Knowledge
Governance
Governance of nonprofit organisations is in the midst of a long term transformation which includes:
- A clearer distinction between the roles of management and governance
- Increased accountability for the work of the organisation
- Recognition of the importance of excellent relationships between Chairs and Chief Executives
- Focussed recruitment to meet the specific skills and experiences required by the board
- Committees that focus on governance issues, rather than mirroring the management structure
- Improved induction, training and support for board members.
Organisations are consequently putting much greater effort into governance and expecting higher value from their boards.
There is a huge literature in the UK and the USA on increasing board effectiveness and a great deal of information available from the web. We have only included a small selection of the best materials in the sections below.
More on Governance
Recent Developments in Governance.
Compass Board Audit.
Learning from Governance Projects.
Choosing Board Membership.
Compass Presentations on Governance
Developing Top Quality Governance
Presentation to Christian Aid
Mike Hudson
January 2008
Recent Trends in Non-profit Governance
Presentation to Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust
November 2003
Magazines on Governance
Governance, Plaza Publishing
www.charitygovernance.co.uk
An excellent magazine full of advice, practical experirnce and latest developments
It sets out board responsibilities, describes the processes required to
support an effective board and includes examples of role descriptions and
board policies.
.
Books on Governance
Boards that Work – A Guide for Charity Trustees
David Fishel, Directory of Social Change, 2003
ISBN: 1 903991 16 1
This book is full of practical advice from an author with extensive
experience of governance – as a staff member, board member and
consultant.
It sets out board responsibilities, describes the processes required to
support an effective board and includes examples of role descriptions and
board policies.
.
The Good Trustee Guide How Public and Nonprofit Managers can bring out the best in themselves and their organizations.
Peter Dyer and Liza Ramrayka, NCVO, 2003
ISBN: 0 7199 1610 0
This ring bound guide contains practical information on many aspects of
trustees’s roles including legal, management and financial
responsibilities. It also gives guidance on developing an effective board.
This new edition has new and expanded sections on strategic planning,
risk management and reviewing the board’s work
.
The Governance of Public and Non-profit Organizations
Ed Chris Cornforth(Ed), Routledge, 2003
ISBN: 0415258189
Boards play a crucial role in ensuring that public and non-profit
organisations are publicly accountable and perform well.
They face increasing scrutiny, pressure and expectations. Serious
questions have been raised about the ability of boards to govern
effectively.
This book brings together analyses based upon some of the best recent
empirical studies of public and non-profit governance in the UK.
Governance as Leadership
Richard P Chait, William P Ryan, Barbara E Taylor, BoardSource and Wiley, New Jersey 2005
ISBN: 0471684201
In this book these three US academics / consultants reframe the purpose and practice of governance by drawing on leadership and organisation framework theories.
They describe three modes of governance - fiduciary, strategic, and generative. Their focus is on the last, which they argue is too often missing and which involves
creating the framework within which issues will be viewed, creating meaning, and sense-making. They offer directions as to how to pursue this generative mode at board level.
Websites on Governance
askNCVO
www.askncvo.org
The online best practice resource for the voluntary sector, providing a
wealth of free advice on subjects from trusteeship to employment law.
The site is organised into basic topics (eg what do trustees do) and sub
topics (eg Board Succession Planning).
It also contains a selection of model documents.
.
BoardSource (formerly the National Center for Nonprofit Boards)
www.boardsource.org
This is the site of the nonprofit organisation in the US that works
exclusively to support the development of good governance. It has a
great deal of material that is applicable in most countries.
Go to the BoardSource website...
Reports on Governance
Good Governance
A code for the Voluntary and Community Sector, June 2005
The widely respected code setting out seven principles and criteria for assessing whether an organisation meets them.
Download from the Governance Hub...
Chief Executives on Governance
ACEVO 2007
The report of the Commissioning Inquiry including recommendations for chairs and chief executives, the sector and its umbrella bodies and for regulators.
Trustee Recruitment, Selection and Induction
Charity Commission Regulatory Study, 2002
Research undertaken by the Commission combined with experience from
charities that run into difficulties leads to a rich source of and advice
from the Charity Commission.
This free 45 page report is valuable fro anyone wanting to delve into
recruitment, selection and induction of trustees.
Download from the Charity Commission...
Chapters on Governance
Managing Without Profit
Mike Hudson, Directory of Social Change, 2009
Theory and practical examples on the governance of medium sized and larger
organisations.
Chapter 2 Establishing appropriate governance structures
Chapter 3 Clarifying the roles of governance
Chapter 4 Making governance processes work effectively
Managing at the Leading Edge
Mike Hudson, Directory of Social Change, 2003
Chapter 7 Strengthening governance
Latest learning from Mike’s research in the US is set out in a
chapter entitled ‘Strengthening Governance’.