Board Evaluations for Nonprofit Organizations
BoardSource firmly believes in the power of performance assessment and board evaluation. We are widely recognized as the leader in evaluating nonprofit board performance, and for nearly 30 years, board leaders have looked to us to help them evaluate their leadership in order to catalyze positive change at the board level, strengthen the board-chief executive partnership, and lead to greater organizational impact.
BoardSource offers full-service products and tools that move your nonprofit leaders to the next level. Below, you will find the different assessments that can help evaluate your board or chief executive’s performance and identify opportunity areas.
Evaluating Board Performance
Board self-assessment enables the organization’s leadership to identify gaps between current performance and expected or hoped-for performance, as well as chart a course of improvement, refinement, and/or further progress. BoardSource recommends that boards conduct a formal self-assessment every two years, which may include an evaluation of each individual board member’s performance or the performance of specific committees or roles.
Not sure if your board is ready to start a self-assessment? Take our interactive self-assessment readiness quiz to make sure you’ve considered all the factors and help you determine if your board is ready.
Board Self-Assessment (BSA)
The BSA gathers feedback from individual board members and measures the collective performance of the board. We offer five different versions of this tool, based on organization type. Read below to determine which tool might be best for your organization.
- BSA for Nonprofit Governing Boards: This is our core board self-assessment tool, suitable for most nonprofits, including charities, credit unions, community foundations, and other 501(c) organizations.
- BSA for Independent Schools: This is the same core board self-assessment tool with tailored language to meet the needs of independent schools.
- BSA for Associations: This tool is crafted in partnership with the American Society of Association Executives (ASAE), geared specifically towards associations.
- BSA for Private Foundations: This version is based on our core board self-assessment tool, updated to include specific questions related to grantmaking and unique board chair responsibilities of private foundations.
Assessing Chief Executive Performance
Assessing chief executive performance is critical and can help you foster the growth and development of your CEO and organization. This enables your board to evaluate the chief executive’s performance in four key areas: annual performance goals, core competencies, leadership qualities, and accomplishments and challenges.
Assessment of the Chief Executive (ACE)
We offer three different versions of this tool, based on organization type. Read below to determine which tool might be best for your organization.
- Assessment of the Chief Executive: This is our core survey tool that enables the board to meet its annual responsibility to evaluate the chief executive’s performance over the past year and mutually agree on priorities for the future.
- Association Chief Executive Assessment: We collaborated with ASAE to create an assessment for association executives based on the ACE.
- Head of Independent Schools Assessment: We developed a head-of-school assessment based on the Assessment of the Chief Executive to foster the growth and development of the head of school and the school.
BoardSource is widely recognized as the leader in assessing nonprofit board performance. For nearly 30 years, board leaders have looked to us to help them evaluate their board’s — as well as their chief executive’s — performance to identify their strengths and weaknesses.
Board members and organization leaders typically begin the process with the following questions:
Roles in the Board Evaluation Process
A common question asked is, who facilitates the assessment? BoardSource has a dedicated assessment services account representative who will set up and administer the survey and compile the final report. BoardSource’s assessment products are full-service and not meant to be self-administered. To ensure a smooth process, BoardSource asks for organizations taking our tools to identify one main point of contact (referred to as the “facilitator”) who will provide the necessary details to launch our tools and serve as the final resource on whether a survey has sufficient participation to close and move to reporting. The facilitator will also receive the final report. If you choose for a consultant to be your facilitator, BoardSource will happily collaborate with that individual with explicit permission from your organization.
Assessing performance is the most effective way to ensure your board members understand their duties and utilize effective good governance practices. The resources below describe the benefits and complications of board evaluation and highlight essential factors for high-performing boards.
Guides, Tools, Templates, and Infographics
Board Retreat How-To
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It is a good experience for the board as a whole to step back and evaluate its work and seek understanding so together we can create greater impact for our mission.
Mary Beth McIntire, Comfort Zone Camp