who could derail the process but near the end of their tenure it may make sense to wait. In addition, the Board Chair role is critical and he/she must have a good working relationship with the ED before embarking on this course. If the relationship is non-productive or dysfunctional, than this needs to be addressed first.

Approach:

• Review of Board minutes over the past 2-3 years
• Survey of Board members including ED
• 1:1 interviews with Executive Committee and any other Board working committees that seem pertinent
• 1:1 interviews with senior staff of organization to solicit their feedback on Board performance
• Facilitated discussion with Board to discuss survey and interview findings
• Research Board best practices from industry trade literature
• Create a Board Development Plan that clearly outlines short and long term goals and objectives and establishes accountability measures.