Governance & board development
Strengthening board leadership: chair and officer development
Your Board leadership (chair and vice chair, maybe treasurer) are not performing well and are not able to lead the Board effectively
What you'll achieve
We assess the performance of the Board leadership and identify areas to improve and support the Board leadership in the change process
How a Nonprofit Builder consultant helps
- Assess the chairing and leadership dynamics at the top of the board, provide targeted coaching and practical feedback, and support a plan to strengthen how board leaders guide the board.
Key deliverables
- Board leadership assessment, coaching or advisory sessions for chair and key officers, role clarification recommendations, meeting leadership guidance, improvement action plan.
Related projects
More from Governance & board development
Board effectiveness assessment & development
“Your board meetings feel procedural rather than strategic — trustees are disengaged, contributions are uneven, and the board is not adding the value it should.”See project
Board recruitment & induction support
“You struggle to find trustees with the right skills — and when you do recruit, new board members take far too long to become useful contributors.”See project
Board reporting, data and information
“Your Board feels it does not have the right information to function properly.”See project
Often paired with
Executive coaching for senior leaders
“You are navigating a difficult transition, a complex challenge, or a new role — and you have no confidential space to think clearly or get honest input.”See project
Leadership development programme
“You have talented people in leadership roles but no structured investment in their development — growth is left entirely to chance and your pipeline is thin.”See project
From the resource library
Free tools and guides to get started
- 3.3C037
A question of balance
A guide for charity chairs and chief executives on building a working relationship. Based on interviews with 22 chairs and chief executives, it weighs different approaches to the chair's part in day-to-day operations, who represents the charity in public, how close the two should be and how to balance challenge and support. It finds no single formula, so it asks both people to be self-aware, invest time and adjust when the relationship is not working.
Start hereClassicKey manual or guideFree - 3.4C040
Purpose-Driven Board Leadership
A discussion guide that helps a board apply BoardSource's 4 principles of purpose-driven board leadership: purpose before organisation, respect for the ecosystem, an equity mindset, and authorised voice and power. It offers 3 exercises: discussing a case from the Museum of Us, reviewing the board's most recent major decision against each principle, and working through an upcoming decision together. Boards use it in meetings and retreats.
CurrentTool or templateFree
All 13 resources on governance and boards All 7 resources on starting a nonprofit