Strengthen Board Leadership by Increasing its Understanding Programs

Many organizations are committed to improving their board’s overall performance but struggle to know where to start. An area that may not immediately come to mind, but could have a sizeable impact on your board, is an understanding of your organization’s programs. Leading with Intent: 2017 National Index of Nonprofit Board Practices found that a “strong understanding of programs is linked to stronger board engagement, strategy, and external leadership — including fundraising.” In fact, chief executives rank “knowledge of organization’s programs” as the fourth most important characteristic of board impact on organizational performance.

This resource by BoardSource outlines how a strong understanding of programs can impact board performance and suggests ways in which a board can strengthen its members’ knowledge of programs.