Board Governance

ONLINE RESOURCES

We’ve curated several resources related to board governance. If you are interested in board governance, take a look at these materials:

1. Board Development, Engagement, and Governance Webinar: Led by Anne Marie Burgoyne, the managing director of Philanthropy at Emerson Collective, this webinar explores how leaders can curate, structure, and engage their boards.

2. 8 Best Practices of Nonprofit Boards Article: Written by Anne Marie Burgoyne, this article provides some quick tips for steering a board.

3. Leveraging Your Board in Uncertain Times Webinar: Field-leading governance expert Bill Ryan shares tips on how leaders can leverage the individual and group skills of their board, generally, and in uncertain times.

4. Stewarding Effective Board Meetings and Decision-Making Processes: Bill Ryan shares strategies for how leaders can navigate board meetings and decision-making processes, including in virtual settings.

Each of these webinar pages includes links to online materials, articles, and other helpful resources.

OFFICE HOURS WITH EMERSON COLLECTIVE

After receiving this suggestion from grantee partners, we are excited to introduce board-governance office hours with Anne Marie Burgoyne, Emerson Collective’s Managing Director of Philanthropy.

Anne Marie leads Emerson Collective’s philanthropic investment process across a wide array of sectors. She has previously held other leadership roles, including as a managing director at the Draper Richards Kaplan Foundation, and as a nonprofit executive director. She has served on the boards of more than 30 nonprofits. Anne Marie currently serves on the boards of Hope Credit Union, The Management Center, and Waverley Street Foundation.

As you consider ways to effectively leverage and steward your board, Anne Marie will be glad to brainstorm with you if she can be of help. For example, if you are weighing questions around:

• Board member dynamics and relationships

• Board performance, size, and structure

• Navigation of unexpected issues

• ... or any other considerations. You are welcome to send us a brief paragraph describing what’s on your mind.

Although Anne Marie may not be the right resource for all questions or explorations, when there is a fit, we will gladly schedule a 30-minute brainstorming call.

NEXT STEPS

• Please send a brief message to capacitybuilding@emersoncollective.com with the subject line, “Board Governance Office Hours.” Describe in a few sentences the types of questions (or issues on your mind) related to your board.

• We will reply to let you know whether this is an area for which Anne Marie may be able to provide brainstorming support. If so, we will schedule a call between the executive director of your organization and Anne Marie. To honor everyone’s time, these calls are typically reserved for Executive Directors, or other senior members who actively engage with a board.

• Additionally, we ask that you please watch the Board Development, Engagement, and Governance webinar in advance of the conversation to ensure that you can make the most of the 30 minutes.