HOA Boards Should Assess Itself Every Year

A nonprofit Board of Directors is responsible for many things in its organization. The Board oversees the operation, provides guidance, and develops policy. A good Board makes for a good organization. So who monitors the Board to make sure it’s as good as it can be?

It’s up to the Board itself to evaluate its own activities. An annual self-assessment is a great way to do that.

A good self-assessment is comprehensive and covers all areas of Board responsibility
It helps determine the Board’s effectiveness and level of functioning. It also provides

• A structured time for reflection.

• An opportunity to assess individual and group weaknesses and strengths.

• A springboard for Board member recruitment in the coming year.

• A way to identify any training that might be needed for the Board.

There are lots of tools out there that can be used to assess Board performance including surveys and questionnaires.

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It doesn’t matter so much which tool is used as long as one is used.Giving the Board a chance to evaluate its own effectiveness is a step toward best practice in governance. It can contribute to the overall teamwork of the group and satisfaction of individual members. It points out areas where improvement is needed and sets a course of action for the coming year.

Having a policy in place that requires the Board to evaluate itself each year is a great way to make sure that it happens.

The organization will only be as good as its Board, so make the Board the best it can be through annual self-assessment!