Board Meetings & Recruitment

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Practical guide Board Meetings & Recruitment How do you maintain a motivated and efficient board?

How do you maintain a motivated and efficient board?

Keep board members fully aware of the mission, purposes, vision and business model of the organisation.
Ensure board meetings are well-run.
Keep board members informed between board meetings.
The chair should continuously seek to understand the motivations, strengths and areas for development of board members and support them to address their learning and development needs.
The chair should offer feedback and encouragement to board members (and vice versa) so that the whole board takes steps to reflect, learn and improve. See the notes above about board away days.
Consider a communications protocol so board members are aware of how, when and whom to contact within the organisation (this prevents board members contacting staff members at random).
Write clear, informative papers which present options and indicate where the board is required to give advice or take decisions; send them out at least a week prior to a board meeting.
Clearly define your processes for managing disputes and differences between board members, and between board members and staff, volunteers or members.
Invite board members to events, briefing them in advance on who is going to be there, ensuring they can engage with the organisation outside board meetings in an effort to learn about its activities, build relationships and make any advocacy points you wish them to make.

Related resources

The Code of Good Governance

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Guidance | The Charity Commission

The Essential Trustee – what you need to know

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Interview | Yasmin Khan

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The AIM hallmarks of prospering museums

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Website | ACEVO, the Association of Chairs, ICSA (the Governance Institute), NCVO, the Small Charities Coalition and WCVA

Charity Governance Code Toolkit

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Study | ACEVO

Realising the Potential of Governance: the Report of the ACEVO Governance Commission

In response to evidence suggesting an increase in concern regarding governance-related issues in the voluntary sector, the ACEVO Governance Commission set out to produce a practically-focused piece of work, focused on supporting voluntary organisations to understand and address the issues and challenges that can affect their governance. Guided by the concerns raised by respondents to the Commission’s consultation exercises, the report focuses on three main areas: appraisal and accountability; understanding roles and responsibilities; and board management. Published: 2013.

Guidance | Arts Council England

Culture Change Toolkit: How to find and grow diverse talent

Growing the cultural sector is, in part, dependent upon changing the perception of the sector and making entry to it more transparent to individuals while removing practices that are not inclusive. It’s not about doing everything but doing what is achievable for your organisation. Published: 2017.

Interview | Kirsty Lang

The Art of Leadership: Leadership Development

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