Board Governance Advanced Certificate Series: Full Certificate Series

Today’s nonprofit board member faces numerous and escalating demands - from ensuring public accountability, effectiveness, financial and legal stewardship to providing consultation on programs, fundraising, and of course, managing the board itself.  Add to these demands, a changing economic and regulatory environment, personal and professional demands, and the role can be overwhelming!  Most nonprofit board directors are provided with an orientation to the nonprofit and, if lucky, are educated about the basic roles and responsibilities of a board member. 

But what if your board lacks sufficient engagement? What if you feel that organizational progress is slow or nonexistent or there are problems that the board just isn’t discussing or owning up to? What if you believe that the committees and responsibilities of the board are both overwhelming in number but lack ROI?  How do you as a member of the board, make a tangible difference and ensure that the nonprofit is sustainable and strong?  How do you know if the board is performing at a high level or how can you take your role to the next level?

THE PROGRAM

The Georgia Center for Nonprofits and Board Source, the premier national experts in nonprofit governance, have co-designed the Advanced Governance Symposia Series to tackle the toughest issues facing nonprofit boards today.  Using case examples, real nonprofit experiences, and a highly interactive format, four symposia will address the following:

1.  Adapting nonprofit board structures and management to meet the demands of contemporary governance regulation, board demands and organizational needs.
2.  Identifying the specific attributes that define high performing governance teams and employing practical tools that can help you achieve it.
3.  Gaining insight beyond basic roles and responsibilities to understand how directors can truly maximize their impact through employing generative governance practices.
4.  Moving beyond short term fundraising or financial management and understanding the role of the board in ensuring long term sustainability

SYMPOSIA #1:
NEW MODELS OF NONPROFIT GOVERNANCE AND BOARD STRUCTURE

Date Offered: October 2, 2008

Course Description:
The time, professional and personal demands made on nonprofit board directors has changed.  These demands are filtering down to the board level and are challenging nonprofits to adapt.  This workshop explores the concept that some governance problems (like low engagement) arise from the very design of our governance models –not merely from poor execution of those models – and we ought to explore the potential of alternative designs.  Using data and experience from hundreds of boards across the United States, this workshop will help board members and chief executives understand trends in nonprofit governance, and will introduce participants to effective approaches for structuring their boards and the work of the board. Using case studies and various interactive components, participants will explore various board structures, management tactics, and decision metrics to consider what structures work best for their board. Board members and chief executives will also learn how their boards can incorporate current leading practices into their work.

Key Learning Objectives:
1. To learn about trends and effective practices in nonprofit governance
2. To learn about trends and effective approaches for structuring the board
3. To explore how to incorporate leading practices regarding board structure
4. To explore how to incorporate current leading nonprofit governance practices into the work of the board

Course Outline:
A. Welcome & Introductions
B. Setting the Scene 
      • The Function and Role of the Board
      • Governance versus Management (Exercise)
C. Evolution of Board Structures
      • Overview of Various Governance Models (Carver, Hybrid, Zero-based, LC3, Social Entrepreneurship, etc.)
            -Pros/Cons
            -Trends
      • Reflecting on the Structure of Your Board (Exercise)
D. Designing a Board Based on the Unique Needs of Your Organization (Exercise)
      • Tools to Enable Change
E. Practices that Enable Effective Governance 
      • Technology
      • Meetings
      • Communication
F. Conclusion and Wrap-Up

SYMPOSIA #2:
HIGH PERFORMANCE: MOVING FROM GOOD TO EXCEPTIONAL BOARDS

Date Offered: October 21, 2008

Course Description:
What defines an exceptional board, and how can your board become exceptional? Drawing on BoardSource’s The Source: Twelve Principles of Governance that Power Exceptional Boards, this workshop will explore each principle in depth and focus on how strong boards and strong chief executives make a world of difference in nonprofit governance. This high level, creative, and collaborative course engages board members and chief executives in dialogue about the twelve principles including topics such as:
• Defining different board performance levels
• Increasing their board’s critical capital—intellect, reputation, resources, access
• Identifying and maximizing the collective judgment, wisdom, and thoughtfulness of their board in pursuit of its mission and vision

