Educating Your Board
Like most boards, yours can probably stand a little education. You name the topic, they can use it: governance, your mission, challenges faced by your clients, community issues that impact your mission, the work of particular positions within the organization, or (and here is a big one) philanthropy and asking others for donations.
A board’s educational needs present you with opportunities to increase director engagement and their knowledge of the organization's work.
But, it is hard to find the time to do this. Board meeting agendas are already packed, as is the agenda for the annual retreat. You need to have time not only to present the materials, but to allow for robust discussion and for the board to answer two vital questions: “How does this impact our work as a board of directors?” and “How can I use this information to better serve the organization?”
Over the years, I developed Board Learning Sessions. These were 90-minute educational sessions on specific topics, held either at lunch time—hosted by a member in their downtown office—or at 5:30 PM, via ZOOM. In both cases, the sessions were recorded and made available afterward to those who couldn't attend. We tried to hold one session each month when the board wasn’t meeting.
Some of the topics covered in sessions included:
The development of new services
Racial equity
Client mental health concerns
Case management services
Changes in Federal policy impacting the organization
The board’s Give or Get Policy and how to ask others for donations
Board Learning Sessions presented an opportunity to involve staff from all levels of the organization. For example, the executive team did not present on case management, but the case managers did, allowing directors the chance to get to know staff and the work they do. Learning Sessions were also leadership opportunities for staff. Clients who were a part of the organization’s youth leadership program spoke on mental health issues and provided them with direct access to the board. Such sessions were always the most enlightening for directors and left them with a sense of greater connection to those whom we served.
It was always a pleasant surprise when directors referred to content of a Learning Session, when later discussing an issue at a meeting.
I encourage you to think about how you can create opportunities for the members of your board to learn more about your organization, to get a sneak peek behind the curtain of your work. You will find that, for relatively little effort, you can increase your board’s engagement with, and sense of connection to, your mission.
And who doesn’t want that from their board?