Sample Form for Board’s Evaluation of the Chief Executive

An-office-team-coducting-a-research-evaluation.

Sample Form for Board’s Evaluation of the Chief Executive

Vast majority of content in this topic applies to for-profits and nonprofits. This book also covers this topic.

Developing, Operating and Restoring Your Nonprofit Board - Book Cover

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The following is one sample form that might be used by the Board to evaluate the Chief Executive. This sample should be customized to the particular culture and purpose of the agency by modifying the performance criteria (in the following table) as appropriate for the organization, inserting those criteria in the table below, and conducting the evaluation using the updated table.

Directions:

1. The Board establishes a policy for evaluating the Chief Executive and establishes a current or ad hoc committee to carry out the evaluation. See “Guidelines for the Board’s Evaluation of the Chief Executive.”

2. Board, working with the Chief Executive, establishes performance criteria and inserts them in the table below. References organizational goals and the Chief Executive’s job description.

3. The Board assigns specific weighing factors for each of the major categories below. Factors depend on what the Board believes should be priorities for the Chief Executive during the evaluation period. The factors should total 100%. Example weightings might be finances 15%, revenue 20%, human resources 15%, products/programs 20%, facilities 10%, planning and governance 20%.

4. Each Board member and the Chief Executive completes the table below about the Chief Executive’s performance during the evaluation period. Each criteria is ranked from 1-5, with 1=unsatisfactory, 2 = partially within expectations, 3=meets expectations, 4=exceeds expectations, and 5= far exceeds expectations. This numerical ranking system tends to give perspective more than commentary. Rankings with commentary is ideal.

5. Multiply each ranking by the category’s weighting factor. Put the answer in the score column.

6. On a separate sheet of paper, provide any commentary that addresses rankings below 3. Consider adding commentary for high ratings as well.

7. Provide evaluation sheet and commentary to the Board member who is assigned to collate the sheets (usually the Board Chair).

8. The Board may decide to provide the Chief Executive an average ranking for each category. Similarly, commentary can be summarized or each comment provided to the Chief Executive.

9. The evaluation committee provides the evaluation report to the Chief Executive and schedules a meeting with him or her shortly thereafter.

10. Ensure the meeting is update and ends on a positive note.

11. Ensure plans are made to address ratings below 3, including specific actions by specific dates.

Sample Basic Form for Evaluating Chief Executive

Directions for use of this form are included on the previous page.

Name of Preparer	Ratings	Weight Factor	= Score
Finances, consider: · No loss of operating funds; no prolonged legal difficulties · Develops realistic budgets and stays within them · Maintains needed cash flow · Receives a “clean” financial audit *Comments:*
Revenue, consider: · Raises enough revenue to accomplish significant program goals and maintains or builds a financial balance keeping with organizational policy *Comments:*
Human Resources, consider: · Maintains or increases productivity of staff · Maintains sufficient and effective volunteer corps (nonprofits) · No undue staff turnover; no ongoing personnel complaints *Comments:*
Products/Programs, consider: · Maintains or expands programs per plans · Program evaluations demonstrate effectiveness · Meets yearly program goals and objectives *Comments:*
Facilities, consider: · Maintains professional surroundings and safe working environment *Comments:*
Planning and Governance, consider: · Has in place a clear mission statement and strategic plan · Maintains an active Board that provide good governance to the organization *Comments:*

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January 18, 2022October 5, 2022

Board of Directors Self-Evaluation

Board of Directors Evaluation

Vast majority of content in this topic applies to for-profits and nonprofits. This book also covers this topic.

The following table can be used by all board members and the chief executive to get an impression of how well the board is doing. The table is a rather basic form for board evaluation. But, if the evaluation is conducted wholeheartedly, the form should indicate how the board is generally doing in conducting its role.

Each member and the chief executive should complete the form about four weeks before a board retreat. Members attach suggestions about how the board could get higher ratings for any or all of the following 14 considerations.

Ideally, someone outside the organization receives the completed forms, collates the results and write a report indicating the number of respondents who rated the board for each of the 12 considerations.

