Board Self-Assessment
There is no one who oversees a board individually, so it’s important to take a critical look at itself as a whole. Self-assessments of board members play an essential role in board governance and help ensure that boards perform their leadership roles in turbulent times.
Successful assessments identify governance strengths and weaknesses, as well as areas which the board can improve its performance to better fulfill its governance responsibilities. They can provide valuable information to guide the board’s focus and efforts throughout the year. A board can conduct its own assessment with the help of a board development consultant or use a commercially available tool. A good option for a lot of nonprofits is the Board Self-Assessment Questionnaire, developed by the Center and utilized by hundreds of board members in the US and abroad since 2009.
We recommend that you first determine the scope of your evaluation should you decide to conduct it yourself. A majority of boards opt to assess the entire board, the board’s leadership and/or individual committees. Clarity about the objective and process of the assessment is crucial to an outcome that is positive.
Once you have determined the scope of your evaluation, consider selecting an impartial third party to facilitate the process. A knowledgeable facilitator can assist to guide the discussion and ensure that all board members feel at ease providing honest feedback.
Some boards compare their outcomes with those of other hospitals or health systems. However, due the vast differences in structure, size and the scope of authority, many databases don’t provide apples-toapples comparisons.