Successful Board Orientation

Successful board orientation must include many things such as roles, responsibilities, legal accountability, board meeting requirements and board values/behavior. Part of any effective board orientation will focus on the strategic plan of the organization. This needs to go beyond just walking them through the existing plan. We recommend having the current, outgoing, and incoming board members – along with senior staff – engage in an annual review and update of the plan. The first meeting where you know who will be coming on board is the best time.

Associations doing this universally declare it to be the most effective board orientation possible to issue content, board roles, and partnership with staff.

It’s learning while doing real work. It blends institutional memory with fresh ideas. It promotes common understanding and support of the strategy. It supports coherency in direction over time as board composition changes.

It’s also a powerful statement to all board members about the board’s commitment to focus on strategic direction, policy, and oversight rather than management and operations.