Board chairs Archives - Governing Good

Five Governance Hacks

February 21, 2024September 21, 2023 by Grant MacDonald

At most hardware stores you can now buy a light bulb that works when there is a power outage. They typically provide a few hours of emergency light around your home. Someone came up with the idea of putting a small battery in the base of the bulb that stays charged when in normal use … Read more

Board Chairs & Executive Directors

June 7, 2023June 14, 2021 by Grant MacDonald

A board chair and the executive director (CEO) can be a great combination. It is a pairing that we tend not to think much about when wondering how to improve a non-profit’s governance practices.

In shaping how the board chair and executive director (ED) can work effectively together the focus first should be on the frequency and kind of communication they have outside of board meetings. But there is more to consider. This post sketches out what the working relationship between the chair and the ED could look like. This pairing isn’t about creating a new “reporting relationship” or a committee.

Refurbuishing Your Chair

January 12, 2021July 28, 2018 by Grant MacDonald

Would you be surprised to learn that a recent study revealed that 73% of board chairs would welcome feedback on their performance? How about that this majority crossed gender, organization type and even board chair experience categories. Such a finding certainly opens the door to dramatically improving how well boards’ function and seeing some changes quickly.

Ok, no such study exists. It is likely though that board chairs are as open as anyone to suggestions for improving their effectiveness. Such improvements could include a better understanding

Co-chairs considered

June 29, 2023November 23, 2017 by Grant MacDonald

The idea of a having a board chair and vice-chair will be a familiar one to most. Lots has been written about the role of the chair and the characteristics of effective chairs has been well researched. Very little has been written about the role of vice-chairs. But are there any other board leadership options?

Easy Board Home Improvements

June 8, 2022July 4, 2017 by Grant MacDonald

Living in an 100+ year old house means getting used to a life with a long and never completed home maintenance agenda. Something always needs repair or replacement. And, out there in the world there is no shortage of additional household improvement ideas I could add to my list.

Ex officios unearthed – Part 2

November 23, 2017April 21, 2017 by Grant MacDonald

In the first post in this series I explored the possible benefits of external ex officio directors. These are places on the board for representatives of outside organizations. It was a call to dust off this artifact of non-profit board structure and modernize it.