	Considerations	5 Very Good	4 Good	3 Ave.	2 Fair	1 Poor
1	board has full and common understanding of the roles and responsibilities of a board
2	board members understand the organization’s mission and its products / programs
3	structural pattern (board, officers, committees, executive and staff) is clear
4	board has clear goals and actions resulting from relevant and realistic strategic planning
5	board attends to policy-related decisions which effectively guide operational activities of staff
6	board receives regular reports on finances/budgets, products/program performance and other important matters
7	board helps set fundraising goals and is actively involved in fundraising (nonprofit-specific)
8	board effectively represents the organization to the community
9	board meetings facilitate focus and progress on important organizational matters
10	board regularly monitors and evaluates progress toward strategic goals and product/ program performance
11	board regularly evaluates and develops the chief executive
12	board has approved comprehensive personnel policies which have been reviewed by a qualified professional
13	each member of the board feels involved and interested in the board’s work
14	all necessary skills, stakeholders and diversity are represented on the board

Please list the three to five points on which you believe the board should focus its attention in the next year. Be as specific as possible in identifying these points.

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January 18, 2022February 22, 2023

Guidelines for Board of Directors Evaluation of Chief Executive

Guidelines for Board of Directors Evaluation of Chief Executive

Vast majority of content in this topic applies to for-profits and nonprofits. This book also covers this topic.

Sections of This Topic Include

Benefits of Evaluating the Chief Executive
One Process to the Chief Executive (with Sample Schedule)
Special Considerations
Sample Form for Board’s Evaluation of the Chief Executive

Also consider
Related Library Topics

Learn More in the Library’s Blogs Related to Evaluating the Chief Executive

Benefits of Evaluating the Chief Executive

Evaluating the Chief Executive is a primary responsibility of the Board. There are several key benefits from this evaluation, including that the process:
1. Ensures the Board is meeting its duty to effectively lead the organization
2. Ensures organizational goals are being met
3. Ensures continued development of the Chief Executive to more effectively conduct his or her role
4. Ensures a formal and documented evaluation process that meets standards of fairness and practicality
5. Ensures the Chief Executive values his or her role, is benefiting from it and therefore is more likely to stay (finding good Chief Executives is increasingly difficult)
6. Leaves written record of the Board’s impression of the Chief Executive’s performance in case this record is needed for future verification, e.g., for salary increases, probationary activities, firing, etc.

One Process to Evaluate the Chief Executive

A Sample Schedule

Note that, more important than doing an evaluation at a certain scheduled time, is doing an evaluation at all, so do the evaluation when the Board believes is the best time for its members.

Activity:	Approx. # of months before start of next fiscal year
Evaluate the Chief Executive, by referencing his or her progress towards last fiscal year’s organizational goals and responsibilities on their job description	10
Board self-evaluation	9
Board retreat to address results of Board self-evaluation, conduct any team building and begin strategic planning	7
Strategic planning to produce organizational goals and identify resources needed to accomplish the goals	7
Establish Chief Executive’s goals for the next fiscal year, by referencing goals produced from strategic planning	6
Establish next year’s revenue goals and budget by referencing resources needed to reach strategic goals	6
Meets revenue goals	6
Fiscal year begins	0

Special Considerations

1. Don’t worry about specifics of the process as much as being sure that the evaluation is conducted yearly.
2. Be sure the process is fully documented in a procedure so the process is well understood and carried out consistently year to year.
3. If staff members are involved in evaluation of the Chief Executive, be sure this procedure is clearly specified and understood by the Chief Executive.
4. The evaluation should be carried out by a Board committee, not by one Board member. Committees might be the Executive Committee, a Personnel Committee or an ad hoc committee.
5. If the Board perceives the Chief Executive to have performance issues, Board members can initiate an evaluation. DO NOT initiate evaluations only when there are perceived issues — this is abusive. Be sure these perceptions are based on seen behaviors rather than on personality characteristics.

