- What is our role as board members?
- What is good governance?
- What are we accountable for?
- What is our day-to-day responsibility?
- What is our fiduciary responsibility?
- How should we make decisions?
- How many board members should we have and what skill set do we need?
- Is it our job to manage staff members?
- Are we serving the organization well?
- Are there/should there be overlaps in our roles?
- Do we need sub-committees?
Providing expert and experienced organizational development support to not-for-profit boards
Effective and responsible governance is a crucial and serious issue for non-profit boards. The ultimate responsibility always lies with your board members regardless of the board model (working or non-working board). We provide expert and experienced support to boards of not-for-profit organizations whose members are interested in ensuring they are on top of governance issues and are serving the organization to the best of their abilities to grow and thrive. We partner with clients, so we understand their uniqueness and bring guidance to their boards to fully satisfy their particular and unique situation.
We work through the answers with board members to ensure members fully understand the reason for our answers and how they can affect positive changes to the organization they serve.
Your organization’s mission is at the heart of your board’s success.
Defining or refining your organization’s mission and ensuring it is aligned with the services you offer is the first step to forming a strong and supportive board. When boards work through this process with us and engage in strategic planning and exploration of the relevancy of their organization, a deeper level of understanding the very purpose of the organization occurs. The process also helps board members form deeper bonds with one another and with their organization. They come to learn that sitting on a board is more than just attending regular board meetings — it’s a commitment to the future wellbeing of the organization through achieving your mission and serving your stakeholders.
Getting clarity on your role and what success looks like for your board
Getting clarity on your role and what success looks like for your board is a foundational step. We help boards understand the governance structure and the relationship between their society’s act, its constitution, bylaws, governance policies, and management and operations. We also explore the life cycles of a not-for-profit organization and identify where an organization is in that life cycle. Once board members understand this, getting clarity on the characteristics of governance required is easy to pinpoint, and your goals as a board and an organization will become very clear.
Where does great governance happen?
A balanced board is a healthy board. A healthy board looks after the organization while looking after itself; board sustainability is a critical component of a successful board. Watershed helps boards work through the minefield of decisions required to clarify role structure, identify tools for continual development and keep looking forward. We know high-performing boards are not accidental, and we can help your board excel.
Watershed not-for-profit clients
We have worked with many not-for-profit organizations, among them: