Improving your practice in governance

Rate this page

Rating statistics for this page

3.3 out of 5 from 15 votes

Breakdown

5 votes

2 votes

3 votes

3 votes

2 votes

It is all too easy to get bogged down in the things the board is required to do by regulators or by the law, and to lose sight of what it is actually for. The successful board goes beyond compliance. It is focused on the question of effectiveness.

Ensuring the board is effective

It's difficult to do a good job when you don't have the right tools, so look dispassionately at your board as a team. Is your board in good shape to do its job? Invest some time in the board and you'll find it works more effectively.

In a well-run organisation, the task of developing the board is typically led by the chair, but all members of the board have a role to play in ensuring the board works effectively, and sometimes the chair needs help.

Having the right people on the board

Do you have the right people on the board, with the appropriate skills and knowledge to ensure maximum productivity?

Organising yourselves effectively

Are you getting the most from your board? Do you organise yourselves effectively and do the processes you use help or hinder?

Do you need external support?

Seeking external services and suitable advice in areas where skills on the board are lacking.

Reviewing the way the board works

Reviewing and learning from what you do in order to become ever more efficient?

Ensuring the board has an oversight of the organisation

It is the board’s responsibility to ensure that the organisation is being well run in accordance with the law, with the organisation's governing document and in line with board direction.

Assessing success

It is important that the board of a non profit organisation agrees on the most effective ways to assess success.

Setting policies and procedures

A guide to laying down the correct policies and procedures in your non profit organisation and how to establish appropriate controls, especially covering money and risk.

Getting the right information to the board

The importance of communicating information to the chair and the board to facilitate good decision-making.

Creating effective relations between the board and the team

The need for an effective relationship between board members, trustees and those who carry out the work, whether they be staff or volunteers.

Ensuring the board understands external factors

An effective board must look outwards. It needs to understand the needs of those it seeks to serve, understanding how these may change over time. It needs to be aware of the external environment and how it might affect the organisation. It also needs to take account of emerging good practice and new ways of doing things for example by making connections with other organisations and considering new collaborations or partnerships. This involves the following:

Accountability to key stakeholders

The need for the non profit board to understand and be accountable to its key stakeholders.

Strategic context

It is essential that non profit board members understand and adapt to the strategic context.

Connections

The need for non profit board members to make connections with others and seek opportunities to learn and to collaborate.

Key questions for the outward-looking board

A charity or non profit board that looks outwards and thinks long-term is better able to answer key questions.