(See “Sample Form for Board’s Evaluation of the Chief Executive“)

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January 18, 2022March 29, 2023

How to Evaluate a Board of Directors and Each Board Member (For-Profit or Nonprofit)

A-supervisor-evaluating-the-performance-of-fellow-employees

How to Evaluate a Board of Directors and Each Board Member (For-Profit or Nonprofit)

Vast majority of content in this topic applies to for-profits and nonprofits. This book also covers this topic.

Sections of This Topic Include

General Guidelines for Evaluating Board of Directors (For-Profit and Nonprofit)
Guidelines for Selecting Tools to Evaluate Your Board
Sample Procedures to Evaluate Entire Board
Sample Procedures for Board Members to Self-Evaluate

Also consider
Related Library Topics

Also consider
Evaluating the Chief Executive Officer (CEO)

General Guidelines for Evaluating Boards of Directors (For-Profit and Nonprofit)

Board Members Legally Responsible for Effective Boards

Board members are accountable to their constituents to ensure that their organization (for example, for-profit or nonprofit corporation) is indeed effectively working toward its legally specified purpose, as specified in its charter document. It is not unusual for members of a Board to fall into the same old way of doing things, an approach that becomes quite stale and even ineffective. One of the ways to quickly identify this problem is for the Board to conduct a self-evaluation.

Strong Reasons and Benefits for Regular Board Evaluations

Many times, Board members do not know what they do not know about their own Board. For example, they might be terribly ineffective because they all have fallen into a rut in their operations — and they have not even realized it. Or, they might have gotten side-tracked into attending to certain urgent matters (for example, the latest crisis reported by the Chief Executive Officer), and are ignoring very important matters (for example, strategic planning that would have avoided those crises altogether).

Board members who claim that they do not need evaluation and Board training are like obese people who claim that they do not need advice about eating because, after all, they are already experts at eating. Experienced and highly effective Board members have learned that it’s critical to regularly conduct short, practical evaluations of the quality of their Board operations and then to attend to the results of those evaluations during the year. Evaluations need not take a long time — many times, even 15 minutes a year from each Board member to complete a short questionnaire, followed by half an hour to discuss results, can be transformational for a Board.

Timing to Do a Board Evaluation

A Board should evaluate its operations at least once a year. Don’t wait until new members have learned more about the Board — that’s like waiting until you feel fine before seeing the doctor.

A very useful time for evaluation is early in the strategic planning process. Results of the evaluation can be included as strategic goals in the organization’s strategic plan

Wide Variety of Board Evaluation Tools

Below, is a list of a variety of free Board self-evaluation tools. Aim to select a tool that asks at least as much about the actual occurrence of activities on your Board as about how members feel about the Board. It’s good practice to have a small team of Board members, for example, a Board Governance Committee, review and select the best tool.

How to Use Board Evaluation Tools

It’s often best if each Board member completes a tool on his/her own, rather than together in a group. Otherwise, any problems they have in their Board meetings are carried into how they do the Board evaluations, as well.

It’s also best if each member can provide anonymous input to the evaluation questionnaire. Boards can often get much more honest feedback that way.

Results of the evaluation should be included in a Board Development Plan. The status of the implementation of that Plan should be a topic on the agenda of each Board meeting.

Guidelines for Selecting Tools to Evaluate Your Board

There are a wide variety of available tools for evaluating a Board of Directors. However, it’s very important that the tool, for example, the questionnaire, you select matches the culture of the people who will respond to the questions, as well as the purpose of your Board evaluation.

For example, some cultures consider questions that start with “why” to be disrespectful, while others consider questions about feelings to be disrespectful. Thus, you should always acculturate the questions in your tool. Here are guidelines to do that.
How to Acculturate Tools for Evaluations

If you plan to select from among an already available set of tools, then here are some overall guidelines for doing that. They are excerpted from the book that is listed at the top of the document.
How to Select from Among Public Data Collection Tools

If you decide to design your own evaluation tool, then these guidelines might be useful.
How to Design Successful Evaluation and Assessment Plans

