Exponent
Philanthropy's
Practical Board
Self-Assessment
Has your foundation
had a routine
physical lately?
Is your foundation board doing a great job but wants to do even better? Are there
opportunities to improve but you aren’t sure how to jump-start the conversation?
Or are there major challenges that no one quite knows how to address?
All of these are great reasons to do a board self-assessment. Our new board selfassessment primer, survey questionnaire, analysis tools, and staff support offer a
straightforward process for your foundation board. This practical tool is the only
board self-assessment designed for all types of grantmaking foundations with
few or no staff.
Comprehensive
Flexible
Easy to use
• Trustee roles & responsibilities,
board effectiveness & dynamics,
governance, grantmaking, legal &
tax compliance, investments &
financial oversight
• Take one, multiple, or all sections.
• Respondents can complete surveys
by hand or by computer.
• I ndependent, family, corporate,
community, staffed & unstaffed
foundations
• Grantee & applicant perception,
board meeting assessment,
and individual board member
self-assessment
• C
onduct it once, repeat the same
sections periodically, or complete
different sections over time.
• C
an be short and quick, or can
more in-depth.
• Use the printed tally sheet or
Excel-based form that does the
math for you.
• Choose the Do It Yourself version
or use our support to tally the
results and draft reports in
consultation with you.
Available in Do It Yourself format
or with Exponent Philanthropy support.
Learn more at www.exponentphilanthropy.org/store.
Why Board Self-Assessment
SURVEY SECTIONS INCLUDE:
Board self-assessment is an excellent choice for small foundation
boards at every stage, whether they are new to grantmaking or
have been in philanthropy for years; are functioning in a healthy,
positive way or struggling with internal divisions; and already have
a clear mission and strategies or are looking to create or revise them.
Surveys are a trusted, efficient tool in the field for conducting a
self-assessment.
I. Effective Foundation Boards
This Board Self-Assessment Survey is designed to identify and
define questions from your board members, contentious issues, new
ideas, and strengths and enthusiasm on your board so that your
board can discuss them further. Armed with the survey results, your
conversations will be more focused and efficient.
A. Roles and Responsibilities
B. Building a Healthy Board
C. Setting Direction
D. Running the Board Effectively
E. B
oard Dynamics: Working
Together as a Team
F. Governance
II. Board’s Role in Grantmaking
A. Y
our Grantmaking Program
and Process
B. Doing Good Grantmaking
III. Legal & Tax Issues
This survey will:
A. 501(c)(3) Legal Issues
• R
einforce good practices in foundation governance, management,
and community interactions
C. Private Foundation Tax Issues
• R
eveal areas in which significant disagreement exists and possibly
reveal opinions of which you previously were unaware
• H
ighlight topics to be discussed at the board level or handled
by administrative staff
By objectively gathering board members’ perspectives about how
your foundation operates, compiling what you learn, and reporting
your findings to the full board, you and your board will learn things
you never expected, and create the opportunity to leverage successes
as well as address gaps and shortcomings. Board self-assessment is
an effective technique for improving the foundation’s management
and operations and, ultimately, its effectiveness.
B. Private Foundation Legal Issues
IV. Financial Oversight and
Investments
A. Financial Oversight
B. Your Investment Process
Supplemental Sections
• Overview: Quick Scan
• Family Foundation Topics
• Corporate Foundation Topics
• Community Foundation Topics
• Staffed Foundation Topics
• Individual Board Member
Self-Assessment
• Board Meeting Assessment
• Grantee and Applicant Perception
[This board self-assessment]...was the best review we could have done. It brought to the
surface things that needed to be discussed; policies some had forgotten; and the need for
a little training in investments, finances, and current federal and state requirements. Every
member of the board participated and all are grateful we took the time.
—Exponent Philanthropy member Marty Fluharty, executive director of The Americana Foundation
To speak with an Exponent Philanthropy team member about which self-assessment is right for
your board, contact Ruth Masterson at ruth@exponentphilanthropy.org or call 888-212-9922.