Board Development

    It's not just knowing the rules...


   It's about creating a relationship

between direction and decision-making.

Board Development should be a unifying exercise that:

ensures that everyone is clear on the organization's goals and objectives
seeks to depersonalize the decision-making process through a gap analysis of the current processes
clarifies the roles and responsibilities of Board members and staff and,
should allow the development of decision-making filters...

....because these are the critical issues that most often impede Board effectiveness.

Gap Analysis
In order to decide what (if anything) needs to change, you must first understand the current environment - where you are, how you are making decisions, whether or not those decisions are supporting the vision of the organization

Roles and Responsibilities
Corporate or Volunteer, Boards are usually made up of a wide range of people with varying levels of ability, commitment and availability. It is for this reason that organizational structure for the Board is extremely important. Even a group of professionals who subscribe to the same basic tenets require a clear understanding of the roles and responsibilities associated with Board participation. This understanding makes everyone’s job easier – the more smoothly the Board operates - the greater the productivity.

Job descriptions for staff and Board members help to clarify expectations and can reduce the miscommunication that can have people working at cross-purposes. Job descriptions are part of a functional reporting structure that ensures the authority of the responsible parties. They also help to keep workloads manageable.

Decision-making Filters
A structure that guides the Board decision-making process helps to create, maintain and increase credibility among those with whom the Board interacts and is an integral part of ensuring Board relevance in an ever-changing business world. When people can depend on the way the Board operates – who’s doing what – who’s responsible for what – they tend to respond positively with much greater respect for what the Board is trying to achieve. Remember: when you're making a decision, you must always be able to answer "Why?"

Among others, Board Development activities include:

Being able to answer not just what the Association does but why
An understanding of the different roles of Board and staff
A clear organizational chart and reporting structure
Up-to-date Vision and Mission statements that reflect the core values of the Association
Clear Goals and Objectives and the decision-making processes that reflects them