Sample Procedures to Evaluate Entire Board

For-Profit (Corporate) Boards

Recommended

Also consider

Board Performance Evaluations that Add Value
What is a Board Evaluation Report?
Global Board Evaluation Practices and Trends
Qualifications and Evaluations of Directors and Boards (European study of Board composition and qualifications of directors; applies to USA; for-profits)
Relative Performance Evaluation and Related Peer Groups (studies use of peer-based evaluations; for-profits)
Board Structure and Monitoring (shows mixed results of including independent directors; for-profits)
Improving board effectiveness: Five principles for getting the most out of a board assessment
(guidelines for evaluating Board; for-profits)
Elevating Board Performance (argues that lack of attention to monitoring hampers performance;
for-profits)
Guilty As Charged: Prove Your Board Supports Your Organization (considerations whether Board really supports organization; nonprofits)
Evaluating The Board Of Directors (checklist for investors to evaluate boards; for-profits)
For-Profit Organizational Assessment Questionnaire

Nonprofit Boards

Also consider

Board of Directors Evaluation (form to evaluate Board; nonprofits)
Checklist to Evaluate a Nonprofit Board of Directors (checklist for evaluating: nonprofits)
Jean Freeman: Board Self-Assessment (general guidelines for doing Board evaluations; nonprofits)
Board Self-Evaluation (assessment form; nonprofits)
Checklist to Evaluate Health of Board (evaluation form; nonprofits)
Self Assessment for the Board (evaluation questionnaire; nonprofits)
Center for Nonprofit Resources (nonprofit best practice checklist; nonprofits))
Governance Health Check (code of good governance questionnaire; nonprofits)
Nonprofit Organizational Assessment Questionnaire

Sample Procedures for Board Members to Self-Evaluate

These forms are used by each Board member to evaluate the quality of their own personal participation in the Board, rather than evaluating the Board as a whole.

Individual Board Member Self-Evaluation (nonprofit)
Board of Directors Self-Evaluation (nonprofit)

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In addition to the articles on this current page, also see the following blogs that have posts related to this topic. Scan down the blog’s page to see various posts. Also see the section “Recent Blog Posts” in the sidebar of the blog or click on “next” near the bottom of a post in the blog. The blog also links to numerous free related resources.

For the Category of Boards of Directors:

To round out your knowledge of this Library topic, you may want to review some related topics, available from the link below. Each of the related topics includes free, online resources.

Also, scan the Recommended Books listed below. They have been selected for their relevance and highly practical nature.

January 18, 2022October 5, 2022

Various Self-Assessments for Personal and Professional Development

A smiling businessman sitting at his office

Various Self-Assessments for Personal and Professional Development

Various On-Line Self-Assessments

Selecting
from Among Publicly Available Assessments

The quiz would go here

Create your own user feedback survey

January 18, 2022October 5, 2022

Board of Directors Duties and Responsibilities

Duties and Responsibilities

Vast majority of content
in this topic applies to for-profits and nonprofits. This book also covers this topic.

Sections of This Topic Include

Comparing For-Profit and Nonprofit Boards
For-Profit (Corporate) Boards
Nonprofit Boards

Also consider
Related Library Topics

Learn More in the Library’s Blogs Related to This Topic

In addition to the articles on this current page, also see
the following blogs that have posts related to this topic. Scan
down the blog’s page to see various posts. Also see the section
“Recent Blog Posts” in the sidebar of the blog or click
on “next” near the bottom of a post in the blog. The
blog also links to numerous free related resources.

Library’s
Boards of Directors Blog
Library’s
Nonprofit Capacity Building Blog

For the Category of Boards of Directors:

To round out your knowledge of this Library topic, you may
want to review some related topics, available from the link below.
Each of the related topics includes free, online resources.

Also, scan the Recommended Books listed below. They have been
selected for their relevance and highly practical nature.

Related Library Topics

Recommended Books

January 18, 2022October 5, 2022

Compensating Board Members

Colleagues listening to executive at meeting in office boardroom

Compensating Board Members

Members of for-profit Boards often are compensated monetarily,
usually as a flat fee plus reimbursement for expenses. Often,
the larger the organization and its revenues, the larger the compensation
to the Board members. Members of nonprofit Boards usually are
not compensated with a flat fee. They can be compensated as reimbursement
for expenses.

