Board members and what they do
Governing bodies are known by a variety of names including boards, committees, councils, trusts,…
Board member roles and responsibilities
Clear understanding of roles and responsibilities is essential for a board to function effectively.
When each board member knows their own role and understands the roles of others, it fosters better collaboration, reduces misunderstandings, and strengthens governance.
Imagine a board where every member is confident in their duties, working together seamlessly to drive the organisation forward. This webpage hosts tools and resources to give you and your board that clarity.
Scroll down to access essential help sheets, tools, checklists, policies, books and advice guides designed to enhance your meeting experience.
Top tools and resources
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Overview of your board responsibilities
Because all not-for-profit organisations serve different community needs, their boards and the…
How to Chair a Meeting
Knowing how to chair a meeting effectively is a crucial skill for any board chair or committee…
How to be the best secretary
Nobody is perfect, but follow these top 10 tips to go from being just another good secretary to…
Help sheets
Board liability and negligence
When you join a board you are accepting a fiduciary duty - that is, a duty to act in good faith for…
Board members and what they do
Governing bodies are known by a variety of names including boards, committees, councils, trusts,…
Board solidarity
Board solidarity means that a decision taken in proper form by the board is a decision of all board…
Board succession Part 1: Finding new board members
There are few more important tasks facing a board than finding and recruiting new members. And it…
Board succession Part 2: Recruiting new board members
You should already have: read Finding new board members;thought about the direction in which your…
Board succession Part 3: Selecting the right board members
It's important to be prepared before you start recruiting board members. When a vacancy arises, it…
Building a corporate memory
An organisation's corporate memory is an essential tool for allowing reliable predictions,…
Carrying your group's message to the community
Getting your organisation's message out into the community is an essential step in reaching the…
Tools
Appointment of Proxy Form Template
Download our template form to help you document proxies for your board meetings.
Board composition checklist
If your board can no longer provide leadership or fresh ideas, or if money is becoming an issue, it…
Board skills and experience matrix
Welcome to the ICDA Board diversity, experience and skills matrix.
CEO annual review template
The board needs to regularly review the performance of their CEO to ensure that they are meeting…
Checklists
Members Only
10 key areas to renew, review and refresh
It's easy to carry on doing the same thing 'because that's the way we do it'. To avoid the pitfalls…
For and against setting up committees
ForCommittees can make better use of board members' time, allowing certain tasks, issues or…
Successful board succession
The process of finding, recruiting, selecting and installing new board members is perhaps the most…
Members Only
Ten ways to write a 'perfect' constitution
Alright, the "perfect" constitution might be a bad case of hyperbole, but if your constitution…
Policies
Staff Conflict of Interest Policy
All organisations should have a staff conflict of interest policy. This policy should provide a…
Board Code of Conduct Policy
Having a board code of conduct in place ensures that your organisation's directors have a set of…