Board Governance Archives - Foundation for Shared Impact

Best Practices for Managing and Engaging Skilled Volunteers

Editor FSI — Thu, 29 Feb 2024 05:26:04 +0000

Read this guide and learn how to manage and engage with skilled volunteers.

Best-Practices-for-Skills-based-Volunteer-Engagement-and-Management Download

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10 Basic Nonprofit Board Responsibilities

Editor FSI — Wed, 02 Aug 2023 09:20:23 +0000

What are the basic responsibilities of nonprofit boards? Read this resource written by BoardSource to find out more about the 10 basic nonprofit board responsibilities.

Read below if you cannot access above

What are the basic responsibilities of nonprofit boards?
By: BoardSource
Ten Basic Responsibilities of Nonprofit Boards

Determine mission and purpose. It is the board’s responsibility to create and review a statement
of mission and purpose that articulates the organization’s goals, means, and primary
constituents served.
Select the chief executive. Boards must reach consensus on the chief executive’s responsibilities
and undertake a careful search to find the most qualified individual for the position.
Support and evaluate the chief executive. The board should ensure that the chief executive has
the moral and professional support he or she needs to further the goals of the organization.
Ensure effective planning. Boards must actively participate in an overall planning process and
assist in implementing and monitoring the plan’s goals.
Monitor, and strengthen programs and services. The board’s responsibility is to determine
which programs are consistent with the organization’s mission and monitor their effectiveness.
Fundraise. One of the board’s foremost responsibilities is to secure adequate resources for the
organization to fulfill its mission.
Protect assets and provide proper financial oversight. The board must assist in developing the
annual budget and ensuring that proper financial controls are in place.
Build a competent board. All boards have a responsibility to articulate prerequisites for
candidates, orient new members, and periodically and comprehensively evaluate their own
performance.
Ensure legal and ethical integrity. The board is ultimately responsible for adherence to legal
standards and ethical norms.
Enhance the organization’s public standing. The board should clearly articulate the
organization’s mission, accomplishments, and goals to the public and garner support from the
community.

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Staff Perceptions of Board Support and Involvement

Editor FSI — Mon, 24 Jul 2023 03:48:53 +0000

One way to assess and enhance your board’s performance is to gauge employees’ perception of their relationship with the board. Use this questionnaire if you would like to know more about your staff’s perceptions of board support and involvement. Feel free to edit the questionnaire to suit your organization’s needs!

Access the questionnaire here

Take a look at our other resources curated for social impact organizations here.

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Have a read of the questionnaire below if you cannot access the above.

The aim of this brief questionnaire is to assess your position as a member of the board and the performance of the board as a whole. The responses will be consolidated and used as guidance to improve the efficacy of the board.

Individual Self-Reflection

Please share your current experiences as a board member.

What do you see as your role in the organization?
How are you spending your time on the work you do for the organization?
What are your goals for your current involvement?
How much time are you currently spending on the organization each month?
What are some areas you feel you can contribute the most and would like to get more involved in the future?
What do you think have been your organization’s biggest challenges in the last few months? Have these challenges been addressed? Did you proactively contribute to finding solutions to the challenges?
Do you feel you are encouraged to proactively seek ways to contribute?

Board Evaluation and Reflection

How is the board doing as a whole?

What do you think are the key strengths of the board?
Is the board capitalizing on these strengths?
What are the main weaknesses?
How is the organization addressing these weaknesses?
Do you feel like individuals on the board are able to voice dissenting opinions?
Other board-related thoughts or comments?

A range of aspects for consideration: • Analysis of the Board’s structure and composition• Board recruitment process• Diversity of membership• Board induction and orientation• Board members’ knowledge of their roles and responsibilities and selection, support and training of the Chair• Commitment of Board members to the work of the Board and the organization• Tenure and independence of individual Board members• Board policies and processes including efficiency of Board meetings and decision making processes• Relationships between Board members and the capacity to address conflict constructively• Frequency and quality of information flows and presentations it receives• Board’s commitment and practice of regular reviews, including reviews of individual Directors • Frequency of Board meetings and attendance at meetings • Decision-making processes of the Board.

Board Support and Involvement

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Board Self-Evaluation Questionnaire

Editor FSI — Mon, 24 Jul 2023 03:23:51 +0000

It is the duty of every member of the board to make sure that the board is functioning well to lead the organization through change towards success. As a good practice, board members should schedule self-evaluation at least once every year. Access this board self-evaluation questionnaire and let it guide you through the self-evaluation process.

Access the questionnaire here

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Take a look at our other resources curated for social impact organizations here.

Read the questionnaire below if you cannot access the above.

Individual Self-Reflection

Please share your current experiences as a board member.

What do you see as your role in the organization?
How are you spending your time on the work you do for the organization?
What are your goals for your current involvement?
How much time are you currently spending on the organization each month?
What are some areas you feel you can contribute the most and would like to get more involved in the future?
What do you think have been your organization’s biggest challenges in the last few months? Have these challenges been addressed? Did you proactively contribute to finding solutions to the challenges?
Do you feel you are encouraged to proactively seek ways to contribute?