Sections of This Topic Include

In For-Profit (Corporate) Boards
In Nonprofit Boards

Also consider
Related Library Topics

Learn More in the Library’s Blogs Related to This Topic

In addition to the articles on this current page, also see
the following blogs that have posts related to this topic. Scan
down the blog’s page to see various posts. Also see the section
“Recent Blog Posts” in the sidebar of the blog or click
on “next” near the bottom of a post in the blog. The
blog also links to numerous free related resources.

Library’s
Boards of Directors Blog
Library’s
Nonprofit Capacity Building Blog

In For-Profit (Corporate) Boards

Compensation
for Board Members
Compensation
for Board Members
Governance,
the Board and Compensation

Comparing CEO Employment Contract Provisions
Selecting
an Executive Compensation Consultant Today Requires Compensation
Committees to Use a Wider Lens

In Nonprofit Boards

Are
Nonprofit Boards Asleep at the Wheel? (asserts members should
not be paid)
May a Member of a Nonprofit Board Be Paid?
How Can Board Members Be Paid (nonprofit) ?
Board Remuneration – Creative Solutions

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want to review some related topics, available from the link below.
Each of the related topics includes free, online resources.

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selected for their relevance and highly practical nature.

Related Library Topics

Recommended Books

January 18, 2022October 5, 2022

Board and Staff Responsibilities

Board and Staff Responsibilities

To help convey who does what regarding board and staff, the following activities are suggested to be done by board, staff or jointly. Ultimately, the responsibility for the various activities depends very much on the life-cycle of the organization — young organizations often have working Boards that are involved in day-to-day activities, while older organizations have Boards that attend exclusively to top-level policies and plans. This document should be reviewed by board members to finalize who they would like to do what among board and staff members.

The original author of this document is unknown.

Related Library Topics

Activity

Respon-
sibility

PLANNING:

Direct the process of planning	Board
Provide input to long range goals	Joint
Approve long range goals	Board
Formulate annual objectives	Staff
Approve annual objectives	Board
Prepare performance reports on achievement of goals and objectives	Staff
Monitor achievement of goals and objectives	Joint

PROGRAMMING:

Assess stakeholder (customers, community) needs	Staff
Train volunteer leaders (nonprofits only)	Staff
Oversee evaluation of products, services and programs	Board
Maintain program records; prepare program reports	Staff
Prepare preliminary budget	Staff
Finalize and approve budget	Board
See that expenditures are within budget during the year	Staff
Solicit contributions in fundraising campaigns (nonprofits)	Board
Organize fundraising campaigns (nonprofits)	Staff
Approve expenditures outside authorized budget	Board
Insure annual audit of organization accounts	Board

PERSONNEL:

Employ Chief Executive	Board
Direct work of the staff	Staff
Hire and discharge staff member	Staff
Decision to add staff (nonprofit)	Board
Settle discord among staff	Staff

COMMUNITY RELATIONS:

Interpret organization to community	Board
Write news stories	Staff
Provide organization linkage with other organizations	Joint

BOARD COMMITTEES:

Appoint committee members	Board
Call Committee Chair to urge him/her into action	Board
Promote attendance at Board/Committee meetings	Joint
Recruit new Board members	Board
Plan agenda for Board meetings	Joint
Take minutes at Board meetings	Joint
Plan and propose committee organization	Joint
Prepare exhibits, material and proposals for Board and Committees	Staff
Sign legal documents	Board
Follow-up to insure implementation of Board and Committee decisions	Staff
Settle clash between Committees	Board

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January 18, 2022October 5, 2022

Typical Types of Board Committees

Professional Woman Discussing on White Board

Typical Types of Board Committees

Vast majority of content in this topic applies to for-profits and nonprofits. This book also covers this topic.

Sections of This Topic Include

About Committees
Developing Committees
Potential Standing Committees and Their Roles
Potential Ad Hoc Committees

Related Library Topics

Learn More in the Library’s Blogs Related to Board Committees

In addition to the articles on this current page, also see the following blogs that have posts related to Board Committees. Scan down the blog’s page to see various posts. Also see the section “Recent Blog Posts” in the sidebar of the blog or click on “next” near the bottom of a post in the blog. The blog also links to numerous free related resources.