Key Learning Objectives:
1. To learn about key governance principles that distinguish exceptional boards from good boards
2. To understand the twelve principles of governance that power exceptional boards
3. To explore tools and practices of exceptional boards and how to bring them into the boardroom
4. To explore the possibilities, the payoff, and the path to exceptional governance

Course Outline:
A. Welcome & Introductions
B. Silent Start (Exercise)
C. Dysfunctional, Functional, Responsible, and Exceptional Boards
      • Where does your board fall on the spectrum?
      • The real difference between responsible and exceptional
D. The Twelve Principles of Governance that Power Exceptional Boards
E. Who Wants to be an Exceptional Board? (Exercise)
F. The Source in the Boardroom (Case Studies)
G. Effective Tools and Practices: The Source in Action (Exercise)
H. Bringing It Home: Focusing on the Priority Areas for Your Board (Exercise)
I. Conclusion and Wrap-Up

SYMPOSIA #3:
GOVERNANCE AS LEADERSHIP: REFRAMING THE WORK OF THE NONPROFIT BOARD

Date Offered: November 13, 2008

Course Description:
This workshop challenges nonprofit board members and chief executives to explore a new framework for governance. Based on the book Governance as Leadership (the culmination of a multiyear project co-sponsored by BoardSource and the Hauser Center for Nonprofit Organizations at Harvard University), participants will learn about the three modes of governance – fiduciary, strategic, and generative – that, taken together, offer board members more meaningful, consequential work resulting in better governed organizations. With a focus on generative thinking, the most neglected work of a board of directors, participants will learn how to more effectively make important decisions about mission and strategy, problem-solve, tap into their board's full potential, and engage their board in more substantive issues.

Key Learning Objectives:
1. To understand the purpose of the Governance as Leadership approach
2. To learn about the fiduciary and strategic modes of governing
3. To explore the generative mode of governing
4. To engage in generative thinking and understand its use
5. To take the first steps toward diagnosing where your board stands in practicing Governance as Leadership

Course Outline:
A. Welcome & Introductions
B. Silent Start (Exercise)
C. Context and Core Concepts
D. The Three Modes of Governance
      • Fiduciary
      • Strategic
      • Generative
E. Case Study: Applying the Three Modes of Governance
F. Generative Mode in Practice
      • Regular Board Meetings
      • Reflection and Retreats
      • Organizational Transitions
      • Relationship Dynamics (Exercise)
G. Generative Thinking in Your Organization (Exercise)
      • Practice Opportunities: Bringing Governance as Leadership Alive in Your Board Room
H. The Pay-off and Moving Forward
I. Conclusion and Wrap-Up

SYMPOSIA #4:
ENSURING TOMORROW: THE BOARD’S ROLE IN STEWARDSHIP AND SUSTAINABILITY

Date Offered: December 2, 2008

Course Description:
In a world where short-term thinking abounds, nonprofit boards must find a way to both govern today and prepare for the future. The first part of this interactive and high-level workshop will focus on how boards can foster long-term sustainability by linking bold visions and ambitious plans to financial support, expertise, and networks of influence. The second part of the course will explore how boards can be effective stewards of the organization. Board members and chief executives will learn about new user-friendly tools, such as dashboards, that can provide boards with clear displays of performance measures to drill down into a more detailed, refined understanding of organizational and program effectiveness. Identifying metrics and conducting effective assessments are fundamental to improving any nonprofit, and are increasingly essential for soliciting and justifying funding.

Key Learning Objectives:
1. To understand the board’s role in stewardship and sustainability
2. To explore how the board can ensure long-term sustainability for an organization through financial, leadership, and reputational resources
3. To identify the value and use of evaluation and outcome-based measurement tools
4. To learn how to evaluate the performance of major programs and services
5. To create the framework of a dashboard for the board to use

Course Outline:
A. Welcome & Introductions
B. The Board’s Role in Stewardship and Sustainability (Exercise)
C. Sustaining Resources
      • Financial Resources
            - Fundraising Responsibilities
            - Stages of Fundraising
      • Leadership
            - Chief Executive Succession Planning
      • Reputation
      • Case Study
D. Stewardship  
      • Evaluation and Assessment
            - Value and Use
            - Tools for Evaluating the Performance of Major Programs and Services
      • Create the Framework of a Dashboard for the Board to Use (Exercise)
E. Conclusion and Wrap-Up

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