Successful board governance is critical to achieving the goals of an organization.
The board serves as the steward of the organization’s mission, with trustees serving as the stakeholders’ representatives. Ultimately, this broad set of responsibilities can lead to challenges. A commitment to using the best practices around good governance can improve board leadership, benefiting the organization’s stakeholders.

Download BoardEffect’s new whitepaper to learn the top five governance challenges facing today’s nonprofit boards and how to solve them. From growing the diversity of your board to addressing non-performers, this guide will provide you with tips for improving your board of directors' performance.

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Not understanding the distinction between the full board and individual board members is not only a BoardSource pet peeve, but that of many in (or at the service of) the nonprofit world. This Nonprofit Quarterly article by Simone Joyaux does a great job of explaining why.

One example used, that of fundraising, was of particular interest given a recent experience with a client whose board member felt this was optional, or at least dependent upon how well they understood the entity (and could thus advocate) on its behalf. The kicker is they made themselves frequently unavailable towards that goal, resulting in a circular argument and justification for not fundraising. 

There is nothing wrong with joining a board to shore up one's resume or 'give back', but true cred as a community stakeholder comes from a commitment to leadership and planting those seeds.

The BoardSource Certified Governance Trainer (BCGT) programme is an exclusive, professional development course that prepares a group of expert trainers. Selectees have to complete a rigorous application and certification process in order to be chosen. There are typically less than 30 nonprofit experts nationally invited to participate, and I was selected for one in Los Angeles earlier this month.

After completing training, I returned home to learn I successfully passed the programme and was formally invited to become a BCGT. I am the first and only designee to deliver BoardSource's signature nonprofit governance trainings in the Pacific Northwest region and Alaska. The approved curriculum includes the following areas: roles and responsibilities of nonprofit boards, board-staff partnership, board structure, board's role in fundraising, the board-building cycle, and board performance assessment.

Though I have used and referred clients to BoardSource® materials for decades, I am pleased my training will further enable me to continue offering highly recognised and proven techniques and best practises to advance the nonprofit ecosystem.

The icing in this experience was the strong and enjoyable bonds made with the 23 other candidates, but also attending Board Leadership Forum 2013 (BLF|13) with nearly 800 global leaders. There is something to be said for the energy of rooms packed with seasoned professionals who share a common goal and purpose: to improve 'the impact of nonprofit boards and the unique role they play in advancing the public good'. The energy remained high between nonprofit board members, chief executives, staff, funders, corporate social responsibility leaders, researchers, and consultants committed to building effective nonprofit boards, and, in turn, strengthening nonprofit organisations and the communities they serve.

It was also at once amusing, intriguing, and frustrating to acknowledge that despite an overwhelming availability of workshops, books, webinars, consultants, whitepapers, classes, training, coaches, and conferences...many of us (and our clients) continue to struggle with the same issues. Why indeed?

Whereas it was previously said one had to repeat a message at least ten times to get through, in today's high tech world it is exponentially more challenging to penetrate the fire hose of information and distractions. In order to have true impact, data has to be relevant, actionable, and concise. There are certainly many nonprofits that have successfully achieved their mission and increased effect, and I look forward to providing meaningful and sustainable contributions for my current and future clients.