Building Better Boards Initiative
As donors and contributors to a multitude of local nonprofit organizations, we recognize that the state of McLennan County’s nonprofit sector is changing. The ever-increasing need and demand for services, coupled with a decrease in the amount of resources available to help address those needs, require nonprofits to continually adapt and overcome such challenges. Fully-informed, effective leadership is needed from all nonprofit boards of directors so that agencies can:
- Successfully adapt and respond to changing community needs;
- Establish plans and goals for meeting the community’s needs within the framework of the organization’s mission;
- Secure the resources (financial, human and community) needed to fulfill the organization’s mission and initiatives; and
- Set and manage appropriate budgets (both income and expense) in order to sustain the organization.
The Building Better Boards (BBB) Initiative was developed to help address the challenges facing our local service providers. The purpose of BBB events are to:
- provide an easy and inexpensive way for local nonprofits to receive the correct amount of quality Board training; and
- increase the number of people in Waco who have been properly and thoroughly trained in nonprofit Board service
The first round of BBB training took place during our 2011-2012 fiscal year and resulted in these individuals being certified in nonprofit boardsmanship. The second round of training took place on October 17th.
Click here for more information on the first phase of the Building Better Boards Initiative.
Board Self-Assessment
Waco Foundation offers a low cost/free assessment tool for eligible area nonprofits through our Capacity Building Program. The self -assessment is a critical component of the Waco Foundation’s Building Better Boards Initiative, which was designed to promote an understanding of good board governance and provide the resources necessary for continuing board development amongst nonprofit organizations.
The assessment provides information for nonprofit organizations to use in building their board and their organization. A board self-assessment is a great tool to effect change towards improving board performance. The assessment is conducted by nonprofit groups, with each member answering their questions anonymously through an online survey. Once completed a summary report is compiled that shows summary board responses and identifies potential areas for improvement.
For an overview of the Board Online Self-Assessment (BOSA) click here. For additional information, please contact the Capacity Building Program at Waco Foundation.