Workshop Descriptions: Board Development

 

The Right People and the Right Climate: Building An Effective Board

A Workshop For Leadership Volunteers and Executive Staff

Who Should Attend	Workshop Duration
Board Members	Two or Three Hours
Executive Directors

The Team’s The Thing
When you’re driving to your board meeting, what are you thinking?

“Gee, I’m looking forward to seeing my board colleagues again!”
“I think the research I’ve done will really help to move us along on that key agenda item.”
“We’re going to solve that big dilemma tonight.”

Or, does the following more accurately reflect your thinking?

“Another boring board meeting!”
“What’s the point?  We never do anything useful.”
“If so-and-so doesn’t shut up tonight I’m going to say something I might regret!”
“I just hate it when s/he rolls his/her eyes like that every time I speak!”

The Climate around the board table is one of the most important determinants of board effectiveness and yet it is rarely examined and even more rarely addressed.

Regardless of the kind of board governance model in place in your organization, this workshop will help you to understand board dynamics and the kinds of problems that lead to dysfunction on so many nonprofit boards.
 
Workshop Description
This is a thought-provoking workshop that pulls no punches.  In her trademark upfront style, Linda Graff tells it like it is about board participation.  Participants will have the opportunity to consider how their own board is operating, and pinpoint both strengths and weaknesses.  A take-home tool allows boards to conduct an honest and meaningful assessment of the climate and dynamics of their own board’s operations.

We will look at:

• Primary responsibilities of nonprofit boards
• Elements of effective board functioning
• How individual board members can further or enhance board effectiveness
• The why’s and how’s of board self-assessment

Who Should Attend?
Board members, executive directors, administrators, chairpersons of nominating committees, and other committee members will find plenty of information to reflect on long after this workshop ends.  Here’s the opportunity to honestly face some of the most difficult and troublesome features of nonprofit governance.  Finally, here’s a chance to explore the tough stuff that nobody ever wants to talk about.  Attend a general session on this topic, or organize a custom session just for your own leadership volunteers.

In Search Of The Lost Leader: Building An Effective Board

A Workshop For Boards, Leadership Volunteers and Executive Staff

Who Should Attend	Workshop Duration
Board Members	Two or Three Hours or Full Day
Executive Directors
Senior Committee Volunteers

Good Board Members Are Not Born, They're Made
It takes more than good intentions and a bit of spare time to be a good board member these days.  The effectiveness of the board is critical to the success of every not-for-profit organization.  Board members are an essential resource and yet we tend to treat them with benign neglect.  How can we expect board volunteers to manage often multi-million dollar organizations in a business-like fashion when we do not equip them for the job?

Regardless of the kind of board governance model in place in your organization, this workshop provides essential theory, principles, and practical techniques that ensure effective, productive, and satisfying volunteer placements for all kinds of leadership volunteers.

Workshop Description
This thought-provoking workshop takes a strong stand on the need to effectively manage the human resource asset embodied by the modern board of directors.  It focuses on needs-based recruitment, human resource management, and team-based leadership –  the principles that are certain to enhance the workings of any board or other administrative volunteer body.  We will explore topics such as:

• needs assessment and board position design that attract the skills you need
• shifting “nominating” to “succession planning”
• building successful board recruitment programs around an understanding of 21st century volunteer motivation
• creating a system of board development that ensures both a steady supply of great board volunteers and a performance management system that generates effective participation
• creating a board table culture that is both congenial and mission-focussed 

Who Should Attend?
Executive directors, administrators, chairpersons of nominating committees, board and committee members will all take concrete techniques and actions away from this workshop for immediate use.  Gather both the tools and the enthusiasm to build skilled and effective volunteer leadership in your organization.

The Board’s Role in Risk Management

A Workshop For Board Members and Organization Executives

Who Should Attend	Workshop Duration
Board Members	Two or Three Hours
Executive Directors
Senior Committee Volunteers

Workshop Overview
Don't be afraid of liability ... Learn how to manage it!

There are growing responsibilities attached to being a board member and the liability that can arise from board membership can be daunting, but only for those board members who do not understand their role or take it seriously.  The best protection against liability is to ensure that risks are well managed throughout the organization.  Both board members and paid staff have important roles to play in the implementation and maintenance of a risk management system.

This workshop provides a brief orientation to risk management in nonprofit organizations.  Join us as we review what risk management is and how it works.  Gain an understanding of the important but extremely limited role insurance plays in an overall risk management program.  Designed primarily for board members, this session looks at the important role board members can play in supporting risk management efforts throughout their organization and the specific duties boards must fulfill in managing risks related to governance and their own roles.

Who Should Attend?
This is a perfect orientation for new board members and a quick catch-up for experienced staff and directors.  Here’s a chance to assess your organization’s current risk management efforts and pinpoint where further attention may be necessary.  Don’t wake up one morning wishing you’d paid more attention to ....

Basic Board Responsibilities & Understanding Liability

Who Should Attend	Workshop Duration
Executive Directors	Two Hours or
Board Members	Half Day (Three Hours)

This half-day (or evening) workshop is a general introduction to the organizational and legal responsibilities of board members. What kind of board culture do you want to build? What do board members need to know to do their jobs well? Don't be afraid of liability ... learn how to manage it! Here we explore the expectations that apply to all board members, regardless of board governance style.

Key topics include:

We will define and explore how to satisfy the basic legal responsibilities of board members:

It is true that there are growing responsibilities attached to being a board member and the liability attached to board membership can be daunting, but only for those board members who do not understand their role or take it seriously. The best protection against liability is to be a good board member, and the good news is it is not that difficult to be a good board member! This is a perfect orientation for new board members and a quick catch-up to the new standards for experienced staff and directors. Take home a board review tool that helps you to assess your current board strengths and pinpoint where development may be necessary.

Top

How Does It Feel To Sit At This Board Table? - Creating An Inviting Board Culture

Who Should Attend	Workshop Duration
Executive Directors	Two Hours
Board Members

Good board members are not born, they’re made and most board members learn how to be a board member by watching other board members in action. Unfortunately, new members pick up the bad habits along with position expectations and ways of board functioning are self perpetuating. In this session we explore the notion of "board culture." We look at what it feels like to sit at a board table and we learn about all of the things that boards have the power to change. If your board is not functioning well as a team, if tensions are undermining good decision making, or if personal agendas and egos are getting in the way of what is best for the organization, this might be the session for you.

Top

Board/Staff Division Of Labour & Board Systems Of Governance

Who Should Attend	Workshop Duration
Executive Directors	Two Hours
Board Members

This is an introductory session for new boards, or boards that are thinking about changing their system of governance. What are the governance models out there? What are their advantages and disadvantages? Should you adopt an "off the shelf" system, or create a hybrid that is better suited to your organization’s stage of development? What is the connection between the board’s governance system and the board-staff division of labour? Join us as we learn how to identify the ideal governance model and some of the steps an organization can take to build a more effective governance process.

Top