The Power of Board Self-Assessments
Understanding the importance of conducting meaningful self-assessments
The strongest organizations almost always have the strongest boards. The strength of the board is not necessarily defined by wealthy or influential individuals, but more by how the board operates as a whole. They operate with a clearly defined, measurable goal and a strategy to accomplish it. The strongest boards search for ways to do better, not stay happy with the status quo.
We have derived these steps from several years of experience in developing, administering, and interpreting boards from non-profit organizations and affinity-based groups. And the first step to getting your organization healthier, is to do an audit of the board, called a board self-assessment.
What is a Board Self-Assessment?
With the board self-assessment, members of the board evaluate themselves as board members, each other, and the board as a whole. It’s an opportunity for the board to hold a mirror up to itself and to determine if the board operation staring back at them is living up to the expectation and needs of the organization. It answers the question, “How are we doing?”
It is important to note that the board self-assessment is a process, not a one-time occurrence.
It should be regarded as the first step in an ongoing journey for continuous improvement where ALL members of the board play an active role.
The value of the board self-assessment is that it should lead to healthy, productive discussions about the board’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats and results in a strategy and plan for building a stronger organization.
Here is a list of what the board self-assessment can do:
Tell you how the board thinks it is doing at this particular point in time.
Provide a summary of responses that can serve as a baseline from which to work in your continuous improvement efforts.
Help you begin the conversation about strengths and weaknesses.
Provide a format for discussing ongoing issues and concerns.
Serve as a launching pad for an ongoing continuous improvement.
However, here is a list of what the board self-assessment cannot do:
Solve your problems with that “difficult” board member.
Transform the board overnight.
Is Your Organization Ready?
Here are some questions to ask yourself as you consider your board’s readiness for the self-assessment:
Are members on the board ready to commit to the process and see it through?
A lack of commitment would cause this process to be a waste of time.
Are board positions coming to term and new leaders will be stepping up?
This could be a great time for new leaders to emerge and set the pace for the board.
Have you ever done a board assessment? When was the last time it was done?
It’s beneficial to go through the process every 2-3 years to measure progress and results and prevent arising issues. Or, if you have never done one, now could be the time.
Are you ready to commit the time?
This process goes beyond just filling out the survey and reviewing the results. Board members need to commit to an ongoing process.
The Steps to Conduct a Self-Assessment
Once you’ve decided if your group is ready to self-assess, it’s time to put a plan in place. Here are our 7 steps to conducting a board self-assessment, and what to do with your results.
1. Determine who will own the results
You will need to determine who will be the board champion in charge of leading the effort to move the process forward. This can be an individual person or a small group of people that are dedicated to keeping the momentum going once the self-assessments have been collected.
2. Make sure that everyone on the board is on board
All board members need to understand why this is important and what the outcome will be. Make it clear how conducting a self-assessment will positively impact the organization.
3. Administer the survey
These surveys can be distributed via email or done on paper in person. Be sure to keep track of who the survey was sent to, when the results were received, and if you need to follow up on any members who did not return their results. Each organizations surveys will be unique to their organization, however we’ve created a free download here with some questions to ask your members to get you started.
4. Review the results
Your selected individual or team will gather the results and compile an analysis of key issues based on comments from the board and help to identify areas of opportunity and growth.
5. Provide the board with results
It is recommended that the board meet shortly after the results are disbursed to discuss in more detail. You can use your team you selected in the beginning to help facilitate this conversation to ensure the discussion continues to move forward.
6. Develop a “to do” list for each board member
Each board member needs to take an active role in the steps following the results. So creating a to do list for each individual member and for the board as a whole is a must!
7. Keep it going!
Because you are volunteers, it is easy to get busy and let other things get in the way of your progress. Set a monthly schedule of meetings to track progress against the “to do” list, and identify shortfalls that should be addressed.
The takeaway?
If you or your organization is asking yourself, “This seems like a huge commitment, how do we make it more manageable?”; the organizations that don’t appear to have the capacity, board interest, or time are usually the ones who need this the most! Often times, the board self-assessment process is the first step to building a stronger recruitment process.
Once some of the concerns revealed in the assessment are corrected and it’s communicated to your list of donors, it could attract new members to join in on the positive momentum. When done correctly, you board self-assessment will be the first step towards a stronger, more cohesive organization for years to come.
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