Trusteeship - January/February 2023 - 48

FOUNDATIONS OF CONSEQUENCE
are social systems designed to advance the
mission of the institutions they serve and
other important initiatives-campaigns,
strategic plans, scholarships, economic
development programs, and other high-level
goals. Jim Lanier stresses that a board's culture- " those
unwritten rules and processes
that come into a board over time " play a key
role in whether or not that board becomes
highly effective and consequential. "
" When we talk about the best results and
transformation of boards, sometimes I'll
have a member who's been on the board for
a number of years, say 'Remind me exactly
what I'm supposed to do.' Too often, we
bring outstanding individual leaders onto
boards, and we expect them to know exactly
what to do, but we don't spend the time and
continuing education to help them to look at
the key elements of governance. Many excellent
volunteers come in knowing that, but
you would be surprised that many do not
understand the obligations and responsibilities
that they have as members. Most boards
come out of assessments having a firmer
understanding of what it is they have as
Planning
Information Gathering
■ ■
Committee or task force
change
Accountability
■ Alignment
■ Time Line
■ Consultant
■ Goals
■
■ Best Practice
■
Board Education and
Development
Compliance and Successful
Planning
■ Document Review
■ Survey
■
Interviews
■ Meeting Observation
priorities of the board, what individual priorities
they have as members, and have the
feeling there is a roadmap going forward. "
Board Assessment Surveys
and How to Conduct Them
The process of assessment involves:
1) planning, 2) information gathering,
3) findings and recommendations, and
4) implementation.
Board Assessments: From Concept to Action
■ Start small, be patient
■
Use your mission and statement of trustee expectations as a
guide
■
Find champions:
●
Board Chair
● Governance Committee Chair
● Individual influencers
● President
● YOU!
■
Present an action plan for implementation and assessment of
impact
■ Remain committed to following the plan through completion
■ Be open to feedback and iterations
According to Assessing Board Performance,
best practice illustrates that " the
best time to schedule a board assessment
is when no serious programs or issues are
at hand, so the review does not appear
punitive or targeted toward ousting troublesome
board members. To this end, the
board may want to establish a policy and
procedure for regularly conducting a board
assessment. Boards of public institutions
will need to ensure their actions are consistent
with applicable laws regarding open
meetings and records. "
Typically, the governance committee
and executive committee members take
the lead in planning by assigning members
to serve on a special committee or task
force to develop the time line, review the
assessment questions, work with a thirdparty
consultant, and recommend goals
for the assessment process and retreat. For
foundations with limited resources, internal
institutional research experts potentially
can help design reliable and verifiable survey
instruments.
Working together with the third-party
consultant, the task force or committee
validates impressions from the survey
(and interviews, if included in the assessment
process). Supporting this task force
is the full board, which commits to offer
candor, involvement, and full participation
in the process. The planning team
48 TRUSTEESHIP JAN.FEB.2023
Trusteeship - January/February 2023

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Trusteeship - January/February 2023
