Board Development
With burnout at a record high, the nonprofit sector is making clear just how essential it is for boards to show up with the right kind of support, especially during periods of transition and uncertainty.
Trusting, functional relationships between executive leadership and a well-engaged board are essential for a restorative workplace that prioritizes staff wellbeing alongside meeting organizational metrics and partnering for community impact.
Our approach
As with all our engagements, we start by listening and earning trust. Boards are often complex teams of people and vary widely. There are various roles, strengths, power dynamics, levels of proximity to the mission, representation with the community, and more. We offer a tailored approach and can start with executive directors alone or engage the full board from the beginning for a more robust transformation.
Board development is a good fit if your organization is:
Navigating a leadership transition for an executive director or board chair
Undergoing a period of significant organizational change
Experiencing tension, disengagement, or dysfunction within the board
Unsure of how to better engage or support board members
Ready to build a more equitable, sustainable governance structure
Seeking to align board culture and practice with organizational values
What you come away with:
At the conclusion of the Board Development process, your organization receives a co-created Board Development Action Plan — a practical, customized roadmap built alongside you throughout every session. It reflects your organization's specific context, challenges, and priorities, and gives you a concrete tool to carry beyond our engagement.
Our typical process is built around five guided discussions, including a board self-assessment. However, we assess the context of your situation to right-size our offering. We believe the first two sessions are foundational. They often surface dynamics and patterns that, when addressed early, allow your board and organization to actively root out unhelpful ways of interacting and move through change more successfully.
Our process
Discussion 1 - Understanding existing board dynamics | Executive Director Session (1.5 hours)
We start by listening. Executive directors share from their vantage point about how the board currently operates and what that means for the organization — including staff, community members, and funders. We aim to construct a fuller picture of the existing interpersonal, operational, financial, policy, and strategic dynamics. Together, we examine the internal and external factors shaping board behavior and identify what needs attention.
Discussion 2 - Board assessment (1.5 hours)
In a discussion with the executive director, we provide a comprehensive overview of the initial board assessment discussions and give opportunity for additions or clarifications through a facilitated dialogue. The conversation explores summarized insights from initial discussion around board composition, structure, meetings, culture, funding, program and financial oversight, CEO oversight, and overall board performance — giving leadership an honest baseline to work from. We begin co-developing an action plan around board development priorities.
Discussion 3 - Legal functions & board member engagement (1.5 hours)
We dig into how a board is legally required to function and explore the nuances of board member engagement — why members disengage and what the board chair and executive leader can do about it. In light of the board assessment discussion, we explore what to look for in a board member with regards to gaps that might be missing for your specific organization.
Discussion 4 - Small changes that can make a big impact (1.5 hours)
We examine what structural change within the board actually looks like, this includes how to shape board composition to better serve your mission, orient new members, set term limits, identify board prospects, and make the most of committees and working groups. We continue building out the Board Development Action Plan.
Discussion 5 - Transform culture at the systems level (1.5 hours)
We go deeper into what systems transformation looks like at the relational level — and what that means for the organization functionally. We explore the board chair and executive leader relationship, including roles, responsibilities, dismissals, succession planning, and performance reviews. We also determine concrete actions to improve the board culture, increase trust and accountability within the collective, and amplify impact on an organization. Finally, we partner with executive directors to identify what is within their realm of control and where they may be able to release.
Want to include your full board?
Our standard process begins with executive directors; however, for organizations ready for the greatest level of transformation, we recommend engaging the full board. If that's the right fit for your organization, we can expand the process to include:
A facilitated one-hour discussion with the board chair prior to the board assessment
Full board participation in the board assessment
Board chair participation in all facilitated sessions, except for the initial discussion with the executive director
We'll talk through what makes the most sense for your organization during our intro call.
Ready to strengthen your board?
Book a time using the link below to discuss the scope of your board needs.