A nonprofit’s board is key to sustaining a viable, well-regarded and well-resourced organization. This section provides practical guidance on the art and science of excellent board governance.
Board Excellence
NonprofitNext Resources
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Roles and Responsibilities of the Board
A basic understanding of the roles and responsibilities of the board is a good place to start in any recruitment and orientation activities
Board Room Inquiry Discussions
Board room engagement can be made richer by the board routinely asking questions which prompt meaningful discussions and quickly get to the heart of the matter.
The Performance Imperative - Qualities of High-Performing Nonprofits
What does "high performance" really means for nonprofits? How do you get there from here? The Leap Ambassadors Community, a network of nonprofit leaders has developed clear, actionable answers to both questions.
By-Laws Cheat Sheet
Create a handy one-page document to the most frequently asked questions from your by-laws
By-Laws Checklist
Review this checklist to see what you might be missing in your by-laws.
Document Destruction and Retention Policy Sample
Adapt this template for use in your organization today.
Governance as Leadership - Summary of Board Behaviors
This resource briefly summarizes some of the key differences between Fiduciary, Strategic and Generative thinking in the boardroom.
Independent Audit Policy Sample
Create or update your audit policy with ideas from this sample.
Nonprofit Dissolution: What to do When Closing the Doors
We never want to think about closing the doors, but this document will guide you through what that process entails.
Sample Work-plan Calendar
Having a year-at-a-glance document that outlines key activities for your organization can help keep things on track.
Securely Distributing Documents to Your Board
Before the board meeting, you need to get some files to your board members for their review. Sending documents via email is not always the best way to accomplish this. This resource offers some tips for low/no cost sharing of files.
Sustainability Matrix Map Worksheet
Steve Zimmerman has shared this interactive Excel Worksheet for implementing his Matrix Map.
The Five Phases of Board Development
Boards of directors and boards of trustees are similar to other groups in that they go through various stages or phases of change. Certain aspects of each phase are critical to the successful development of the board and, therefore, the organization. Lee Bruder explores these phases and the key tasks of the board during each phase.
