The Foundation Board Assessment Program starts with a Board Self-Assessment for private or community foundations, enabling your board to reflect on what it’s doing well and where it’s more challenged. Throughout the year, your foundation’s leaders are supported with educational resources and tools to further your board development goals.

The Foundation Board Support Program also includes BoardSource’s Assessment of the Chief Executive tool that helps you foster the growth and development of your CEO and organization and 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.

Board Self-Assessment (BSA)

The private or community foundation Board Self-Assessment (BSA) lays the groundwork for setting board development priorities and motivating board members — individually and collectively — to strengthen the full board’s governance performance and practices. By establishing a common understanding of board roles and responsibilities and measuring your board’s performance against these recognized roles and responsibilities, your foundation board can focus on what’s critical for success.

Our comprehensive assessments cover board practices and policies
in these areas of board responsibility.

• 
  

  ---

  Support of the organization’s mission and vision

• 
  

  ---

  Effectiveness in planning & monitoring strategy

• 
  

  ---

  Transparency, public trust, and fundraising for community foundations

• 
  

  ---

  Management, financial oversight, & support of CEO/ED

• 
  

  ---

  Oversight of grants process

• 
  

  ---

  Board structure & composition

• 
  

  ---

  Board meeting effectiveness

Assessment of the Chief Executive (ACE)

Assessing the chief executive is one of the board’s primary governance responsibilities and is critical to the success of the chief executive and to the organization as a whole. Assessment benefits both the chief executive and the board by providing you with the opportunity to clarify expectations, set organizational goals, and improve weaknesses or build on past success.

• 
  Annual
  performance goals

• 
  Core
  competencies

• 
  Leadership
  qualities

• 
  Accomplishments & challenges

Educational Resources to Support Your Foundation Board and Staff Leadership

Armed with the insights from the assessment, your board is provided access to on-demand educational resources and our Ask-an-Expert email assistance to support its board development goals. The program provides all current board members and staff with open access to BoardSource’s comprehensive member resources.

Helpful Resources about Foundation Board Leadership