Articles written By Better Boards

How to Get Your Alliances Off the Ground

Adapting to deregulation of markets for government funded service delivery is one of the greatest challenges for Not-for-Profit (NfP) providers at present. The shift to consumer driven markets combined with the funding squeeze being felt in all parts of the sector has many Boards and leadership teams questioning the future viabilities of their organisations. Innovation solutions to these challenges often requires funding and resources that are beyond most NFPs. Some organisations are discovering that the answer lies in what NFPs have in the past found a natural fit – working and collaborating together.

Build an Effective Board: Practical & Actionable Tips

Having seen the good, the bad and the ugly from many not-for-profit (NFP) boardrooms we’ve picked up plenty of the best (and worst) practices for improving how your NFP board operates. From how to build a director recruitment “machine” to how to make your meetings more effective, we’ll unpack and share lots of practical tips and insights during this webinar. Put your best foot forward with a tool kit of immediately actionable tips to make your board better.

Co-designing Your New Business Model

For boards of community businesses (NFPs) the move to a customer-driven, competitive marketplace is a radical departure from their known industry/sector context to which they and their management team were perfectly adapted. An old business model cannot operate in a new paradigm. Co-designing a new business model is mission critical, trying to hang on to your existing business model is a death knell; the rules and processes that supported the old business model will be defunct.

Directors' Duties: Lessons from the past to guide future conduct

It is said that those who fail to learn the lessons from mistakes of the past are doomed to repeat those mistakes. Another saying often attributed to Einstein is that the definition of insanity is doing exactly the same thing over and over again but expecting a different result. In this webinar you will learn about: Directors’ and Committee Members’ duties to their organisations (both companies limited by guarantee and incorporated associations).

The Board's Role in Strategic Transformation

For boards, chief executive officers and executives of community businesses (NFPs) the move to the customer-driven, competitive marketplace is a radical departure from their known industry/sector context. Planning and executing a strategic transition of one’s organisation, a re-engineering of the business model and a reinvention of the culture is a very significant and complex project that many leaders need to undertake. Coming to grips with the realities and practicalities of such a project can be daunting, to say the least.

The Board Portal: An essential part of your boardroom?

The adoption of online board portals is part of a growing trend of embracing e-governance in both non-profit and corporate boardrooms. The expanded use of technology in the boardroom can be very cost-effective, boost efficiency and is a real time-saver for both board members and support staff. It also opens up in-your-own-time opportunities for directors to communicate and collaborate outside of board meetings. This article will hopefully clarify how board portals work, and help you to make a more informed decision about whether your organisation could benefit from a greater use of technology in the boardroom.

Keep Calm and Embrace the Numbers

Board members of not for profit organisations come to the table with a mix of skills and experiences which makes their contribution special. However when finances aren’t their thing, making financial decisions and approving the financials can be intimidating. Most Directors are aware of their individual responsibility to ensure the organisation is solvent, the importance of being able to read the financial reports, ask probing questions, analyse financial risks and make decisions.

Artificial Intelligence for NFP Directors

The upcoming webinar presents a comprehensive study of the influence that the cluster of technologies frequently labelled as “Artificial Intelligence” (AI) is projected to have on Not-for-Profit (NFP) organisations in the contemporary period and the foreseeable future. In the present day, there is a considerable amount of excitement and speculation surrounding the disruptive potential of Artificial Intelligence. This anticipation is particularly palpable in mass media. However, what implications does it truly hold for the governing bodies of not-for-profit organisations?

Dealing with Deviant Directors

Deviant directors are those whose personal agendas, poor interpersonal skills and/or conflicts of interest work against their ability to serve the organisation effectively. Disruptive and deviant board members can slow the progress of board meetings, irritate fellow directors, alienate new members and eventually cripple the work of the board. The organisation’s effectiveness can be threatened. Deviant board members present a chronic problem meeting after meeting. They are often unresponsive to polite attempts to negotiate or resolve conflicts.

Better Boards Conference 2017

Better Boards would like to thank all delegates, speakers and sponsors for attending the Better Boards Conference 2017. We sincerely hope you found the experience enriching and that you made some valuable contacts through your interaction with other delegates during the day. We look forward to seeing many of you again at future events.