Board Evaluation and Reflection

How is the board doing as a whole?

What do you think are the key strengths of the board?
Is the board capitalizing on these strengths?
What are the main weaknesses?
How is the organization addressing these weaknesses?
Do you feel like individuals on the board are able to voice dissenting opinions?
Other board-related thoughts or comments?

Board Self-Evaluation Questionnaire

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Board Appointment Guide for Charities in Singapore

Editor FSI — Mon, 24 Jul 2023 03:03:22 +0000

Read this collaborative resource written by the Council for Board Diversity, Ernst & Young, National Volunteer and Philanthropy Centre, and the Singapore Institute of Directors if you would like to know more about board appointment guide for charities in Singapore.

Take a look at our other resources curated for social impact organizations here.

Can’t access the above? Read an excerpt here.

This Guide aims to provide Boards of charities in Singapore with useful considerations for nominating and appointing Board Members. A useful starting point is to consider the strategic relevance of reflecting diversity in terms of skillset, experience, gender, age, ethnicity, and other forms of demography on their Boards. Boards that continually assess their structure and composition will be better placed to maintain their strategic focus, meet the needs of the organization, serve beneficiaries, and optimize organisational performance.

Enhancing Board diversity is crucial for accomplishing the charity’s goals. Out of the varied elements of diversity, gender diversity is one of the easiest to demonstrate and therefore an aspect of diversity that Boards should actively pursue. Besides being a visible and important aspect of diversity, there is also a substantial pool of talented women suitable for charity Boards and many avenues to find them.

This Guide recommends and highlights:

‘Foundational standards’ – this comprises mandatory requirements consistent with the Charities Act and its subsidiary legislations such as the Charities (Registration of Charities) Regulations, Charities (Accounts and Annual Report) Regulations, Charities (Large Charities) Regulations. It also refers to the Code of Governance for Charities and IPCs’ guidelines under the Basic and Intermediate tiers;
‘Exemplary standards’ – these are current best practices that charities could aspire towards as they see to enhance their standards of accountability, transparency and good governance. This also includes some of the guidelines under the Enhanced and Advanced tiers of the Code of Governance for Charities and IPCs.

The post Board Appointment Guide for Charities in Singapore appeared first on Foundation for Shared Impact.

Forming a Board of Directors and How to Engage Them

Foundation for Shared Impact — Tue, 30 May 2023 15:43:39 +0000

A huge thank you to Juliette Deiss for your contributions towards developing this handbook. Your time and commitment to this project is truly appreciated.

If you would like a downloadable, PDF version of this guide please click here.

Why Have a Board of Directors?

While managers and employees of an organization are responsible for the day-to-day operations of a social impact organization, the board of directors, also known as the executive board, is responsible for high-level planning and oversight. It is therefore important to choose board members based on their areas of expertise that complement the needs of the organization.

Board members can assist with strategic planning such as growth plans and executive transitions. As part of their governance responsibilities, board members provide risk oversight and identify when an organization needs to pivot from its original action plan. They also guide the organization on legal and compliance matters. Board members are not involved in day-to-day operations. Rather, they stay informed on the work progress and ensure that the organization’s work doesn’t deviate from its vision and mission.

Additionally, board members leverage their own networks to advocate and fundraise for the organization. They can also serve as mentors for the employees and managers of the organization.

To recap, these are the functions a board of directors serves for your organization:

Strategic Planning
Risk Oversight
Accountability
Networking
Advocacy
Fundraising
Subject Matter Expertise

How to Recruit Board Members

Chances are that you already know someone in your network who is a suitable candidate for your board of directors. They can be a dedicated, long-time skills-based volunteer who is passionate about your organization’s cause, or they can be an existing stakeholder whose knowledge and expertise is beneficial to your organization’s growth.

Foundation for Shared Impact (FSI)’s Community Connections Program offers a board introduction service that connects skilled professionals who have taken FSI’s Board Director Training with mission-aligned social impact organizations looking for board members or advisors.

Alternatively, you can post a job description on LinkedIn or recruitment platforms such as Recruit4Good. Going through the exercise of writing a job description is beneficial to you, because it forces you to articulate your organization’s vision and mission, and to think about the challenges you want your board to address for your organization. A sample job description for the purposes of recruitment can be found in Appendix I.

Depending on your organization’s needs, you may be looking for a specific set of skills including:

Accounting

Audit

Finance and Investment

Legal

Industry Regulation

(e.g., health, education)

Human Resources Talent Management

Data and Analytics

(including impact measurement)

Risk and Crisis Management

Volunteer Management

Branding, Marketing, Communications, Public Relations

Governance

(including familiarity with the Code of Governance for Charities and IPCs (“Code”) and applicable laws and regulations)

Technology, Digitalisation, and Cybersecurity

Donor Management, Fundraising

Access our guide for tips on how to identify potential board members for your organization here.

Remuneration

The legal and ownership structures of the organization are a factor for director remuneration. So those who agree to take a board position should take some time to understand the rules that are specific to their organization and its relevant jurisdiction(s). For example, directors of tax-exempt charities in Hong Kong are disallowed from receiving any type of payment or remuneration for their work as directors without prior approval from the HK Inland Revenue Department.

