Governance is no longer a “buzz word” but a principle of great board/management operations. The term itself is a foundation for local, regional and national government relationships with constituencies.

In credit unions and other nonprofits, governance is the new version of the board’s relationship with its hired executive. Before hiring expertise, boards made the policies AND carried them out. As the competence of hired  help has risen over decades, boards have backed off from the operational tasks to concentrate on the strategic and guidance tasks — governance.

Governance consists of written policies disclosing the balance of power and the relationship of a board with its executive. Good governance results in an effective and knowledgeable board, a fully utilized executive, and success for the organization. Learn the Best Practices of governance and to improve the type of governing you practice.

A credit union audience will discover how the history of the CU movement influences governance relationships still today, and what you can do to take it to the next level.

Hear about governance from three perspectives. What Executive Authority should a board delegate and oversee, and what criteria can you use to make good use of the executive expertise so dearly paid for. 

Do you have all of your volunteers and employees involved some way in planning, and should you? How can you? Learn about two distinct levels of policies that provide flexibility and governance to appropriate levels. If you are a fan of John Carver’s governance ideas, but not of their rigidity, learn what our experience shows works for credit unions in concert with regulators. and nonprofits associated with Accreditation and the IRS 990 questions.

Key Learning Points. Participants will:

• Uncover the link between governance and strategic planning that are mutually supportive.
• Learn how to separate policies into two distinct levels, one controlled by the board and the other my management.
• Take away hints for restructuring board meeting agendas.

    In a longer version,

• See what progressive boards structure the information they receive and how often, including dashboards. 
• Take away hints for policy writing.

Program Length

1.5 to 3 hours.

Primary Audience

Directors and top managers; supervisory/audit committee members for background.

Other Notes

For longer sessions, half to full-day, we encourage participants to bring with them a typical board packet and existing governance policies for networking discussions and comparisons (confidential information redacted).

One of the relevant topics available at www.danclark.com. It is also available on audio CD.