Purpose-Driven Board Leadership.

  • We work with boards to change the traditional ways they’re structured to prioritize purpose to achieve a more just future.

  • Currently, many nonprofit boards do not reflect and are disconnected from the populations they serve. The vast majority of boards are white, and too many (over 20%) are all white. Yet, these same boards are often charged with making decisions that have a direct impact on communities that look very different than the boards that serve them.

    Traditional board best practices focus on the who, what & how of building an effective board. We apply an anti-oppression lens to these traditional "norms" and partner with boards to center purpose by overlaying these traditional "norms" with four principles of purpose-driven leadership (by Anne Wallestad, former Boardsource CEO):

    • Purpose Before Organization: Prioritizing organization's purpose vs. organization itself.

    • Respect for Ecosystem: Acknowledging organization's actions can positively or negatively impact its surrounding ecosystem; commitment to being respectful & responsible ecosystem player.

    • Equity Mindset: Committing to advancing shared outcomes and interrogating and avoiding ways in which organization's strategies and work may reinforce systemic inequities.

    • Authorized Voice & Power: Recognizing organizational power and voice must be authorized by those impacted by organization's work.

    • Board Assessment & Composition

    • Board Governance Best Practices and Roles & Responsibilities

    • Board Retreat Design & Facilitation

    • Board Onboarding & Recruitment

    • Board Chair Coaching

    • Increased understanding of Board's strengths, challenges, and opportunities to build a more transparent and just culture.

    • Increased trust & relationship building between Board members.

    • Increased understanding of & confidence in Board roles and responsibilities.

    • Increased understanding of effective, efficient, and equitable decision-making processes & frameworks that align with Board needs.

    • Increased Board connection to its work in the community.

    • Increased Board understanding on how to communicate about & advocate for the organization.

    • Survey results from Board assessment and recommendations on how to increase Board engagement and effectiveness.

    • Board retreat agenda & deck.

    • Coaching for Board leadership including on-going notes and implementation recommendations.

    • Final recommendations memo detailing findings, takeaways, and recommendations.

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