Has your foundation had a routine physical lately?
By Ruth Masterson, ASF
I think small foundation boards know more than sometimes they think they do. I’m not talking about individual trustees. Instead, I’m talking about the knowledge that the board holds collectively about what they as a group do well and what they don’t do well. This knowledge is often unacknowledged or difficult to name, a situation that creates an obvious barrier to improving the work of the foundation.
Practical Board Self-Assessment, from the Association of Small Foundations
Board self-assessments are a way to get at that knowledge. A board self-assessment done well will result in this knowledge written down in black and white, will create a practical map to move the board forward, will heartily applaud what the board does well, and will ease tension and open doors to move forward in areas that a board needs to work on.
When should a foundation board tackle a self-assessment? When I interviewed Judy Healey, a consultant in California, she explained it well. She said that there are essentially two reasons to get started on a self-assessment: “First, if the board is already doing a good job and just wants to do better; this is a common and great reason for self-assessment. A second good reason is if there are major problems. The assessment won’t fix the problems, but it’s a start. It’s a process that will give the board some important information to help it move forward.” Continue reading
