How Healthy Is Your Organization’s Governance? A Quick Checkup Guide

Good governance is the foundation of a strong, resilient organization. It ensures you can make decisions effectively, manage resources responsibly, and stay aligned with your mission. But even the best boards need regular check-ups to ensure they’re performing at their best.

Here’s how to assess the health of your nonprofit’s governance—and steps to strengthen it.

Signs of Healthy Governance

If your organization is thriving, chances are your governance practices include:

1. Clear Roles and Responsibilities

• Board members understand their roles and how they contribute to the organization’s success.

2. Regular and Effective Meetings

• Meetings are well-organized and focused and result in actionable decisions.

• Board members and management come away from meetings energized and clear on direction.

3. Strategic Alignment

• The board actively supports the organization’s mission and long-term goals.

• The board establishes and regularly revisits the strategic plan and understands how management is working to advance it.  

• The board asks lots of strategic questions to help make decisions.

4. Transparent Communication

• There’s open, honest communication between board members, leadership, and stakeholders.

• There is a strong and open relationship between the Board and Management; they meet regularly and work together to advance the organization.

5. Accountability and Oversight

• Financial and operational oversight is robust, ensuring resources are used effectively.

• The board understands its role and participates actively in identifying risk and ensuring mitigation strategies are in place.

Watch Out for These Warning Signs

Your governance may need attention if you notice:

• Low Engagement: Board members rarely attend meetings or contribute meaningfully; it is evident that they do not review board materials before meetings. Board members are completely disengaged between meetings.

• Conflict of Roles: Unclear responsibilities lead to inefficiency or overstepping. There is a lack of trust between the board and Management.

• Reactive Decision-Making: The board spends more time firefighting or bogged down in minutiae than planning strategically.

• Lack of Diversity: The board doesn’t represent the community or stakeholders you serve.

• Outdated Policies: Governance practices haven’t been reviewed or updated recently.

Quick Tips for a Governance Tune-Up

If you’ve spotted some areas for improvement, here’s how to get back on track:

1. Conduct a Governance Self-Assessment
   Use tools like board evaluation surveys to identify strengths and weaknesses.

2. Clarify Roles and Expectations
   Develop or revisit a clear job description for board members.

3. Focus on Strategic Discussions
   Dedicate time during meetings to long-term planning and mission alignment. These types of discussions should take up the bulk of meetings.

4. Foster Engagement
   Encourage ongoing training, development, and participation in organizational activities. Build room for training and development into meetings and ensure that board training is budgeted.

5. Review Governance Policies Regularly
   Ensure your policies are up-to-date and reflect current best practices.

Start Your Governance Check-Up Today

Good governance isn’t a “set it and forget it” process—it requires regular attention and care. By proactively assessing your board’s effectiveness, you’re setting your organization up for long-term success.

If you’re ready to dive deeper or need guidance, Ethica Strategic Solutions is here to help. Whether conducting a governance audit, facilitating board training, or aligning your policies with your mission, we’ll work with you to strengthen your foundation and empower your organization to thrive.

💡 Want to learn more? Let’s connect and start your governance check-up today!