The following descriptions are intended to portray various functions that are often conducted by board committees. Note that the following list is not intended to suggest that all of these committees exist within one organization; it’s ultimately up to the organization to determine which committees should exist and what they should do for that organization. Committees and their assignments are often specified in the ByLaws. Some of the following information has been adapted from materials by BoardSource, but applies to for-profit and nonprofit boards unless otherwise noted.

About Committees

1. Establish committees when it’s apparent that issues are too complex and/or numerous to be handled by the entire board.
2. For ongoing, major activities establish standing committees; for short-term activities, establish ad hoc committees that cease when the activities are completed. Standing committees should be included in the by-laws.
3. Committees recommend policy for approval by the entire board.
4. Committees make full use of board members’ expertise, time and commitment, and ensure diversity of opinions on the board.
5. They do not supplant responsibility of each board member; they operate at the board level and not the staff level.
6. Committees may meet monthly (this is typical to new organizations, with working boards), every two months, or every three months; if meetings are not held monthly, attempt to have committees meet during the months between full board meetings.
7. Minutes should be recorded for all board meetings and for Executive Committee meetings if the ByLaws indicate the Executive Committee can make decisions in place of the board when needed.

Developing Committees

1. Ensure the committee has a specific charge or set of tasks to address, and ensure board members understand the committee’s charge
2. Have at least two board members on each committee, preferably three
3. Don’t have a member on more than two committees
4. In each board meeting, have each committee chair report the committee’s work since the past board meeting
5. Consider having non-board volunteers as members of the committee (mostly common to nonprofits)
6. Consider having a relevant staff member as a member of the committee as well
7. Committee chairs are often appointed by the board chair; consider asking committees members for a volunteer for committee chair
8. If committee work is regularly effective and the executive committee has a strong relationship with the chief executive, consider having board meetings every other month and committee meetings between the board meeting
9. The chief executive should service ex officio to the board and any relevant committees (some organizations might consider placing the chief executive as a member of the board — this decision should be made very carefully)

Potential Standing Committees

The following descriptions are intended to portray various functions often conducted by standing board committees, i.e., committees that exist year round. Note that the following list is not intended to suggest that all of these committees should exist; it’s ultimately up to the organization to determine which committees should exist and what they should do.

Potential Standing Committees	Their Typical Roles
Board Development	Ensure effective board processes, structures and roles, including retreat planning, committee development, and board evaluation; sometimes includes role of nominating committee, such as keeping list of potential board members, orientation and training
Evaluation	Ensures sound evaluation of products/services/programs, including, e.g., outcomes, goals, data, analysis and resulting adjustments
Executive	Oversee operations of the board; often acts on behalf of the board during on-demand activities that occur between meetings, and these acts are later presented for full board review; comprised of board chair, other officers and/or committee chairs (or sometimes just the officers, although this might be too small); often performs evaluation of chief executive
Finance	Oversees development of the budget; ensures accurate tracking/monitoring/accountability for funds; ensures adequate financial controls; often led by the board treasurer; reviews major grants and associated terms
Fundraising	Oversees development and implementation of the Fundraising Plan; identifies and solicits funds from external sources of support, working with the Development Officer if available; sometimes called Development Committee
Marketing	Oversees development and implementation of the Marketing Plan, including identifying potential markets, their needs, how to meet those needs with products/services/programs, and how to promote/sell the programs
Personnel	Guides development, review and authorization of personnel policies and procedures; sometimes leads evaluation of the chief Executive; sometimes assists chief executive with leadership and management matters
Product / Program Development	Guides development of service delivery mechanisms; may include evaluation of the services; link between the board and the staff on program’s activities
Promotions and Sales	Promotes organization’s services to the community, including generating fees for those services
Public Relations	Represents the organization to the community; enhances the organization’s image, including communications with the press

Potential Ad Hoc Committees

The following descriptions are intended to portray various functions often conducted by ad hoc board committees, i.e., committees that exist to accomplish a goal and then cease to exist. Note that the following list is not intended to suggest that all of these committees should exist; it’s ultimately up to the organization to determine which committees should exist and what they should do.

