The best-executed tables need time to reflect on themselves. They don’t just think about their past successes, but how they can improve their relationships with staff, their donors, and each other. Well-managed boards are not afraid to ask the tough questions about themselves and continually improve.
Who is responsible for making sure a board evaluates itself?
The Board Development Committee is responsible for ensuring that the board evaluates itself. Give this article to the chair of the Board Development Committee and ask them to consider ways to involve the board in a self-assessment process.
What is a board self-assessment?
A board self-assessment can focus on one or both of these two areas: (1) the quality of the board’s work as a whole and / or (2) the quality of the individual’s contribution as a board member. Board-wide evaluations could include these topics: ability to focus on the organization’s mission, committee effectiveness, board-staff relationships, meeting quality, retirement effectiveness, financial health, strength of organizational policy , achievement of objectives and suggestions for improvements. If you want to evaluate the contribution of each individual, your evaluation questions may include the following: degree of knowledge about the organization’s finances, operations or personnel, reaction to meetings and committees, areas in which expectations are insufficient, suggestions for improvement.
There are several methods of self-assessment. One way is to have a general discussion about how the board is doing, what it is doing well, and where some improvements could help. This discussion could help unravel some issues that could be further explored in one of two second steps: (1) one-on-one interviews with individual board members or (2) a board survey or questionnaire (which can be anonymous or the name is optional). ).
When is the best time to do a board evaluation?
Outstanding boards of directors conduct self-evaluations annually. This provides you with feedback on the positive changes that have been made in the last year, while soliciting ideas on where improvements are still needed. The best time to do a board evaluation is during the middle of the year. At that time, you are not a group with many new members nor are you competing to complete your year-end goals. Instead, the middle of the year is a good time to reflect on how things are going and where improvements could help the organization and the board.
Where is the board self-assessment survey conducted?
When your board discusses and evaluates its own progress, you may want to select a different location than where your meetings normally take place. This change in meeting location can help signal to members that you want them to take a different perspective on their roles, plans, and activities. If you are conducting a survey or questionnaire, it is critical that board members have time to reflect on the questions and their responses. It’s a good idea to email or mail questionnaires ahead of time and give board members a few days to think about the questions and their answers. Your responses can be emailed or mailed back to a specific member of the Board Development Committee, or you can ask the board members to bring the questionnaire to the next board meeting. Depending on the technical sophistication of the board members, you can use an online survey tool.
Why is conducting a board self-assessment essential?
Expecting the entire board to participate in an annual self-evaluation is one of the best practices of well-managed boards. This practice demonstrates that each team member is an integral part of the whole and that everyone should participate in self-analysis. Annual surveys allow board members to give feedback on the work they are doing and the work of the group, and give the board a way to measure their own progress over time as they seek to improve the governance of their board. and the support they provide to the nonprofit organization they lead.