Is your Board worrying you? Whether you are a Board member or staff, if you have concerns, here are some great resources for you.
Quickly Read up
If you are the kind of person who likes to read up on an issue, a great first step is checking out the huge number of free resources from Board Source.
Imagine Canada has a large number of resources in their Managing an Organization part of their website. Both organizations can give you a good grounding in essential issues that confront charities from a governance perspective.
Reach out
Let's say you are more of an ask an expert for advice person. There are a couple of great places to check out - one is MAS, located in Toronto, which is staffed by over 60 current and former business executives and who work pro bono. Another option is Endeavour Volunteer Consulting which can provide excellent, free advice on projects and issues. [Full disclosure, I am on the advisory board for Endeavour].
Ask Colleagues for Advice
Don't be shy! If you aren't sure of something as a charity Board member, you can reach out to partners for their thoughts. For instance, if your organization is a member of an association, they will have professional staff able to give you the benefit of their thoughts combined with direct experience in your part of the charitable sector. So if you are a housing provider, you are likely a member of an association of other nonprofit housing providers. Even if there is not a formal association, there is often an informal group or "table" in your area.
Affiliate or federated charities, like Goodwill, also have a national office (or North American office) who can provide expert advice. Or, you can simply contact the head of one of the other affiliates who is of similar size and ask their advice.
Take a course
Not exactly sure of the role of the Board and the role of staff? There are a number of great courses you can take in person. One of Canada's most noted is the Not For Profit Directors course with the Institute of Corporate Directors which runs in major cities across Canada. Don't be deterred by the price - there is a scholarship program sponsored by RBC. [Full disclosure, I am a graduate of the ICD NFP program and was a RBC scholarship recipient].
Board Source (mentioned above) offers online courses including a certification program as well as many other educational offerings.
Thinking of training the whole board and senior staff? A great source is Altruvest which offers trainings for groups of 10 or more.
One of the things that the charitable sector is noted for is how willing charity employees are to help people from other organizations. As a charity Board member or executive staff member, you can take this opportunity to learn more about your role and how to be an effective Director.
Ann Rosenfield is the Vice Chair of the Board for Rainbow Railroad. She is a past Board member for AFP, CAGP, the Holy Blossom Foundation to name a few.
