Pro bono Board Evaluation
A comprehensive and holistic evaluation of the board's efficacy, guided by director feedback and best practice governance.
“On behalf of the Board of StreetWork I wanted to express our gratitude to you and the team at PinkSparrow for the Board Evaluation you conducted for us. The manner in which you conducted this evaluation was thoughtful and thorough and the results are prescient and clear. PinkSparrow has effectively delivered us a roadmap to achieve best in class governance. Many thanks to you and your team for a very valuable contribution to the important work that StreetWork does.”
– Lloyd Wilkins, StreetWork Chair
“The contribution made by PinkSparrow to The Northern Centre has been invaluable. The Management Committee evaluation and recommendations where most welcome and timely as we move towards building on our current governance strengths. The PinkSparrow team were generous and genuine in their approach in working with our team individually and collectively and their recommendations are clear, concise and relevant. Their generosity, curiosity and pragmatic advice really stood out and helped in building trust in their recommendations. Further, PinkSparrow provided practical support in the form of a number of templates that we could adopt. We are inspired by their work and we look forward to implementing their recommendations to help The Northern Centre to achieve best practice governance. Best wishes and a very grateful thank you to the PinkSparrow team.”
– Christopher Hellmundt, The Northern Centre President & Cate Sinclair, The Northern Centre Executive Officer
How does a PinkSparrow Board Evaluation work?
If you’re a not-for-profit organisation looking to improve your governance, a board evaluation is the perfect place to start. A board evaluation is the most effective means for identifying areas for improvement in governance, helping your organisation to most effectively achieve your purpose. It is recognised best practice to conduct an externally-facilitated board evaluation annually. The approach undertaken by PinkSparrow is adapted from the process outlined in Reviewing Your Board: A Guide to Board and Director Evaluation, published by the Australian Institute of Company Directors. The evaluation is undertaken in four phases:
1. Collaborate with you to define the specific objectives, scope and approach for the evaluation
2. Gain a quantitative understanding of your current governance capacity through director surveys
3. Conduct a qualitative deep-dive into areas for improvement
4. Prioritise areas for improvement into actionable recommendations
A number of governance frameworks are used as the theoretical basis for the review, providing source material for the development of questionnaires, interview prompts and informing the final recommendations. The frameworks include, but are not limited to, AICD Company Directors Corporate Governance Framework, AICD Not-for-profit Governance Principles, and Corporate Governance Practice Framework (as outlined in Directors at Work: A Practical Guide for Boards).
Please note: There are a limited number of Board Evaluation slots available, however if we are unable to evaluate you directly, we will endeavour to provide you with resources to help you achieve your governance goals.
What outcomes can you expect?
By conducting a Board Evaluation and implementing its recommendations, your organisation will experience a myriad of benefits that will ultimately help you maximise your impact and better achieve your purpose. Below is just an example of three (of many) possible outcomes:
Improved board processes
Enhanced the quality of the agenda and board papers, developing a consistency in structure and style. The use of best-practice templates to aid in ensuring robust board discussions
Clearly articulated board processes that ensure board meetings are as effective as possible, and that the associated admin is efficient and not a burden
Better decision-making
Development of mechanisms to ensure that the board is receiving the appropriate information it needs to make decisions
Improved decision-making processes and criteria to ensure that the board is empowered to make good decisions in an efficient way, whilst ensuring that diverse viewpoints are considered
Airtime to the most important matters
Systems to ensure that the board is spending most of its time on the most important matters facing the organisation, and taking a strategic view rather than getting tied up in operational matters
And much much more…