This can also be the case for social enterprises that operate to generate surpluses for their goods and/or services, not profits. However, the remuneration, if any, can be mutually agreed upon by the social enterprise and the director.

How to Engage with your Board of Directors

A board of directors is vital in supervising the management of your organization by representing and meeting the interests of your key stakeholders. While it varies from one organization to another, a board of directors has several responsibilities that include:

Developing a mission statement – to clarify your organization’s goals and intentions
Selecting and supporting the chief executive – recruiting the most qualified candidate and ensuring they have adequate support to fulfill your organization’s mission
Ensuring adequate financial resources and providing financial oversight – includes developing an annual budget

Your board of directors should also consist of the following roles:

Chairperson

Leading the board and its meetings

Vice chair

Second in command, assists the chairperson

Secretary

Records meetings and is responsible for communication between board members

Treasurer

Oversees the organization’s finances, budget, and property

There are several qualities to look out for when choosing your board members. This includes their experience as leaders and decision-makers, enthusiasm for your company’s mission and goals, and willingness to commit time and effort to learn about your organization’s operations and challenges. The latter is important so your board members can positively contribute to your organization.

Access our step-by-step guide for recruiting members for a diverse and inclusive board here.

Why it is Important to Engage with Your Board of Directors

Your board members are an integral part of your management, and effective engagement with them will ensure that they are informed in a timely manner, in order to provide guidance and make strategic decisions based on current information. You should define the roles and responsibilities of your board members based on their expertise and communicate them with the individuals. Delegating and communicating a variety of specific roles and responsibilities that are essential to running your organization will create a board that can function in a complementary and holistic manner.

How to Engage

1. Weekly updates

Send a weekly email to your board of directors to summarize your organization’s updates and upcoming activities. Make sure to list any actions that you want your board of directors to take, if any.

Weekly Email Template

Access this template here.

2. Regular meetings

It is important to regularly meet with your board members to discuss and plan your organization’s future. To make such meetings effective and productive, consider the following good practices.

Agenda

Create an agenda to structure the meetings. Have a clear outline of what needs to be discussed and what are the expected outcomes of the meeting. The agenda should:

Place the most important items at the top – focus on pertinent issues that require the board’s attention
Set time limits for agenda items – be realistic, but also make use of the time wisely
Separate strategic and operational items
Indicate which items are informative and which ones require discussion
Implement a consent agenda – consolidate routine items for the board to pass with a single vote

Agenda Template

Access this template here.

Before the meeting

Share the draft agenda with the appropriate party(ies) to request input and verify if additional items need to be included.
Send the meeting agenda and all relevant attachments (including reports and documents) at least one week prior to the meeting and request that board members familiarize themselves with the agenda items.
Send emails reminding board members of the upcoming meetings.
Ask your board members whether they prefer to meet virtually or in person. For in-person meetings, consider a collaborative layout for the meeting room, such as arranging the tables in a U-shape to facilitate discussion.

During the meeting

Start and end meetings on time. This is why preparing and sharing the agenda ahead of time is important. Also be sure to stick to the agenda.
Encourage all members to speak and ask questions. Be sure to allot time in the agenda for this session.
Focus on making decisions rather than giving updates, especially when board members can read through documents before the meeting.

After the meeting

Evaluate the meeting. Was it productive? Did you get through all the items on the agenda? Was everyone able to contribute towards the discussion and decision-making process? Assess the performance of the meeting and the involvement of the board members, and adjust as needed to improve the productivity of future meetings.

3. Define communication methods and frequency

Make it clear to your board members how you plan to contact them and how they should contact you. Whether this be through email, message platforms, phone calls, or face-to-face, it is critical to establish an effective medium of exchange to avoid miscommunication.

Define how often this communication will occur. Will you send weekly/bi-weekly/monthly emails? How often will board meetings occur?

4. Inviting board members to your organization’s events

Inviting board members to your company’s functions, such as fundraising and networking events, allows them to connect with your organization’s vision, mission, and impact by meeting your team, partners and collaborators, beneficiaries, funders, etc. It equally provides board members with a more casual and social environment where they can interact as friends rather than colleagues, all whilst learning more about your role in the day-to-day activities of the company.

5. Build trust and transparency

Board assessments can be conducted at a time and frequency suitable to the organization. However, conducting an assessment annually, after significant events or milestones, and during board transitions is the most optimal. Board assessments can also provide a structured process for open and constructive dialogue during challenging situations.

Periodic Board Assessment and Review

To ensure your board is functioning efficiently and effectively, consider asking your board members to fill out a Board Self-Evaluation Questionnaire for assessment purposes. Not only can regular self-assessments enable boards to evaluate their performance, but they can also enhance their effectiveness, identify skills gaps, improve board dynamics, and ensure compliance with existing and new governance requirements.

A PDF version of this guide is also available. If you would like a downloadable, PDF version of this guide please click here.

Appendix I

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Board Director Job Description and Duties Template

Foundation for Shared Impact — Fri, 19 May 2023 07:03:30 +0000

Template of Job Description

Please download this document in your own device to customize to fit your own use!

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