Board Self Assessment
and Calendar
Tools for Increasing the Association
Board’s Capacity for Governance
Workshop for the YWCA Great Lakes Alliance Region
June 2012
Shelly Schnupp, GLA Capacity Building Consultant
shellyschnupp@aol.com
1
Topics to be Covered
Why Board Self Assessment
 Benefits and Challenges of Self
Assessment
 Some Approaches and Resources
 Board Calendar

2
Boards are ultimately responsible for their
organization, yet they spend little time
examining their performance.
BoardSource
3
…there are likely to be improvements in both
board and organizational effectiveness when
efforts are undertaken to improve how
boards do their work.”
Robert D. Herman and David O. Renz, 2000
4
Governance Challenges
Confusion
Disinterest
Dissatisfaction
5
Governance Challenges
Confusion
Clarity
Disinterest
Engagement
Dissatisfaction
Satisfaction
6
Board Calendar
•
•
•
•
Clarify aspects of board’s responsibilities
Legal, financial and other obligations
Objective tool for keeping board on track
Informs the agenda for meetings
7
Board Calendar Items
•
•
•
•
•
•
990 Filing
Audit
Budget approval
Strategic plan review
Conflict of interest
review
Bylaws and Policies
review
•
•
•
•
YWCA Peer Review,
other important
responsibilities
Fundraising registration
Chief Executive
performance evaluation
Board self assessment
8
Why Board Self Assessment?

Board Self Awareness

Strengthen board performance

Improve organizational effectiveness
9
…those practices that are used more frequently by
the especially effective boards include (a) board
self-evaluation….
Robert D. Herman and David O. Renz, 2000
10
Role of Board Self Assessment
Diagnostic
 Educational
 Engagement

11
Self Assessment Areas:
(Mix of
Compliance and Performance)
Composition and structure
 Compliance with policies and laws
 Quality of functioning
 Governance contribution

12
More Specifically………….
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Setting and keeping the focus on the mission
Charting a clear strategic direction and assessing progress
Monitoring the organization’s services and programs
Providing financial oversight
Actively engaging in resource development
Communication and community relations
Supporting and evaluating the executive director
Providing appropriate support to the staff
Demonstrating best practices in board governance
Strategically selecting, recruiting and orienting new board
members
13
Benefits of Board Self Assessment







Increase the board’s understanding of it’s
purpose, roles, responsibilities
Eliminate misunderstanding
Promote accountability
Identify areas that need attention
Establish board values and set standards
Improve board recruitment
Encourage board “self-selection”
14
Self Assessment Approaches
 Existing
data (attendance,
achievement of goals, etc.)
 Board Member opinion
 Opinions of others
 Full board and individual members
 Online tools
15
Typical Self Assessment Tools
 Simple
checklist
 Comprehensive survey
 Interviews
 Open-ended questions
16
Factors that typically affect use or
absence of approaches and tools
Time
Interest
Culture
Crisis
Experience
What should drive use of
approaches or tools?
Expectations and beliefs about boards/
governance
17
Governance as Leadership
Richard P. Chait
William P. Ryan
Barbara E. Taylor
2005
18
Governance as Leadership
Type I Fiduciary: Board as Control Mechanism
Type II Strategic: Board as Direction-Setter
Type III: Generative Board as Meaning-Maker
19
Type I Governance:
Fiduciary Work
Board as steward, monitor.
Are we meeting our mission
legally, efficiently and
effectively? What’s wrong?
Type II Governance:
Strategic Work
Board as strategic partner.
What are the most effective
ways to achieve our goals?
What’s the plan?
Prevent theft, waste, misuse of Develop consensus about
resources. Hold management organizational strategy.
accountable. Compliance.
Engage in strategic thinking.
Clarify organizational goals and
•Ensure plan is developed and strategy for getting there.
oversee implementation.
•Receive and review annual
Problem solving and strategy
audit. Ensure balanced budget. development.
•Ensure program effectiveness.
Type III Governance:
Generative Work
Board as collaborative leader.
What does our mission mean?
What’s the question?
Frame –and re-frame—
problems that drive the
organization’s work—
”possibilities and pathways.”
Engage in “sense-making.”
Discover new opportunities,
generate new ideas.
Values-based deliberation.
20
Governance as Leadership
Type I Fiduciary: Board as Control Mechanism
Type II Strategic: Board as Direction-Setter
Type III: Generative Board as Meaning-Maker
Effective boards move deftly between
Types I, II and III work.
21
Critical View of Board Self
Assessment Tools
To what extent does the tool expect or
encourage the three modes of governance
outlined in Governance as Leadership?



Type I: Fiduciary
Type II: Strategic
Type III: Generative
22
Board Self Assessment Tips
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Put it on the Board Calendar!
Frequency—every two years?
Consider multiple approaches
Views and expectations of the board should
drive self-assessment approaches and tools.
Many tools available – be critical
Encourage candor
Don’t forget to use the results
23
The Role of Board Self
Assessment
•
•
Boards/Governance affects nonprofit
effectiveness
Self-assessment is one tool that can improve
governance…and possibly nonprofit
effectiveness
24
Challenges of Board Self
Assessment
•
•
•
Oversimplification of complexity
Instill false sense of security
Encourage certain modes of
governance—discourage others
25
Although evidence supporting the relationship between
board effectiveness and organizational effectiveness
is increasing, in what ways and how boards
contribute to organizational effectiveness is still
unclear.
Robert D. Herman and David O. Renz,
BOARD PRACTICES OF ESPECIALLY EFFECTIVE AND LESS EFFECTIVE
LOCAL NONPROFIT ORGANIZATIONS, The American Review of Public Administration 2000 30: 146
26
Additional Sources of Information

Self-Assessment for Nonprofit Governing Boards by Larry H.
Slesinger. National Center for Nonprofit Boards, 1996. Includes
forms for board assessing the functioning of the board as a
whole and a form for indiviudal board member self reflection.

Board of Directors Self Evaluation by Carter MacNamara. 14
question tool that boards can use to rate the performance of the
full board.

The Best of Board Café by Jan Masoka. Compasspoint
Nonprofit Services, 2003. A comprehensive collection of short
but informative articles on many aspects of nonprofit board
functioning and development.
27
Additional Sources of Information
•
National Council of Nonprofits
http://www.councilofnonprofits.org/resources/resour
ces-topic/boards-governance/board-member-selfassessment
•
BoardSource
28