Boards, Committees & Governance

.au

Boards, Committees & Governance

A KNOWLEDGE CENTRE OF OUR COMMUNITY

Step One: The Essential Facts

Boards, Committees & Governance

Contents

WELCOME.................................................................................................................. 3

INTRODUCTION......................................................................................................... 4

WHAT IS A BOARD?.................................................................................................. 5

WHO CAN BE A BOARD MEMBER?........................................................................ 6

WHAT DO I NEED TO KNOW BEFORE I JOIN A BOARD?....................................... 7

HOW CAN THE BOARDS, COMMITTEES & GOVERNANCE CENTRE HELP?........ 8

? TOOL #1:

Resource Centre ¨C Help Sheets........................................... 8

? TOOL #2:

Policy Bank............................................................................. 9

? TOOL #3:

The Board Builder newsletter................................................ 10

? TOOL #4:

¡°How-To¡± guides..................................................................... 11

? TOOL #5:

Board Matching Service........................................................ 11

? TOOL #6:

Business on Boards............................................................... 12

? TOOL #7:

Consultants Register..............................................................12

? TOOL #8:

Diversity on Boards................................................................13

? TOOL #9:

Other Our Community resources...........................................13

Boards, Committees & Governance - Step One: The Essential Facts

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Welcome

Welcome to the Boards, Committees & Governance Centre ¨C a practical place to ?nd out how you can

contribute more to your community by joining or improving a Board or Committee.

Serving on a community group Board or Committee can be immensely rewarding. But it also requires

a great deal of commitment and passion, as well as a good working knowledge of the ethical and legal

considerations that governance entails.

The hardworking members of the thousands of Australian community group boards and committees

of management, school councils and other community governance structures are already making

an enormous contribution to community life ¨C but there are always things that we can do better. The

Boards, Committees & Governance Centre will help set you on that path.

The ongoing development of the Boards, Committees & Governance Centre is provided by Our

Community and our alliance partner, HESTA.

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Introduction

The community group landscape has changed markedly in the past decade. Where once community

group Board and Committee members were seen as ¡°time donors¡±, applauded for their hard work and

excused from some of the more onerous compliance requirements placed on their corporate world

cousins, this is no longer the case. These days, community group Board and Committee members are

subject to the same demands for accountability and ef?ciency as any Board member ¨C pro?t or nonpro?t. Such responsibilities may have legal rami?cations and should not be taken lightly.

At the same time, it is important that potential community group Board members do not become so

spooked by the demands of the job that they are deterred from taking on a governance role. This would

be cheating them of an immensely rewarding experience, a source of great pride and personal satisfaction, a feeling of ¡°giving back¡± to society, of working for a cause and doing something not for money but

because it is worthwhile. Such rewards can be hard to come by in other aspects of life.

So how do community groups strike the balance between ful?lling their accountability obligations without scaring off potential Board members? The key lies in ensuring Boards becoming a little better at re?ecting upon their own performances and taking some brave steps towards change. And an important

?rst step in that process is to ensure that Board members are properly prepared for their role.

Board responsibilities can be learned; and there is a good reason for doing so. Where Boards and Committees function well, so too do the community groups they govern ¨C with ?ow-on bene?ts for the whole

community.

The Boards, Committees & Governance Centre is designed to:

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help you ?nd a Board or Committee that¡¯s right for you;

help you ?nd out what you need to know in order to be a better Board or Committee member;

help you get the most out of the experience while you are there;

help ensure you perform your governance role legally and ethically; and

help your Board or Committee perform its governance role better.

In short, it will help you to Build a Better Board; Be a Better Board Member; and Find a Board Position.

We have provided a range of information and tools that can help you along this very worthwhile journey

and more will be added in the future.

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What is a Board?

A Board is the body of people given the power to supervise, manage or ¡°govern¡± a company, organisation or group. Like the community groups they govern, not-for-pro?t Boards come in all different shapes

and sizes. They may even be called different things ¨C a Committee of Management, for example, or a

Council, or a Trust.

Whatever their name or size, they all have the same basic roles:

? to provide purpose, leadership, direction and strategy;

? to ensure the group¡¯s ?nances are sound; and

? to make sure the group¡¯s operations are legal.

The Board needs to look at the big picture, carry out constant assessment of the group¡¯s performance

and guide it towards its goals. In doing so, the Board is responsible for:

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formulating a mission;

setting out a strategic vision;

carrying out risk management;

attending meetings and making key decisions about the group;

ensuring all legal and ?nancial responsibilities are carried out;

selecting and overseeing the group¡¯s CEO (if the group has paid staff);

overseeing or carrying out fundraising;

advocating on behalf of the group to the community;

carrying the community¡¯s views back to the group; and

evaluating and improving its own effectiveness.

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