By Victoria Hughes, Executive Vice-President, A.C. Fitzgerald & Associates

Boards matter. Behind every great nonprofit is a great board. No matter how talented the staff or dedicated the volunteers, nonprofit organizations cannot meet their full potential without the board's leadership and active support.

The board's responsibility is governance, but what does that mean in practical terms and real-life situations? Once defined, how do you measure excellence in performance of this board responsibility?

The following survey is a starting-point tool to help nonprofits – of any size – evaluate their board, an individual board member, or a board candidate. The questions cover a wide range of board activities - overseeing the work of the executive director, ensuring that financial resources are secured, good stewardship is practiced, and the mission is effectively and faithfully advanced. The survey is designed to grade overall performance and to identify specific strengths and weaknesses.

To take the survey, put the number of the response that best describes the board's performance next to each item. Total these numbers to determine the Board's or individual board member's score. The final section, "What the Score Means," offers guidance as to what that sum means.

 ______ What is the Board's/Board member's commitment to the nonprofit's mission?

1. No known or visible interest in or connection to mission
2. Little expressed interest in mission
3. Specific interest in one of the nonprofit's programs
4. Some interest in mission due to a professional or business connection
5. Some commitment due to family members' or friends' connections or benefit
6. Long-time, passionate, publicly known commitment to mission

 _______ What is the Board's/Board member's knowledge of the field in which the nonprofit works?

1. No knowledge
2. Minimal knowledge that limits ability to be effective
3. Adequate knowledge to speak extemporaneously to a general audience
4. Sufficient knowledge to converse effectively with a donor or potential donor
5. Deep layman's knowledge that enlightens governance and program oversight
6. Nationally or internationally recognized expert in the field who can provide broad context

 _______ How many Board meetings does the Board conduct/Board member attend annually?

1. None
2. One via conference call
3. One in person
4. One via conference call and one in person
5. Two or three
6. Four or more

 _______ How many times in the past year has the Board/Board member been at the nonprofit's office or place of operation?

1. None
2. More than 50 times
3. More than 12 and less than 50 times
4. Once
5. Two to four times
6. Four to twelve times

 ______ How many of the nonprofit programs did the Board/Board member participate in or observe during the past year?

1. None
2. One
3. Two
4. Three
5. Four
6. Five or more

 ______ On average how long does it take for Board/Board member to respond to Executive Director's non-emergency email or voice mail message?

1. Never
2. Several weeks
3. A week
4. Three- four days
5. Next day
6. Same day

 ______ How does the Board/Board Member approach evaluating the Executive Director?

1. No evaluation is performed
2. Minimal evaluation is performed at two or three year intervals
3. Minimal evaluation is performed annually if Executive Director initiates the process
4. One or more Board members take the lead in offering informal general feedback
5. Annual evaluation provides positive and negative feedback supported by concrete examples
6. Annual evaluation provides specific feedback on a clear set of performance goals

 ______ Which nonprofit staff members/volunteers does the Board/Board member know by name and by their organizational function?

1. None
2. Executive Director only
3. Executive Director and senior staff
4. Executive Director, senior staff, bookkeeper, top volunteers
5. Executive Director and long-time staff and volunteers
6. All staff and volunteers

 _____ How much experience does the Board/Board Member have in nonprofit governance, finances, and culture?

1. None
2. Less than one year
3. One to two years
4. Three to five years
5. Six to ten years
6. More than ten years

 _____ How much did the Board/Board Member contribute to the nonprofit in the past year?

1. No financial support
2. Less 1% of total contributions
3. Between 1% and 5% of total contributions
4. More than 5% and less than 15% of total contributions
5. More than 15% and less than 25% of total contributions
6. More than 25% of total contributions

 _____ How much money did the Board/Board Member raise or assist in raising for the nonprofit in the past year?

1. Nothing
2. Less 1% of total contributions
3. Between 1% and 5% of total contributions
4. More than 5% and less than 15% of total contributions
5. More than 15% and less than 25% of total contributions
6. More than 25% of total contributions

 _____ How does the Board/Board Member react to the presentation of the nonprofit's annual budget and/or audited financial statement?

1. Pays little or no attention
2. Listens but makes no comments and asks no questions
3. Has a brief general discussion
4. Asks many questions focusing on details
5. Asks few questions focusing on big picture
6. Assigns Board members with financial expertise to review financials and give recommendations to the full Board

 _____What relevant business experience does the Board/Board member bring to the nonprofit?

(add 1 point for each of the following groups of skills the Board brings to nonprofit)

• Legal/Accounting/Finance
• Media Relations/Marketing
• Human Resources/Staff Development
• Technology/Information Management
• Starting and/or running a business

What the Score Means

66-77 - Excellent: Congratulations! Your board members are engaged and motivated

56-65 - Good: You are executing a targeted development plan that involves the board

46-55 - Average: You're doing ok but it's time to build on the strengths of your Board through training and by recruiting new members to fill unmet needs

36-45 - Below Average: Reevaluate your priorities and focus on important areas for improvement

35 or less - Poor: Yikes! It's time to start over and rebuild your board

Remember, the effective nonprofit board doesn't happen on its own. It takes commitment, persistence and plain hard work on the part of the executive director and the board members. Visit the A.C. Fitzgerald & Associates website to access the above survey.