The purpose of a board self-assessment is to create and maintain a healthy and engaged board by assessing members’ perceptions and status of their service as well as the full board’s effectiveness in governing the organization. More specifically, the assessment should evaluate nonprofit legal compliance and alignment with best practices, and evaluate overall board engagement as well as individual board members’ perceptions of the board culture.
While this annual activity is the responsibility of the Governance Committee, the chief executive of the organization may need to prompt the activity and offer tools for the board to utilize. There are many resources available for both formal and informal assessments. Each organization should select an approach that aligns with its capacity to implement, evaluate, and act on the results. Questions can include both broad nonprofit compliance as well as those specific to an organization’s value, mission, or programs. Tailored questions can also be added to address a particular known pinch point or engagement issue.
Some key components that could be measured with a board self-assessment are:
- Identity and direction: Is there a strategic plan, and is it being followed and routinely reviewed?
- Board development: Is there a clear process for board recruitment and onboarding?
- Providing oversight: Is the chief executive receiving an annual review that includes regular review of their salary and goals?
- Board engagement: Does every board member feel free to express their opinion and ask questions during board meetings?
BoardSource offers a checklist of board roles and responsibilities that dive further into each of these areas.
So, what now? Download or create a self-assessment resource and ensure you are gathering data that will be most useful to your organization. The Executive Committee can then review the results, determine where there are gaps, and develop a plan to address the issues. You can find some examples of self-assessments here:
- https://library.wyo.gov/downloads/ldo/pdf/boards/BoardEval2.pdf
- https://www.compasspoint.org/board-cafe/self-assessment-board
If you would like to discuss board development in more detail, please reach out to us.