Audit	Plans and supports audit of a major functions, e.g., finances, programs or organization
Campaign (nonprofit)	Plans and coordinates major fundraising event; sometimes a subcommittee of the Fundraising Committee
Ethics	Develops and applies guidelines for ensuring ethical behavior and resolving ethical conflicts
Events (or Programs)	Plans and coordinates major events, such as fundraising (nonprofits), team-building or planning; sometimes a subcommittee of the Fundraising Committee
Nominations	Identifies needed board member skills, suggests potential members and orients new members; sometimes a subcommittee of the Board Development Committee
Research	Conducts specific research and/or data gathering to make decisions about a current major function in the organization

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January 18, 2022October 5, 2022

Sample Board Operations Calendar

Creating an Activities/Planning Calendar

Sample Board Operations Calendar

Vast majority of content in this topic applies to for-profits and nonprofits. This book also covers this topic.

The following calendar can be reviewed by an organization to modify according to their own nature and needs. The following calendar should be updated yearly and provided to each board member and the chief executive.

NOTE #1: There are certain one-time activities that the board should conduct during the startup of the organization. See the list Startup Activities List at the
end of this document.

NOTE #2: There are also certain activities that recur in each regular board meeting. Regular board meetings might be held once a month, every two months, once every three months, etc. To get a sense for the activities that occur in these meetings, see Sample Meeting Agenda and Sample Meeting Minutes.

NOTE #3: The timing for each of the following activities should be relative to the timing of the beginning of the fiscal year. In the following sample table, the fiscal year begins January 1.

	Regular Board Activity	Approximate Date (see NOTE #3 above)
1.	Fiscal year begins	January (fiscal-year timing is often specified in the Bylaws)
2.	Conduct Board Self-Evaluation (do once a year and in preparation for first board retreat (there are 2 per year))	March-April (do shortly before evaluating chief executive)
3.	Evaluate Chief Executive (by referencing his or her progress towards last fiscal year’s goals and his or her job description)	April-May (do shortly after completion of last fiscal year)
4.	Review and update board policies and personnel policies	April-June (do concurrent to board and chief evaluations)
5.	Conduct first board retreat (address board self-evaluation results, team building, begin strategic planning, etc.)	April
6.	Begin recruiting new board members	April-May (in time for June/July elections)
7.	Conduct strategic planning to produce organizational goals and resources need to reach goals	May-June-July (start planning in time for setting mission, vision, values, issues, goals, strategies, resource needs, funding needs (nonprofit-specific), and time for getting funds before beginning of next fiscal year)
8.	Elect new board members	June-July (per By-Laws)
9.	Establish chief executive’s goals for next year (as produced from strategic planning)	August (as organizational goals are realized from planning)
10.	Hold annual meeting	July (per By-Laws)
11.	Draft next year’s budget (based on resources needed to reach new strategic goals)	July-August-September
12.	Develop fundraising plan(nonprofit-specific) (with primary goals to get funds needed for budget)	July-August-September
13.	Conduct second board retreat (address board orientation/training, re-organize or form new committees based on goals from strategic plan, develop work plans, update board operations calendar, review planning status, etc.)	August (in time to orient new board members soon after they join the board)
14.	Conduct fundraising plan(nonprofit-specific) (primarily to meet fundraising goals)	August-December

Startup Activities List (to start the organization)

When forming a new corporation or association (these are the types of organizations that usually have boards of directors), the board typically has several specific activities they must conduct, including meeting to:
1. Approve the mission statement (may include vision and values statements, as well)
2. Approve Articles of Incorporation (or whatever charter document is required in your state)
3. Approve Bylaws (these are not always required in every state; you should strongly consider having them anyway)
4. Select officers in the board (usually including the president or chair, vice president or vice chair, secretary and treasurer)
5. Approve (probably very rough drafts of the) strategic plan and yearly budget

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