Board Development Planning & Training
Develop
A board’s job is not done until it has led its organization – not just to a clearer sense of its mission – but to better performance.
-- Christine W. Letts, William P. Ryan and Allen Grossman
OD180 offers two ways of strengthening the performance of boards of directors. The first is a board training conference. The other is the preparation of a board development plan.
Board Training Conference
Process Overview
- Conduct interviews with executive director and board officers.
- Review pertinent documents, such as articles of incorporation, by-laws, and recent annual reports.
- Design the customized training program, generally a full day in length, and including sessions on team-work, nonprofit organization structure, governance, and resource development.
- Conduct the training conference.
- Review the conference with executive director and board chair.
Anticipated Outcomes
Board members enhance and deepen their understanding of their roles and responsibilities as directors, both collectively and individually.
Board Development Planning
Process Overview
- Prepare a profile of the current board vis-à-vis individual members’ social and professional backgrounds and their demographic characteristics.
- Conduct a needs analysis in consultation with officers.
- Prepare a draft strategic board profile
- Prepare recommended guidelines for new board member recruitment.
- Provide guidelines on new member orientation and on-going training, as well as board manuals and meeting practices.
Anticipated Outcomes
The Board of Directors has a profile of what talents and individual backgrounds it needs to be optimally effective and a plan for recruiting individuals who will fulfill those needs.
