Four Reasons To Do Board Assessments
Four Reasons To Do Board Assessments
A strong and effective board of directors is a sign of a healthy organization. A periodic check-up can ensure that you are not just surviving but thriving in today’s environment. To check your board’s critical performance, or to put in place practices and strategies for a healthy and energized board, the best place to start is with a board assessment. While evaluation is considered a worthwhile goal, how many boards actually do this themselves? Is it worth the time and effort – especially if everything appears to be working well? Here are four reasons why the answer is assuredly “yes.”
Reaching Peak Performance: Conducting a self-evaluation and assessment for the board is similar to evaluating the performance of a top executive or manager for your nonprofit: you would start with a job description and perform a periodic performance evaluation. Your goal would be to help that person perform at their highest level. Boards are no different – the best boards want to continue to build on what they are doing well and develop the areas that need strengthening to reach peak performance.
Educating: Developing the criteria for the board to evaluate itself is part of an ongoing educational process, as it forces boards to think about what it is they are doing or should be doing. What are your board’s benchmarks for success? What are the board’s responsibilities? What are the fiduciary, managerial, or fundraising roles? Do the agendas and meetings focus on important strategic and generative issues rather than mundane reports? Do the board members reflect the diversity of the community it serves? Does fundraising capacity need to improve? Developing questions and indicators for board evaluation helps the board identify the standards for top performance.
Energizing and Teambuilding: Boards often complain that they do too much listening and do not participate actively enough in leading the organization. Developing and taking the self-evaluation and assessment is an active step the board can take to identify critical areas for review. Promoting honest conversations about these items gets them out in the open without any hidden agendas. It helps build the board members’ trust and their relationships. For example, the board member’s lack of participation in fundraising efforts would be easier to discuss through the use of this assessment model, and if it is done in a constructive rather than a critical manner, it will move the dialogue forward.
Creates a Road Map: The results of the assessment will point to strengths, such as fiduciary or financial knowledge or an effective committee structure that can be used as building blocks for new endeavors. It will also help the board determine what needs further development or training, such as fundraising, how to do a performance evaluation, and better recruitment or orientation. All of these outcomes can be built into the board’s goals and objectives for the coming year, and time can be set aside at a retreat to discuss, train, or further develop operations.
It is worth noting that an evaluation during a crisis may not be appropriate. Still, if you have just added or are about to add new members, an assessment can be a good introduction to what it means to be an effective board member today. Self-assessment and evaluation are not only worthwhile but also critical components to ensuring your board is functioning at its highest level and working to accomplish its mission.
Sample Mission and Planning Questions
Please indicate the extent to which you agree or disagree (on a scale of 1-5, five being agree strongly) with the following statements.
1. Board members know and understand the mission and purpose of your nonprofit.
2. The board has a strategic vision for the organization.
3. The board has a strategic and/or a business plan for the organization.
4. The board has participated in a planning process within the last two years.
5. Overall, board members are knowledgeable about the organization’s services and programs.
6. Is there anything you can share about the board in this area, room for improvement in particular?
Copyright 2024 Ann Lehman