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
Overview of your board responsibilities
Because all not-for-profit organisations serve different community needs, their boards and the…
Tips for the chair
Being a good chair requires not taking over the meeting, but facilitating discussion. This means…
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
Ten questions every board director needs to ask about ESG
ESG stands for Environmental, Social and Governance criteria, factors or issues, which are…
Ten questions every board director needs to ask about funding
An organisation’s financial viability is a crucial responsibility for every board director, so your…
Ten questions every board director needs to ask about marketing
Marketing is key to the success of your organisation.
Ten questions every board director needs to ask about measuring outcomes
Board directors are generally excellent when it comes to monitoring and evaluating the financial…
Ten questions every board director needs to ask about neurodiversity
Board members play a significant role in creating a truly inclusive organisation.
Ten questions every board director needs to ask about neurodiversity
Board members play a significant role in creating a truly inclusive organisation. If you are…
Ten questions every board director needs to ask about succession planning
Succession planning is about much more than just replacing board members when they leave. It is…
Ten questions every board director needs to ask about the board’s director payment policy
Historically, charity and not-for-profit boards have worked for the good of the cause, with no…
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
Members Only
Staff Conflict of Interest Policy
All organisations should have a staff conflict of interest policy. This policy should provide a…
